Services
Freelance creature & character design
Creature and character design for film, television, games and advertising: from the first exploration to an approved design, directly in 3D.
For production studios, game developers, agencies and directors, in Italy and abroad, from Turin.
Start a project
What I do
From idea to production
Creature & character design
From the first exploration to an approved design, in pre-production for film, TV, games and advertising.
3D design & sculpting
Designing directly in 3D, with production-ready sculpts in ZBrush.
Texturing & look development
Surfaces, materials and photoreal renders that sell the design.
Designs for practical builds
Characters designed as the basis for prosthetics, as for the horned ones of The Gryphon.
Creative & art direction
Leading visual development across every phase, as Creative Director at FutuRats.
How I work
From biology to the final render
Biology first
Every creature starts from real biological functions and mechanisms found in nature, studied in depth, at times with the advice of a zoologist.
A plausible structure
Fantastical beings still need functional, often scientific, coherence. Only once the anatomy holds up does the visual design begin.
Sculpting
ZBrush is the heart of the workflow. Detailing during advanced sculpting is the most rewarding stage, almost meditative.
Surface & light
Texturing is where every detail matters and expressiveness is pushed further; my visualizations aim for a photoreal finish.
“Even when designing fantastical beings, I strive for functional — sometimes even scientific — coherence and a sense of realism.”
- Sculpting
- ZBrush
- Modeling
- 3ds Max · Maya · Blender · Marvelous Designer
- Texturing
- Substance 3D · Mari · 3DCoat
- Rendering
- Arnold · Marmoset Toolbag · Unreal Engine · KeyShot · V-Ray
- Topology & UV
- TopoGun · UVLayout
- Post
- Photoshop · After Effects
Worked with
- and many others
Questions
- How do I approach a new creature?
- Biology first: I study real biological functions and mechanisms found in nature, then define a plausible structure. Only then does the visual design begin.
- Do I design in 2D or in 3D?
- Mainly in 3D. ZBrush is the heart of my workflow, with Substance, Mari and 3DCoat for texturing and Arnold, Marmoset Toolbag and Unreal Engine for rendering.
- Do I work with international studios?
- Yes, all over the world: from Turin I have worked with studios in the United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea and across Europe, from the UK to Greece. Among them, Aaron Sims Creative, PUBG, W&B Television and Polymorf.
- What if the project needs a whole team?
- Then FutuRats comes in, the independent game studio I co-founded in Turin: the project can grow into a full team covering art, design and development.
- Do I keep projects confidential?
- Always. Most professional work stays under NDA during pre-production, and much of it is never released. Confidentiality is part of the job.
What to include in your message
- The project and its stage (pitch, pre-production, production)
- What needs to be designed, and how much of it
- References, script pages or an existing brief
- Deliverables: concepts, 3D sculpts, turnarounds, textured renders
- Timeline and key dates
Let’s talk about your project
Tell me about the project, what needs to be designed and the timeline: I reply personally.
Start a projectWrite toinfo@robertodigiglio.com