james nichols portfolio

8/4/2019 James Nichols Portfolio

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James Nichols

128 Worster Hill Road

Rome, ME 04963

(207)649-2006

[email protected]


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RenderSheet_RedSoldier


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RenderSheet_SpreadRifle


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4RenderSheet_Corvette


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5 RenderSheet_LevelAssets


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6FractalSpace

YellowSubmarine


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James Nichols

Portfolio BreakdownRenderSheet_RedSoldier -

One part of my senior thesis, made early 2011. A low poly human model was made with a focus on edgeflow, and then two normal maps for the skinsuit were made in Mudbox- one map was made for the

musculature, one map was made for the patches of the suit. Maps were transferred onto the low poly

model and then composited together in photoshop. Armor pieces and helmet were created in the same

manner- high poly geometry was created in maya and transferred. Diffuse, normal, specular, and

reflective maps were made. A color scheme using adjacent colors was selected for readability.

RenderSheet_SpreadRifle -

The other part of my thesis, made fall of 2010. Barrel encasing twists, and barrels move outwards from

the center. Panels on the side slide forwards and outwards. Rigs made for all of these functions, driven

by joints (usable inside UDK). Diffuse, specular, and normal maps made. Spread Rifle took roughly 3weeks from concept to animation. Color scheme was chosen with opposing colors in mind. Orange

paint pops against the metallic blue and subdued purple metals.

RenderSheet_Corvette -

Geometry was created over the summer of 2010, and the project was finished and rendered over winter

break of 2010. Mental ray was used with final gather and a studio HDR for image-based lighting. Several

elements used Maya-generated normal maps for a fine level of detail, such as the tire treads and the

grill between the windowshield and the hoods. Production took roughly 2 weeks in 3 hour increments,

and rendering took roughly 3 days.

RenderSheet_LevelAssets -Made for a level design class for UDK in the fall of 2010. Diffuse, Specular, Normal, and Glow maps were

made. Keys were rigged to aim at the lock and twist. Production time was fairly rapid, assets taking a

couple hours each.

FractalSpace -

Made for a rendering class spring of 2010. The 'fractal planets' were simple spheres with boxes and

wheels geoPainted onto it's surface. Sun was a sphere with bright glow intensity. Craters used a

displacement map and a rim shader. Scene took roughly a week.

YellowSubmarine -Modeled and composited as a final in a rendering class in spring of 2010. Shaders on the submarine

were kept clean and glossy to achieve a toy-like look. Hills in the middleground and foreground were

masked out and post-processed to achieve a depth of field. Modeling the submarine took roughly 2

hours.

james nichols portfolio

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