Fallout New Vegas
Project Date: 2010
Created with: ZBrush, 3ds Max, Photoshop, & Bethesda’s GECK engine
Responsibilities: Environment Lead, Large exterior environments, Interior tilesets, Hero props, lighting
Environment Breakdowns: I was responsible for several key locations and areas for core Fallout: New Vegas, including The Tops Hotel and Casino and Camp McCarran. At that point in the project, I was an area lead, working with several other artists either to coordinate between interiors and exteriors or to develop some of the larger, open-world sections of the game. I built the exterior of the Tops, also creating the signage and neon running lights, as well as the main casino floor and lobby interior spaces. I also built the large terminal and dome departure buildings in Camp McCarran, and blocked out many of the other miscellaneous structures.
On the DLC I played a much larger role, deciding how best to incorporate story points and design features into the environment and overseeing the entire Environment team of about 15 people. On Dead Money, I was primarily responsible for the exteriors and interiors leading up to the casino and built the entire tileset for that area. On Honest Hearts, I worked closely with the Art Director to develop beautiful, natural environments inspired by Zion in Utah. I was also responsible for the weather and various times of day and hand-scripted a rain system (which was something the engine didn’t support out of the box). On Old World Blues, I handled the weather and times of day as well as the opening sequence involving a crashed broadcast satellite. For Lonesome Road, I created the three missile silos, building a radial tileset that worked seamlessly with the existing Vault tilesets. I also built the highway sections and the missile launch sequences.
Prop Breakdowns: While I was primarily focused on large architectural pieces and tilesets, there were several Hero props that I created as well. These were all based on concepts done by Brian Menze. I also had the opportunity to create the Reflectron and Vigor Tester which were props used in the character creation process at the start of the game. The Vigor Tester required me to rig and animate each of the individual moving parts. This knowledge came in handy later when I was asked to create the casino games. This required quite a bit of planning and communication with the lead programmer Frank Kowalkowski. Together, we figured out a way to build each game that leveraged the art and animation tools available and required the least amount of unique code as possible.
