AAA Games & Technical Art

L.A. Noire Character Pipeline

Character-team leadership, principal character ownership, and pipeline development on a landmark AAA production.

The problem

The production required reliable character workflows across scanned-head technology, principal character variation, deformation, shaders, and high-volume team coordination.

What I built

Principal character assets, team production systems, character references, technical troubleshooting workflows, and collaboration with programmers on artist-facing controls.

My contribution

I was responsible for Cole Phelps and many principal characters, led the character team, coordinated tasks and references, and contributed to pipeline R&D beyond the shipped title.

Tools and technologies

Autodesk Maya, ZBrush, Mudbox, Photoshop, Python, MEL, Jira, proprietary engine and scanning technology.

Outcome

The team shipped L.A. Noire, while the technical and production work informed continued character-pipeline R&D for Project WOTO.

Public evidence

View the Cole Phelps turnaround