Bradd McBrearty

Portfolio Archive

Bradd McBrearty — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:56:53 +0000

I’m completely updating my portfolio as I prepare to head out for the 2010 Game Developers Conference. Rather than just deleting all my old work, I’m archiving it here, both so that I can look back and seem my own progress, and so that interested viewers can do the same.

The 2009 Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special ($16,699) sports blacked-out components, brushed aluminum straight-shot dual mufflers, and other sleek styling cues. Drag bars and forward foot controls give the rider an aggressive, stretched out posture. This project was a study in hard surface modeling techniques as the bike is constructed of manmade materials, and yet composed of organic curves. Form and function combined into an impressive vehicular art-piece." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Nightrod.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> With culture dating back centuries, the very roots of modern architecture draw their inspiration and breath from the simple streets of Europe. The keen eye can observe the subtle changes of preference and style wrought by decades of commerce and trade. More than physical goods come of these interactions, the unmistakable exchange of ideas and customs reeks from every wall. This project was a study of architectural ideas, and materials. Note the detail spent in areas of wear and misuse." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Alley.jpg" alt="European Alley" width="150" height="150" /> I created this piece to practice my skills in both 3DS Max and Mudbox. I was focused on texture economy over triangle count as current-gen systems are more limited by available texture memory." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Pillar.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> This screenshot shows the material network I created for this asset. In addition to diffuse, normal, and specular maps, I created a mask for the paint stripe so that the color could be easily adjusted for use in multiple situations." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Pillar_Mat.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />

This is a work in progress study of the Smith and Wesson 500 Magnum handgun. The objective here is to study the combination of machined and organic shapes on a hard surface object." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_SW500WIP.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> This piece was for a test requiring high speed turn around. The High and low poly models were created in one day. Color, Spec, Glow, and Normal maps, as well as importing into the Unreal 3 Engine were completed the next day." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_HMU3.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> These are Screengrabs from the Maya Viewport. This is to show a little of the process that went into the final asset." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_HMMaya.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> The GE PowerFlo energy saving refrigerator makes a home, home. With its extra wide design, to accommodate all the diversity that is your life, the GE PowerFlo was engineered with you, the user in mind. This low poly scene was modeled to show how simple it is to tell a compelling story with a few props, and textures that tell the history of their respective objects." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Lonely_Alley.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />

Along a barren stretch of highway, connecting El Paso to the rest of the barren desert know as Texas, sits this relic of times long past. Don't let her worn exterior fool you though. She'll still fill your tank just like she did in the days of 28 cents a gallon. Good thing too, it's 200 miles from here to the next filling station. Best treat her nice and top off for good measure.
The spec sheet for this asset required it to be under 800 tris, using 1024x1024 Color, Spec, and Normal maps." src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_GasPump.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /> For over millennia, the horse drawn wagon reigned as the pinnacle of transportation effectiveness. Every great civilization to embrace wagons and to build roads for trade routes became a juggernaut, subduing less sophisticated nations in their path. Then, at the turn of the century, a sound rang out that forever ended the wagon’s reign. That sound was an explosion deep in the heart of the first internal combustion engine, marking the age of the machine. While it is still possible to find wagons in use today in underdeveloped nations, and on rural farms, it is far more likely to chance upon a wagon such as this, a decaying relic of times gone by. This prop was designed as the centerpiece in an Unreal 3 mod level. The wagon is built so that all the individual parts work, so the player may repair the wagon and ride it down a hill to complete the level. 9038 tris (including the wagon and 4 separate wheels) 1024x1024 Color, Spec, and Normal Maps" src="http://www.braddmcbrearty.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Thumb_Wagon.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />

Work in Progress Ducati Monster 696

Bradd McBrearty — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:41:12 +0000

A few months ago, I challenged a few friends to produce a highly realistic model of the Ducati Monster 696. It’s a beautiful bike with a semi-naked frame, so you really get a good idea of all the inner workings from a quick glance. It was also a great opportunity to dive into 3ds Max 2010’s Graphite modeling tools and give them a spin. It really sparked a fire under all three of us, and eventually lead to the project we’re creating over at Digital-Mercs. In preperation for GDC I plan to texture her up and put together some nice renders.

Here’s a few shots of the current state of progress:

Your friend, Render Clouds.

Bradd McBrearty — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:44:05 +0000

This piece of artwork is from a promo-poster I created for a Semi-annual dodgeball tournament I am helping organize. I hid the informational text for the purpose of displaying the actual art.

I have a running joke with a friend that the worst looking thing in all of Photoshop is ‘Render Clouds.’
(And we have a sub-joke that the best looking thing, according to Blizzard and World of Warcraft, is the Craquelure filter.)
I like to think of render Clouds as Photoshop’s ‘random number generator.’ It should almost never directly be used to add a noise pattern to a texture. However, with the right Level/Curves adjustments, it can produce some very nice random, organic effects.

The fire coming off the dodgeball in this piece of art is actually three layers of ‘Render Clouds’ set to Linear Dodge (Add), with different Hue adjustments set to ‘Colorize.’ I used a combination of Liquefy followed by Transform>Warp to get the flame shape I desired.

You’ll see there’s some flagrant ‘Render Clouds’ going on in the background. In the final printed piece this is broken up by text, so the ‘Clouds’ give the impression of depth as in a hazy night sky. Given that this piece was being created pro-bono under a pretty stiff deadline, the vile ‘render clouds’ served their purpose well.

Digital-Mercs.com

Bradd McBrearty — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 07:00:53 +0000

Sometimes it’s ok to just go with the flow and see how things turn out.
Your career is not one of those times.

I am fortunate to have a solid job in these tough economic times. I get that. I’m particularly lucky in that I get to share an office with some of my long time best friends. Still, with all this good fortune raining down upon me, I still want more. It’s a core part of who I am. Once I achieve my goals and dreams, I set higher and even loftier aspirations.

That’s the ideological and somewhat esoteric version of how Digital-Mercs came to be.

The more straightforward version is along the lines of we’re a bunch of guys who are passionate about make Video games, not making printers for Hewlett-Packard. (But thank you for the paycheck anyways.) As an added bonus, we all have degree’s in Game Art and Design, and a fundamental understanding of Epic’s Unreal Engine.

When UDK was released for free we took that as a sign that our ticket into the game industry was putting our hard work end effort where our mouths and dreams were.

I invite you to follow the progress of Johnny Perkins, Jon Rick, Kip Ricker, and Myself as we test our wills against the rigors of producing a video game in our spare time, with no budget.

www.Digital-Mercs.com