This is the backstop section of Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome; I created in Maya for the MLB 2K series of video games.

Modeling involved creating: the stadium, field, props, color/normal maps, UV work, and light glows; the crowd was modeled & animated by other artists. In addition to modeling/texture work (on a per stadium basis, which would change from year to year), I was also responsible for: collecting reference, lighting, optimizing, animating pause menu cameras, integrating into the proprietary Take2 shading system, and placement of: collision detection, non-interactive characters, animated props, jumbotrons, lense flares, foul poles, updateable advertisements, and field shadow casting. I’m probably leaving out several things, but you get the idea.

Because sports titles are created in less than a year, there isn’t enough time to recreate all of the major league stadiums from scratch. Instead, we retro-fitted the original Xbox 3D models (I also worked on) by improving the lighting/shaders, and remodeling essential areas of the stadium. Each year we would recreate marquee areas of the larger market stadiums and update the look to reflect changes in the real life environments.

I modeled the Metrodome collapsible seating area wall for the 2K6 edition of the series. Areas of the stadium that are seen in the pitching and batting cameras are the highest priority; this section of the stadium is seen while batting. The previous version used only a texture map to represent the seats that are used for Minnesota Vikings Football games. For consistency I started with the chair attached to the animated crowd model (created by another artist), and optimized it down to budget my polygon count. The chairs that are closest to the wall would receive a subtle increase in polygons to hold up to close proximity to cameras (especially in wall catch replays). The wall was remodeled using color/normal maps. I also modeled 3D versions of the luxury boxes, exits, and stair cases.