In nuce: In this detailed workshop report, published by our friendly colleagues at 80 Level, Material Artist Kai Mergener talks about his project called “Reinforcement Wall” with Substance 3D Designer.
Who is Kai Mergener? The material artist goes by the nickname Kizzle and took his first career steps around five years ago when he started as an intern at a computer games company. Today, he works as a material and environment artist at GentlyMad Studios, the same company where he once completed his internship. Incidentally, our favourite game from the computer games company’s portfolio is the business simulation Pizza Connection 3. As part of the game project Endzone – A World Apart, Kai was not only responsible for generating materials, but also for creating 3D models and texturing them. This wide range of tasks was necessary, as the number of talented minds behind GentlyMad Studios is relatively small. However, Kai’s responsibilities did not end there, as he was also responsible for the release trailer and the in-game vegetation.
Kai Mergener establishes himself as a working professional: During his studies at Mittweida University, Kai’s goal was to become a 3D artist. In the course of his studies, Kai also familiarised himself with Substance 3D and was soon impressed by the design possibilities, especially in terms of 3D modelling and texturing. In order to finally secure his dream internship at the newly founded game developer GentlyMad Studios, Kai applied – true to the motto: Fake it till you make it! – Kai applied to the young game developers with his rudimentary Substance 3D skills. With success! Kai spent the following nights teaching himself Substance 3D Designer.
What can you expect in the workshop report? The workshop report is divided into the following steps: “SD Workflow”, “Final Renders”, “Post-Processing” and the final “Afterword”. A great source of inspiration for Kai was the work of Ishan Verma, Material Artist at Ubisoft, and Enrico Tammekänd, Environment Artist at Counterplay Games – but above all the wall textures from the first-person shooter Rainbow Six: Siege, one of Kai’s favourite games, were the creative linchpin for his own project.
Click further: You can read the full workshop report at 80 Levels. You can visit Kai “Kizzle” Mergener on Artstation and Instagram . We think so: Use Kai’s project to get the motivation you need for your next creative project with Substance 3D Designer!
