Character Art · Photogrammetry · Real-timeFeatured case · 2026

Soundwave

3D Character Artist

01 · Project

Role3D Character Artist

PipelineRealityCapture · Blender · Wrap3D · MetaHuman topology · Groom · Unreal Engine 5

Source materialPhotographic datasets from 3D Scan Store

Soundwave turns human reference into a realistic digital character through facial reconstruction, production topology, groom development, and cinematic real-time presentation.

Project imagery

Final result and groom.

Final portraits, lighting studies, and technical breakdowns of the real-time hair system.

Soundwave under neutral frontal lighting — Neutral portrait · form and material readability

Close-up of Soundwave's face — Close-up · skin, beard, and facial detail

Profile · silhouette and groom integration

Cinematic frontal portrait of Soundwave — Cinematic lighting · Unreal Engine

Cinematic close-up portrait of Soundwave — Look development · response under warm light

Front groom breakdown for Soundwave's hair and beard — Groom breakdown · front views

Rear groom breakdown of Soundwave's hair — Groom breakdown · volume and silhouette

Technical visualization of Soundwave's groom strands — Technical visualization · strand distribution

02 · Objective

From reference to character.

Build a complete realistic-character pipeline — from facial reconstruction to hair and final lighting — while preserving identity, material readability, and performance for real-time applications.

03 · Documented process

From reference to character.

Actual development documentation: photographic dataset, 3D reconstruction, facial refinement, groom creation, and real-time character validation.

Frontal photograph used as reference for the Soundwave character — Photographic reference · identity and proportions

Camera set aligned around the head during photogrammetry — Image alignment · multi-angle coverage

RealityCapture · initial 3D reconstruction

Comparison between the processed scan and clean facial base for Soundwave — Facial reconstruction · processed scan and production base

Hair fitting tests for Soundwave in side and front views in Blender — Groom in Blender · fit, volume, and silhouette

Groom breakdown · profile and strand flow

Frontal visualization of Soundwave's hair, eyebrows, and beard strands — Groom breakdown · facial density and front view

Soundwave being evaluated in a look development scene in Unreal Engine — Unreal Engine 5 · integration, lighting, and look development

04 · Pipeline

A four-stage process.

A concise view of the technical decisions that structure the character-development process.

Photogrammetry

Aligning the photographic dataset and creating the initial reconstruction in RealityCapture to establish volume, proportions, and facial identity.

Reconstruction

Processing the scan and transferring MetaHuman topology with Wrap3D to produce a clean, production-ready base.

Groom

Building and refining hair, beard, and eyebrows in Blender while balancing density, direction, and silhouette.

Look development

Integrating materials, lighting, and the final real-time presentation in Unreal Engine 5.

05 · Result

The result is a game-ready character presented through technical and cinematic renders in Unreal Engine, with particular attention to groom, skin, and material response.

View full imagery and breakdown ↗

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