PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Sze Jones is a professional artist who specializes in digital character creation for video games and cinematic. Her character pipeline specializations are: Sharable character pipeline establishment, face and body customization, digital hair growth styling and part system, Facial Action Coding System setup, ZBrush portrait Analysis, layer clothing system, costume design, outsourcing artistic supervision, art direction, prototype and workflow implementation.
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCES
Sky Castle Studios
Lead Character Modeling Technical Artist
2020 - Present
Contributions:
● Design, prototype and implement technical elements for Face Customizer driving existing custom miniature pipeline.
● Remaster and create future proofed topology and UV for sharable facial deformation and preservation of Retro characters.
● Establish facial landmark guide for texture, modeling, rigging alignment and unification of quality and accuracy of Face Customizer functions.
● Create Face Joint Cage Driver and Hybrid FACS Customization face joints for maximum range of form and varieties.
● Design and define blendable and shareable Macro and Micro Facial Regions for cross species mix and match functionality.
● Design and establish Primary, Secondary Selection Pads for user clarity with wide range of customization ability.
● Define and author min <> max form artistically and technically to ensure maximum deformation and blendability.
● Analysis of facial stylization, anatomical structure, portrait studies to define visual language, storytelling aspects of iconic customization.
● Create FACS (Facial Action Coding System) based expressions sliders for new Face Customization function and retro expressions.
● Ongoing Visual presentation of prototype and implementation progress to demonstrate, share knowledge, align goals and foster collaborations.
The Initiative, Xbox Game Studios
Principal Character Artist
2019 -2020
Project: Perfect Dark
Contributions:
● Cinematic and In game Heroine Creation for Joanna Dark.
● Sharable Master Topology, UV establishment.
● Pre-production Character persona portrait, costume and Hair Concept Explorations.
● FACS scans onsite supervision and coordination, scanning quality control and pipeline implementation.
● Digital Hair exploration and visualization with hair groom and growth system.
● Establish artistic goals for Eye, Skin and hair shader, collaboration with Tech Artists with iterative feedbacks.
● Unreal Engine Character Key Pose Lighting, turnaround presentation.
● Character Pipeline organization: naming convention, folder structure and process documentation.
Wildcard Studio
Senior Character Artist
2018-2019
Projects: Atlas, ARK: Survival Evolved
Contributions:
● Character creation and pipeline development for ATLAS, a survival MMO with 40,000+ players.
● In-game real-time beard and hair growth styling.
● Facial skinning for speech and structural customization.
● Facial ethnicity and diversity preset setup.
● Body Customization - Low Fat, High Fat, muscular range and body proportion variations.
● Costume creation for layering and part system.
● Unified base mesh for Male and Female for the shared skeleton.
Outpost Games
Lead Character Artist
2015 - 2017
Project: SOS: The Ultimate Escape (Unreal Engine)
Contributions:
● Character modeling pipeline design and implementation
● Character related gameplay planning and execution
● Facial Action Coding System Setup (FACS), facial poses, 3D Portraits.
● Fine-tune and provide artistic feedback and quality control on materials and shaders.
● Character Concept: Costume design, Persona Analysis and authoring for the part system.
● Streamline character modeling pipeline by standardizing UV, topology, textures and materials.
● Character Branding and Key Art Creation - Posing, lighting, facial expressions, compositional mock-up and paintovers.
● Digital hair design, styling, hair cards painting and authoring
● Costume Design, Marvelous Designer Costume simulation and authoring for part system.
Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix
Senior Character Artist
2014 - 2015
Projects:
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
Contributions:
● Lara Croft TressFX 3.0 Hair Authoring and Hair Simulation Tuning and Hair Pipeline Development
● Next-Gen Game Cinematic and In-game characters creation
● Cinematic Character facial expressions (FACS), hair styling, shader and texture authoring
● High-resolution Zbrush Sculpt, Textures and Key Arts for Poster and Magazine Covers
● DLC Pipeline Assist - Rigging and weight painting
Naughty Dog, Sony Computer Entertainment
Lead Character Artist
2011 - 2013
Projects:
Uncharted 4: Next-gen facial setup and character pipeline development
Uncharted 3: Katherine Marlowe, Chloe Frazer & Elena Fisher
The Last of Us: Pre-production Characters Supervision
Contributions:
● Facial Expressions Pipeline Development
● High-Resolution Character Creations for Next‐gen Game
● Key Art Creations for Poster and Magazine Covers
● Character Art Direction and Team Supervision
● NPC head Generations Pipeline Development
● Hair Styling and Digital Make-Up Design
● Textures and In‐game Shader and Material Setup
Blur Studio
Character Modeling Supervisor
2002 - 2010
Contributions:
● High-Resolution Cinematic Character Creation
● Rigging, Face Robot R&D, Facial Expression Setup & Lip Sync Animation
● Character Pipeline Development and Quality Control
● Character Art Direction and Team Supervision
● Hair Styling and Digital Make-Up Design
● Key Art Creation for Poster and Magazine Covers
PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTS
● Face Customizer Design and Implementation for existing tabletop minis for Hero Forge.
● Perfect Dark – Joanna Dark - Cinematic and Unreal Character Creation, Studio Pipeline.
● Hasbro – ZBrush Head Sculpt for collectibles, figurines, miniatures and toys.
● Assassin's Creed Syndicate – Cinematic Character: Galina Voronina.
● Rise of the Tomb Raider – Lara Croft Real-Time TressFX Hair Authoring, Promotional Poster.
● Uncharted 4 – Next Gen Facial Setup and Character Pipeline Development.
● Uncharted 3 – Katherine Marlowe, Chloe Frazer & Elena Fisher.
● The Last of Us – Pre-production Characters Supervision.
● Tomb Raider Underworld: Cinematic – Lara Croft.
● Star Wars: The Old Republic (Jedi vs Sith) Cinematic – Eleena Daru and Shae Vizla.
● Star Wars: The Old Republic (Hope) E3 Trailer – Satele Shan.
● Mass Effect 2: Promo Interview Cinematic – Jack/Subject Zero, Miranda Lawson.
● Dante’s Inferno: Cinematic – Beatrice.
● Prototype: Cinematic – Female Pedestrian.
● The Age of Conan: Cinematic – Keaira.
● BioShock: Cinematic – Little Sister.
● Empire Earth III: Cinematic – Viral Carrie and Bowman.
● Everquest II: Cinematic – Antonia Bayle, Dark Elf.
● Blood Rayne II: Cinematic - BloodRayne.
● Æon Flux: Cinematic – Æon Flux
● Halo Wars: Cinematic – Professor Ellen Anders.
● Hellgate London: Cinematic – Emmera Ephram, Lyra Darius and Cabalist.
● Golden Axe: Cinematic – Tyris Flare.
● Clive Barker’s Jericho: Cinematic – Lt. Abigail Black.
● Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning – Cinematic: Dark Elf Sorceress.
● Fable 2: Cinematic – Theresa.
● The Simpsons Movie in 2-D Trailer – 3D Bunny.
● Niagara’s Fury Ride Film – Chip.
● Blur’s Short: Gentlemen’s Duel – Adeline.
● Blur’s Short: Gopher Broke: Fur setup.
● SpongeBob SquarePants – 3D Ride Film,
● Disney: Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas
PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS
Sze is passionate about teaching and merging the essence of digital techniques and traditional disciplines. Her previous presentations and workshops include Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts, Otis College of Art and Design, Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Art Institute of Los Angeles, Santa Monica College, CGWorkshops.com and Siggraph.
● Silvera Jewelry School, Berkeley, California
“Jewelry Illustration I”
Class Instructor, 2017
● CD Projekt RED - Promised Land
“Female Portrait & Hair Sculpting in Zbrush”
Presenter, 2016
● Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art
“Female Portrait and Clay Study with Zbrush”
Instructor, 2013 ‐ 2014
● CGSociety
Online Workshop: “Iconic Heroine Design and Creation”
Instructor, 2011 ‐ 2015
● Gnomon Master Class
“Digital Female Character Design and Creation”
Instructor, 2009
● LA ACM Siggraph Presentation:
"Digital Sculpture"
Artist / Presenter, 2010
● Pixologic: Feature ZBrush Artist Presentation, Siggraph, Los Angeles
Artist / Presenter, 2010
● Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Hollywood, 2010
“The Making of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Trailer”
Artist / Presenter, 2010
● The Art Institute of Los Angeles, 2003
“Brazil Toon Shader Presentation ‐ A 2D Toon takes a 3D ride”
Artist / Presenter, 2003
EDUCATION
● Master of Arts
Majored in Computer Graphics, William Paterson University, 1999
● Bachelor of Fine Arts
Majored in Computer Graphics, William Paterson University, 1997
● Associate degree in Applied Science
Majored in Graphic Design, County College of Morris, 1995
LANGUAGE SKILLS
● English
● Chinese - Cantonese
● Chinese - Mandarin