Character Artist Ivailo Ivanov paid homage to Striking Distance Studios and KRAFTON's sci-fi adventure The Callisto Protocol, recreating Dr. Caitlyn Mahler with the likeness of actress Louise Barnes.

The artist shared that he was inspired by the LookDev process of the game's characters, specifically by the work of Martin Contel, and used it, alongside photos of the actress, as references. The goal was to get as close as possible to the original LookDev reference. Ivailo Ivanov employed ZBrush for sculpting, XGen for grooming, and Unreal Engine 5.8 for rendering.

"I learned a lot when it comes to texturing the eyes and skin and look development of the shaders," the creator shared. While working on the character, he built a custom shader with functions he developed himself, helping him achieve a more lifelike result under specific lighting conditions. The artist noted plans to carry these techniques into future original portraits and characters, continuing to explore photorealism in Unreal Engine and real-time rendering.

Have a closer look at the renders:

Here's the comparison with the LookDev reference:

Before, Ivailo Ivanov impressed the audience with a recreation of Brad Pitt's character from Fight Club, Yennefer of Vengerberg from Netflix's The Witcher, a take on what Napoleon Bonaparte could look like, a setup of a photorealistic eye, which became the base for Napoleon's portrait, Devil May Cry 5's Vergil, Bulgaria's national hero Vasil Levski, and more:

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