I started my contract with Bungie back in 09, and was doing contract work at the same location just different building they had the contractors in. I made a very good impression with them with the work that were giving me so on 2 instances they moved me into the main building in Kirkland to go work alongside the Full Time employees for weeks at a time. The first time it was to work on a hard surface vehicle the pioneer pickup, the second time it was to help out environments and work under a senior environment artist directly to help finish the other half of the space M35 which was both a single and multiplayer space. They liked the work I did in both instances and I would later be brought to work with them as a FTE Contractor.

 

In this example I created these power transformers. The height and angles and everything was critical about them because they would be used as well in a multiplayer space and with that, everything has to "flow" the player can’t get caught up in any of the details and it has to be fun to jump between these and run along them. Another technical challenge that continued with everything that I did for this level was that perf wise the level was on the heavy side so there was no room for hardly any unique textures or even high poly counts to these assets. I was working with the bare minimum, and was given a thumbnail sketch to go off of. Working with the engine was also a challenge because everything had to be manifold for AI and collision purposes so the construction of these had to be done a certain way. I created the geometry for these power transformers to read as futuristic, functioning power transformers you could play on. The only texture that I created that was small was the yellow trim with the rust. The senior environment artist liked it and would use it to add yellow trim elsewhere on the level. I only had a short period of time to get the work done and it was also challenging because I was being introduced to the engine environment tech and intricacies.

 

I was then assigned to fill in this backdrop based off a loose sketch they had done. The key things were there was very little poly or textures to be dedicated to this because they were all beign used up

already in the main playspace and perf was on the heavy side. The area had to give interest and a sense of space that would leave you in that Bungie way to believe there was more to the playspace that

you were seeing, and had to catch your eye but not compete with the main space. I would complete the space with very few polies and only added like 3 256 textures to complete the space including the

one I used to create the mist FX for the water that looks cool when in motion. I would also have to like for the other assets bake out lightmaps and evaluate my work that way which meant learning new tech.

This again was done very speedy.

 

 

The following task they had me complete was to make this pioneer bridge, there was no sketch for this, and there was only a slab in place with general dimensions of what they wanted. So it was up to me

to design the look of the bridge to go along with the look of other pioneer stuff. I early on gathered refrence of bridges and ran them by the lead environment artist and we talked about what he wanted to see.

we liked and arch bridge in Idaho and would draw inspiration from that. I also designed the 4 sheilds on it, these were a part of functional art the designers wanted, because it would provide "some" cover

as to you were beign shot by the covennent on the other side of the bridge. I would use only existing textures to create the look of this bridge. I also had to destroy it for the multiplayer space so you couldnt

go that way and it would keep you in the play space.

Lastly I was asked to create a giant covenant defense tower that would have turrets on it and fx and go into the night time single player level in this same space. I was given a concept art, but that was a loose

guide as I would have to work with the lead env to get it the right size, functional and feeling right in game. I had to introduce and create covenant tilers that had not been created yet, but again the sizes and

counts were very limited as the perf was on the heavy side. it had an elevator or man cannon running in the center of it that would shoot you to the top deck where the turrets where. In the end cool fx where added.

 

This thing played and looked great in game and regret not having in game shots, but I just had so much art I created for reach that I must have forgot.