Available to hire
Hi, I’m Danny Rodriguez, a senior 3D artist who specializes in vehicles, weapons, props, and hard-surface assets for AAA games. I’ve led outsourcing pipelines, mentored artists, and directed art for outsourced assets to maintain consistency and quality across large projects, delivering high-fidelity assets on schedule.
I’m passionate about learning and sharing what I know, staying current with next-gen tooling, and collaborating with talented teams to push the boundaries of performance and visual storytelling. I aim to join a top AAA studio as a Senior/Lead 3D Artist and help shape memorable worlds while always improving my craft.
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Senior Vehicle Artist at Microsoft Turn 10 Studios
October 1, 2022 - February 28, 2025Reviewed old-gen vehicles for next-gen conversion, converted materials to PBR with proprietary tools, edited UVW channels, re-burned AO and damage maps, adjusted LODs, and validated changes across PC and Xbox. Maintained proactive communication with Art Director and PM, and prepared asset updates for review and scheduling.
Sr. Vehicle Artist / Sr. Modeler / Sr. Prop Artist / Sr. Environment Artist at Neon Machine Inc. / Shrapnel Studios
October 1, 2022 - February 28, 2025Created mid/high-poly vehicle, prop, and environment assets with a weighted normal workflow; optimized for Nanite in Unreal Engine 5; managed mood boards, asset progress (via Miro), and outsourced vendors; contributed to robust material/workflow pipelines and vehicle shaders.
Environment Artist at Mountain Top Studios
August 1, 2022 - October 1, 2022Created low-poly assets with weighted normals for Unreal Engine 5; reused trim sheets and texture atlases for modular design; high-poly sculpting in ZBrush for damage; contributed to stylized shader workflows and maintained consistency with lead.
Sr. Modeler at Ascendant Studios
February 1, 2022 - May 1, 2022Created high-poly models; retopologized for Nanite; set up collision passes, layer masks for Unreal; ensured consistency and alignment with Art Director’s vision; collaborated on pipeline improvements for UE5.
Sr. Vehicle Artist at Avalanche Studios
May 1, 2020 - November 1, 2021Created vehicles for Contraband; high-poly and low-poly workflows; prepared UVs, textures, and materials; set up physics constraints and Havoc-based dynamics; built asset hierarchies and ensured collision fidelity.
Sr. Environment Artist at Capcom
August 1, 2015 - February 1, 2016Created next-gen assets and textures in Unreal Engine 4 for PBR pipeline; collaborated with teammates to reach VTAR milestones; explored new workflows within the pipeline to optimize assets.
Environment Artist (Contract) at Bluepoint Games
May 1, 2016 - October 1, 2016Created environment assets and textures; up-resigned content for next-gen; collaborated to maintain consistency across assets.
Outsource Art Manager / Sr. 3D Artist at Project TriForce
March 1, 2012 - January 1, 2015Managed outsourced assets and provided creative conceptual ideas; created next-gen weapons/vehicles; coordinated schedules and asset delivery with leads and directors.
Senior Environment Artist at Crystal Dynamics
January 1, 2011 - March 1, 2012Start-to-finish level creation; modular asset design, lighting, materials, texturing; mentored juniors and coordinated outsourcing to ensure level completion and style consistency.
Senior Level Artist at BioWare
January 1, 2009 - January 1, 2011Hired to create high-poly environments for Mass Effect 2; developed low-poly equivalents; modular asset creation and outsourcing coordination; photo-real texture passes and collaboration with directors.
Digital Artist (contractor) at Digital Domain
September 1, 2008 - October 1, 2008Thundercats environment art; modular asset creation; high-poly sculpting and texturing; contributed pipeline ideas for next-gen gaming engine collaboration.
Senior Artist at Id Software
November 1, 2007 - June 1, 2008High-poly environment assets; in-game low-poly assets; organic sculpting; contributed feedback on next-gen engine functionality; collaborated with Art Director to maintain quality.
Senior Environment Artist at Sony Computer Entertainment America
March 1, 2007 - September 1, 2007GOW3 environment art; produced high-poly in-game models; UV mapping and texturing; collaborated with leads to maintain art style and production goals.
Environment Artist at Epic Games
August 1, 2003 - September 1, 2006Gears of War environment art; detailed meshing, lighting, shader creation; collaborated with art leads to maintain consistent workflow and asset quality.
Environment Artist at Epic Games
August 1, 2003 - September 1, 2006Gears of War environment art; detailed workflow with 3DS Max, high/low poly pipelines; created shaders and scene lighting; mentored junior artists.
Senior Vehicle Artist at Turn 10 Studios
October 1, 2022 - February 1, 2025Converted old-gen vehicles to next-gen, migrated materials to PBR, learned and applied robust franchise workflows, adjusted UVW channels and material IDs, reburned AO/damage maps, updated LODs, and implemented robust lighting and asset scheduling with the Art Director.
Sr. Modeler / Sr. Prop Artist / Sr. Vehicle Artist / Sr. Environment Artist at Shrapnel Studios (Shrapnel Game)
October 1, 2022 - February 1, 2025Created mid/high-poly models with weighted normal workflow, optimized for Nanite in UE5, low-poly work when needed, managed vehicle assets, mood boards, outsourced vendors, and collaborated on layered material workflows and vehicle shaders in UE5. Ensured texel density and asset consistency with the environment.
Environment Artist at Mountaintop Studios
August 1, 2022 - October 1, 2022Created low-poly Unreal assets using weighted normals, worked with trim sheets and texture atlases for modular props, produced high-poly sculpt details for damage, and maintained consistency with the lead; adopted stylized shader workflows.
Sr. Modeler/Sr. Prop Artist/Sr. Vehicle Artist /Sr. Environment Artist at Shrapnel Studios (Neon Machine Inc.)
October 1, 2022 - February 1, 2025Created mid/high-poly models with weighted normals, optimized for Nanite in Unreal Engine 5, managed all vehicle assets, performed mood boards and asset progress, supervised external vendors, contributed to vehicle shader pipelines, and maintained quality/texel density across assets.
Environment Artist at Bluepoint Games
May 1, 2016 - October 1, 2016Environment asset creation and texturing, up-resing legacy PS2 content to next-gen quality, collaboration with teams, and asset optimization.
Outsource Art Manager/Sr. 3D Artist at Project TriForce
March 1, 2012 - January 1, 2015Managed outsourced art for Halo 5, Hawken, Batman: Arkham Knight, Killzone Shadow Fall, and other titles; created next-gen assets, weapons, vehicles; provided concept ideas and pipeline consulting; supervised outsourcing teams; delivered high-quality pieces on schedule.
Digital Artist (contract) at Digital Domain
September 1, 2008 - October 1, 2008Thundercats environment art; modular asset creation and high-poly sculpting; prepared assets with 4096 textures; contributed pipeline ideas for next-gen engines.
Senior Modeler / Sr. Prop Artist / Sr. Vehicle Artist / Sr. Environment Artist at Shrapnel Studios
October 1, 2022 - February 1, 2025Created mid/high-poly models with weighted normals for UE5; optimized assets for Nanite; produced low-poly variants and UV maps for high/low-poly pipelines; managed all vehicle assets, collision passes, mood boards, and asset progress via Miro; oversaw outsourced vehicle work; implemented UE5 material layering and vehicle shaders; ensured consistent texel density and quality; iterated on feedback from Leads/Art Director; reused and kit-bashed concept models when available; maintained Jira progress.
Senior Vehicle Artist at Microsoft Turn 10 Studios
February 1, 2025 - October 1, 2025Reviewed old-gen vehicles for new-gen conversion; converted materials to PBR with proprietary tools; learned workflows for an established franchise; collaborated with leads to troubleshoot material issues; edited UVW channels, LODs, and lighting for cars; validated material IDs and AO/damage maps; communicated progress and scheduling with Art Director; maintained proactive cadence with project management.
Senior Modeler / Senior Prop Artist / Senior Vehicle Artist / Senior Environment Artist at Shrapnel Studios (via Neon Machine Inc.)
October 1, 2022 - February 1, 2025Creation of midpoly and highpoly models; optimized and retopologized for nanite/UE5; lowpoly modeling; UV mapping; vehicle asset mood boards; managed outsourced vendors for vehicles; ensured consistency and texel density; contributed to layered material shader workflows in UE5; tracked progress and QA against leads and Art Director.
Education
Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation at Art Institute of Dallas
January 1, 2001 - January 1, 2001Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation at Art Institute of Dallas
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2001Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation at Art Institute of Dallas
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2001Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation at Art Institute of Dallas
January 1, 2001 - January 1, 2001Associate’s Degree in Computer Animation at Art Institute of Dallas
January 11, 2030 - January 1, 2001Qualifications
Industry Experience
Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet, Professional Services, Other
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
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