Iacopo Vigilante
ENVIRONMENT ARTIST
Resume
Portfolio
Blog
Contact

Face Your Demons

I strongly needed to expand my skillset and during the process I came across the figure of Rubicant, the last one of twelve Malebranche Demons that appear in Dante’s Inferno (Chants XXI, XXII, and XXIII)

I strongly needed to expand my skillset and during the process I came across the figure of Rubicant, the last one of twelve Malebranche Demons that appear in Dante’s Inferno (Chants XXI, XXII, and XXIII)

Then I thought that the 3D mesh deserved to be animated and shaded in an appropriate setting

Then I thought that the 3D mesh deserved to be animated and shaded in an appropriate setting

You may see some “Paragon” and “Soul: Cave” assets here and there

You may see some “Paragon” and “Soul: Cave” assets here and there

Virtual Reality proved to be the best option for that damn encounter

Virtual Reality proved to be the best option for that damn encounter

Here a couple of clips recorded from an Oculus Quest 2 (via Oculus Link)

In the end, inside UE4, I exported a teaser from Sequencer and uploaded a free-to-play short Jumpscare experience on Steam, published by ShinGraphic and soon selected by VR Arcade companies Private Label VR & VR Junkies

Face Your Demons

In 2018 I made a tiny Virtual Reality experience: Face Your Demons. It was my first-ever approach to character creation (Zbrush, Maya, Substance Painter) and environment design (Unreal Engine 4). It has been too many irons in the fire but I’ve learned so many life and technical lessons.

Worlds of art, technology, and communication evolve from year to year and so do the quality standards that the respective communities expect from the work of artists and developers. In this perspective, Face Your Demons is hellishly old and naive, yet I’m still inspired by and proud of the original message I wished to deliver at that time. For these reasons, I’m sharing it with you today.

A quote from Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath will burn in front of your eyes at the beginning of the VR experience:

"The lover of life’s not a sinner, the ending is just a beginner. The closer you get to the meaning, the sooner you’ll know that you’re dreaming.”

Why? Because It perfectly matches the freedom all artists should experience, whether they want to represent delicate issues or everyday stories. And they should experiment with creativity leaving worn-out cultural limits behind.

The key is love for life itself: the trust in the innate human ability to recognize and honor it. Living guided by curiosity and open-minded thoughts. Training ourselves to genuinely recognize what we truly don’t know about the universe and ourselves. What's the point in blaming others and being frustrated if our perception of reality is nothing but an illusion?

Report