Skyways

Role: Lead 3D Artist – Art Direction & World Building

This project was an internal prototype where I was responsible for developing the visual style and establishing the entire art pipeline. While my colleague handled game design, my role was to translate the mechanics into a compelling visual story and create the art direction for the world.

Art Direction & Style Development
The chosen style can best be described as steampunk evolved into a highly advanced age — a fusion between the grit of industrial machinery and the neon-lit aesthetics of cyberpunk. The game world is an endless city, blanketed in dense smog, where the population attempts to build upward into the sky to escape the bleak life below. The player’s goal is to manage traffic networks above the smog layer, ensuring inhabitants can efficiently reach industrial and commercial zones.

Responsibilities & Contributions

Created the Art Bible, defining the visual pillars, material guidelines, and architectural language.

Built the first asset set for the prototype slice, including modular buildings, vehicles, and props.

Established a stylized yet optimized texturing workflow to balance performance and readability.

Developed custom shaders in Unreal Engine to unify the stylized look across all assets.

Implemented VFX for smog layers, ambient effects, and traffic flow visuals to reinforce the narrative.

Constructed the playable world in Unreal Engine, integrating assets, shaders, and gameplay elements into a cohesive environment.

Leadership & Pipeline Impact

Defined the project’s art direction from the ground up and documented the visual framework for future expansion.

Set the tone and quality bar for asset creation by delivering initial hero pieces.

Built scalable shader and material systems, enabling future team members to quickly produce assets within the established style.

Highlights

Successfully established the game’s signature look and technical pipeline within the prototype phase.

Demonstrated the ability to bridge gameplay design and visual storytelling through world-building.

Positioned the project for efficient team scaling by creating reusable documentation and workflows.