AJ Ramos

Lighting Challenge #25 Artistry

2011-05-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've updated but better late than ever. Here are my lighting comps for challenge #25 Artistry at 3dRender.com.

E X O D U S : Lighting

2010-08-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

I began production on EXODUS at the beginning of 2009.
EXODUS was easily the most ambitious project Game Wizards ever attempted.

My job consisted of placing lights and post-processing to get a unique, realistic and distinct feel for all five levels.

The main challenge was balancing out Global Illumination with in engine run time performance using Unreal Development Kit.

Other challenges would arise such as meeting extremely tight deadlines as well as creating a distinct identity for each individual level.

Big thanks to all the talented artists at GAME WIZARDS who created all world geometry, objects, shaders and textures. Without your after hours, tireless effort, and passion for game development, E X O D U S would have not been possible!

- AJR

LIGHTING ARTIST
ajtheramos@gmail.com
805.890.9219

Logo Treatment - GRIM

2010-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

My buddy Pat asked me to design a logo for his mod project GRIM. He told me he wanted something Tim Burtony. I made a simple reference board as a visual aid for myself in capturing the final quirky style/design we wanted to acheive.

I searched the web looking for Tim Burton style royalty free fonts that I could manipulate in Photoshop. I came up with five black and white treatments.

After the treatments were completed, I sent these to my friend Pat for approval. After approval, I tweaked the one we liked best and added some more character to it.

So a little about Grim, Grim: Strange Case is a perversion/reimagining of Jack the Ripper during the Victorian era. In the game the player plays as the Ripper who is actually an earth bound demon named Grim. Here is the logo in progress.

At this point I felt the logo was too uniform. I really wanted to capture the twisted quirky imagination of this project. The logo also had to visually read, anti-hero and of course capture the esscence of the Victorian era.

Using the reference board, as inspiration I went to town on the current render and began slicing it up in a similar manner as Corpse Bride. Here is what I came up with.

After this final render was approved, it was time to play with color! Here's what I came up with.

It was now at this point of development that I was really starting to feel the essence of the overall project coming to life within the color passes. However, I still felt the lunacy, the energy and overall coolness of the logo could be pushed just a bit more.

Here is the final color render.

I really enjoyed this project. Pat and the team were very happy with the result! For more on Grim, check out moddb.com/grim-strange-case.

Thanks.

- AJR

- Grim-Strange-Case

Lighting Challenge #1 Still Life - Fruit Bowl

2010-05-25T22:03:00.001-07:00

So like I said in the previous post, I know these exercises are old but they are fundamental in the discipline of 3d lighting.

http://http//www.3drender.com/challenges/index.htm

Lighting Challenge#1 Still Life - Fruit Bowl.

I used a range of spot and point lights to create a sense of softness and to mimic global illumination. Render time is about 2 minutes. Models by Dan Wade

- AJR

Lighting Challenges

2010-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know that the threads are closed but it doesn't matter. This is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to be the best professional lighting artist EVER and what better than to learn from the BEST!

http://www.3drender.com/challenges/index.htm

I only wish that I had found this link six YEARS earlier. Stay tuned!

- AJR

Pretty Picture

2010-05-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Team project. Assets modeled in MAX then imported into Unreal Engine 3.

Credits:
Environment Team:
Kristy Romero, Jira Fuangfoo, and Kurt Rofhling

Level Artist/Lighting Artist:
AJR

AJR 10'

2010-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

By the way, new logo iteration for 2010. Someday, I'll post all the iterations I've come up with since the AJR logo started. Stay tuned! :D

- AJR

Site_WIP

2010-04-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the site has been under SERIOUS wip since I last revealed it. Here's how it's shapin' up so far! Stay tuned! :)

- AJR

teaser

2010-03-15T13:47:00.001-07:00

E X O D U S_INVITE

2010-03-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

BE THERE! :D

- AJR

EXODUS - LOGO - FINAL

2010-03-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

The logo is a wrap! Thanks to Mandie Bettencourt for doin it BIG in 3D! Stay tuned! :D

"EXODUS LOGO DESIGN by AJR - 3D, and TEXTURING by Mandie Bettencourt."

AFI Twitter Contest_Entry

2010-03-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

So this was my AFI Twitter Background Entry. I entered it into the comp. but it wasn't accepted. I'm not mad though. Even if TWITTER did defer the dream of being forever immortalized as a true AFI fan by having my artwork chosen for their background! ......Either way, I think I'm over it. LOL! Till next time. Stay tuned! :)

- AJR

EXODUS_site_MOCK-UP-02

2010-02-27T04:13:00.001-08:00

EXODUS_site_MOCK-UP-01

2010-02-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peek of the EXODUS website. Layout is pretty much done. All I have to do now is place the art, add all necessecary info, and put together the last remaining pages. Stay tuned! :D

"Layout"

"Story"

"Characters - Main Page"

"Character Page - Aiden"

"Character Page - Dr. Reed"

EXODUS_Aiden

2010-02-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

The team is wrapping up on Exodus. Now comes the time that we begin promotion and as we get ready for GDC.

We needed a render of our Main Character, Aiden for t-shirts and promotion. She was lit inside UDK. I took a screengrab and went into Photoshop. In Photoshop, I color corrected the image with adjustment layers. I also utilized the Dodge and Burn Tool as well as utilizing the High Pass and Lighting Effects Filter. Here's the end result.

Aiden: Zbrushed, Modeled, and Textured by Solomon Gaitan.

EXODUS - Logo - Part IV - FINAL PRODUCT

2010-01-05T14:58:00.000-08:00

Here's the final logo for EXODUS.

......3D VERSION COMING SOON. STAY TUNED!!! :D

EXODUS - Logo - Part III - Moss and Roots

2010-01-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

After the color pass, Bright asked me to do one more final treatment. He had this idea of moss and roots encompassing the logo.

The problem with this is now the logo looks to busy. The logo loses it's simplicity and is no longer decipherable in black and white. :(

After playing around with moss and roots, we made the creative decision to just stick to the lettering of the logo.

EXODUS - Logo - Part II - Starting From Scratch

2010-01-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

We were satisfied with the texture work but didn't quite care for the current font so we scrapped it and started from scratch.

After selection of the font, it was time to treat the logo with color.

EXODUS - Logo Part I

2010-01-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

I was commissioned by my buddy Bright to design a logo for EXODUS. EXODUS is a single-player Unreal Tournament 3 mod currently in production at Game Wizards, Santa Monica, CA.

ORIGINAL EXODUS LOGO

To put it simply, the current logo did not fit the project. We were more on the realms that the logo had to have a savage/intense look and feel. Here is what we started with....

After the treatment in black and white it was time to move into color.

Deadmans Tales - FINALISTS!!!!!

2010-01-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Deadman's Tales is a FINALIST for "Best Art In A Game Mod!" Experience what Epic's Unreal Community are talking about!

Make Something Unreal Phase 4 Best Art in a Game Mod Finalists

Deadmans Tales - AJ Ramos: Level Artist & Producer

2010-01-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to join the Deadman Team during Production.

My responsibilities included managing gameflow, and establishing a balance between environment art and game/level design.

Top Down of Level:

My managing duties included tracking the progress of environment artists, level designers, leads and overseeing level art and prop placement for both the Port and Courtyard.

Port:

Courtyyard:

Other duties included presenting Deadman's Tales to a panel including game industry leads and artists from SCEA, to Infinity Ward. I also acted as voice talent for Peg-Leg-Leg Joe! :D

Deadmans Tales - Level Development

2010-01-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Deadman's Tales plays a lot like WOW's "Eye of the Storm." The objective is for your team to control all 3 nodes in order to lower the opposing team's health. We were very fortunate to sucessfully design a map layout that is FAST, FURIOUS, and FUN!

Both teams have three path ways they can choose from and different variations on how to dish out the pain. But don't just take my word for it, see for yourself. Click the image below and PLAY DEADMAN'S TALES!

Deadmans Tales

2010-01-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

Deadman’s Tales is a stylized Unreal Tournament 3 pirate themed multiplayer mod created by a team of 40 students in the Game Wizards’ production team at the Art Institute of California - Los Angeles.

Art direction is heavily inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction art by Marc Davis.

Download the Game!

Watch the Trailer

Screenshots

testing...

2009-11-17T18:24:00.000-08:00

check, check....mic check, 1, 2, 1, 2....check, check...okay it works :D

- AJR