MEDIA TYPE
Italian Renaissance Simulation
Skills
Hard Surface Modeling
Organic Modeling
Texturing
Blueprints
Level Design
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Software
Autodesk Maya
Substance Painter
Adobe Photoshop
Unreal Engine
Timeline
May 2024 -
March 2025
Team
Jennifer Purington
Overview
I was hired for this project at the University of Florida to explore how emerging technologies can enhance learning in the humanities. This simulation features AI-driven digital humans that engage in real-time conversations. While they have a knowledge bank of specific information, their responses are dynamically generated based on each interaction. These humans can also speak in English, Italian, French, and German.
For this project, I modeled all the humans and furniture within the villa and handled all programming aspects. The simulation was developed in Unreal Engine using Blueprints, landscaping tools, and Quixel Megascans for foliage. The only element I did not model was the villa itself, which was provided by Fisheye Studios in collaboration with the Forni Cerato Foundation. Originally, the model depicted a structure that appeared hundreds of years old, so I retextured it to reflect its appearance in the 1560s, immersing players in its historical context.
Demo Video
Italian Villa Retexture and Unreal Engine Staging
Created using Autodesk Maya, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine
Red Dress
Using reference from a period specific red dress, I created this model in Maya, textured it using Substance Painter and Substance Designer, then put it on a character I created in Character Creator 4. I also did the weight painting for the dress inside of Character Creator 4.
Reference Image
Davanzati Bed
Created using Autodesk Maya and Substance Painter. Staged in Unreal Engine.
Reference Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Savanrola Chair
Instead of being a direct recreation of another Savanrola chair, I used reference from other Savanrolas created at the time and designed a custom chair that would have been created in the time period. I created this model in Maya, textured it using Substance Painter, and staged it in Unreal Engine.
Reference Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Italian Renaissance Table
Character Creator 4 Avatars
