Lead VFX Artist - DADIU 2023 - No Table Interactive
Embark on a Journey as the Sherperdess
navigating the ancient underworld to lead departed souls to their ultimate resting place.
DADIU_2023_Team3_Trailer.mp4
Program - Unity | Adobe After Effects
My role - Lead VFX Artist
2023 | Computer game | DADIU
No Table Interactive is a small game studio of 15 students creating games as a part of the 2023 DADIU program. Embark on a journey as the Shepherdess, navigating the ancient underworld to lead departed souls to their ultimate resting place. Utilize the contours of the landscape to gracefully skim and soar above the timeless dunes of the Soul Sea.
My responsibilities:
VFX design, Unity Integration and Programming, Scene Dressing, Team task Management and Feedback, Animation and 3D modeling.
Sand dust kick-up VFX
My first task was to create a sand dust VFX for the Soul Vessel aka the glider. I got free roam, and was inspired by thunderclouds. So after studying thundcloud-montages, I began to create frame by frame animations in After Effects, which then I transformed into normal maps so it reacted to shadows and then into Unity as a Flipbook animation.
Lightning setup in After Effects
Sand dust setup in After Effects
Final Result
The setup was simple, but it encounted some errors along the way. One of was the amount of particles spawning. Gaps between the sand could easily be created depending on the speed of the vessel.
But adding the normal maps allowed the lightning to really stand out, since it created light between the dust clouds, making it look like a thunder storm.
Portal VFX Breakdown
In game look
Jump Boost Orb VFX
Scene Dressing for Level 2
One of my tasks as Lead Artist, I had to help the Art Director with scene dressing for the second level. Here the main component was to include a lot of jumps so the player could get familiar with the jump-and-glide mechanic.
What you see here are the first version iteration of that scene. While the video shows the final version.
Here it was important to keep in mind the open world aspect, meaning creating roads that could lead to potential exploration while you're gliding with speed.
Game Poster
Moodboard Given by Art Director
In collaboration with the Visual Designer Yuting Chen and the Art Director Johannes Donner Shackinger, we made the poster for the premiere of the game.
The requirements given by the AD was:
-It needs to include: Vessel, Spirits, Portal, Monoliths, Statues, Rocks and the Main Character
-Have the Sheperdess looking from afar at the broken underworld
1st sketch done in Blender, with added game models and adjusted in Photoshop
2nd adjustment in Photoshop, better sand and color. Fixed the sun and added portal.
Final adjustments in Photoshop, color corrected, added grain and silhouettes.
Credits
Johannes Andersen, CGI Artist LinkedIn
Simon Andreasen, Game & Level Designer LinkedIn
Yuting Chen, Concept, Visual & UI Designer Portfolio
Natasha Ianchina Hansen, Producer LinkedIn
Jakob Hedeby, Programmer LinkedIn
Neil McGuiness, Lead Game & Level Designer, Sound Designer & Composer LinkedIn
Martin Moeskjaer, Lead Programmer LinkedIn
Sofia Holm Poulsen, Lead VFX Artist Portfolio
Frederik Kibsgaard Riehn-Kristensen, Game & Level Designer LinkedIn
Johannes Donner Schackinger, Art Director & Lead Artist LinkedIn
Søren Skouv, Game Director LinkedIn
Anna Subotina, CGI & VFX Artist Portfolio
Annika Vangsgaard, CGI & Environment Artist LinkedIn
Caroline Neergaard Westergaard, Character & Special Effects Rigger & Animator, 3D Character Concept Artist LinkedIn
Runfei Wu, Programmer LinkedIn
Kaiyin Yang, QA & UR Manager LinkedIn