Portfolio
Technical Work. Documented Outcomes.
Each project below presented a specific technical challenge. Here is what the challenge was, how Maya enabled the solution, and what the result was for the client.
Humanoid Character System for Interactive Experience
Technical Challenge: Character Rigging & Animation Client: Interactive Experience Studio,
Los Angeles CA
The client required a photorealistic humanoid character capable of performance across both
pre-rendered cinematics and real-time interactive sequences—requiring a single rig architecture
supporting two fundamentally different performance contexts.
The Maya rig implemented component-based spine and limb systems with space-switching configurations enabling the same character controls to function in both keyframe animation and
motion capture retargeting contexts. Facial performance used a FACS-based blend shape
system with corrective shapes addressing deformation problems under extreme expression.
Python tooling automated the retargeting workflow from mocap data to rig controls, reducing
cleanup time by approximately 60%.
The character shipped as both a cinematic asset and a real-time Unreal Engine asset with LOD variants.
Maya Systems Used: Advanced deformers, FACS blend shapes, Python automation, Maya-to-Unreal pipeline Delivery: Cinematic Maya rig · UE5 optimized version · Animation library · Technical documentation
Industrial Fluid Valve Mechanism Animation
Technical Challenge: Technical Product Animation with Fluid Simulation Client: Engineering
Manufacturer, Houston TX
An industrial valve manufacturer required animations demonstrating fluid control behavior
across multiple product configurations—including internal flow visualization showing how the
valve mechanism affects fluid dynamics under varying pressure conditions.
CAD files were imported and reconstructed as production-quality Maya geometry maintaining
engineering tolerances. Mechanical motion was driven through constraint networks matching
documented engineering specifications. Bifrost simulations generated the internal fluid behavior,
with simulation parameters tuned against fluid dynamics specifications provided by the client’s
engineering team. Technical review by client engineers validated mechanical accuracy before
render delivery.
Maya Systems Used: CAD integration, constraint-based mechanical animation, Bifrost fluid
simulation Delivery: Mechanism animation · Fluid dynamics visualization · Cutaway versions ·
Technical training edition
Pharmaceutical MOA Animation
Technical Challenge: Scientific Visualization at Cellular Scale Client: Pharmaceutical Company
A mechanism-of-action animation for a receptor-targeted pharmaceutical compound, required to meet peer-review standards for use in medical journal publication alongside a clinical trial report.
Anatomical environments were modeled from published morphological reference with structural review by a clinical consultant. Molecular representation used Maya particle systems with custom instancing for receptor structures. Cellular fluid behavior used Bifrost. The scale transition sequence—from organ level to cellular to molecular—was accomplished through camera and scene architecture techniques addressing the extreme scale difference without computational instability.
Maya Systems Used: Precision polygon modeling, Bifrost cellular fluid simulation, particle instancing, scale management Delivery: Journal-ready animation · HCP presentation version · Patient education adaptation
Urban Development Visualization — 2,400 Unit Masterplan
Technical Challenge: Large-Scale Architectural Scene Management Client: Urban Development Group, Chicago IL
A masterplan development covering 14 city blocks required visualization handling thousands of unique architectural objects, populated street environments, and multiple scenario lighting condition —exceeding the practical capacity of visualization-specific software.
Scene architecture used Maya’s reference file system to enable concurrent team work on individual building clusters while maintaining a manageable master assembly scene. Procedural street population was built through MASH instancing with variation parameters preventing repetitive patterns across the environment. Lighting setups for morning, midday, evening, and night scenarios were structured as render layers enabling efficient variant production.
Maya Systems Used: Reference file architecture, MASH procedural instancing, multi-layer lighting, Arnold rendering Delivery: Full masterplan animation · Four lighting scenarios · Aerial and ground-level sequences · Planning authority submission version
Fabric Dynamics for Fashion E-Commerce
Technical Challenge: Cloth Simulation for Commercial Production Client: FashionE-Commerce Brand, New York NY
A fashion brand required product animations for hero garments—animations capable of communicating fabric quality, drape behavior, and movement in a way that static product photography cannot. Simulation accuracy was critical: fabrics behaving incorrectly would misrepresent product quality to purchasers.
nCloth simulations were configured with material property parameters calibrated against physical fabric samples provided by the client. Collision geometry for body simulation was constructed from client-provided fit models. Simulation iterations were art-directed with client review at each stage to confirm accurate material representation. Final simulations were rendered with Arnold subsurface and fabric shading networks.
Maya Systems Used: nCloth dynamics, physical property calibration, Arnold fabric shading Delivery: Hero garment animations · Multi-angle versions · Social format adaptations
Real-Time Character Pipeline for Game Studio
Technical Challenge: Pipeline Architecture & Technical Consulting Client: Independent Game Studio, Seattle WA
An independent game studio had accumulated a character pipeline that was producing inconsistent results and causing downstream problems in their Unreal Engine build. They required technical consulting to diagnose problems and rebuild the Maya-to-engine workflow on a sustainable foundation.
Audit of existing Maya assets identified root causes: inconsistent pivot placement, non-standard joint orientation conventions, and skinning approaches incompatible with Unreal’s skeletal mesh requirements. New pipeline conventions were documented and custom Maya tools were
developed to validate assets against these conventions before export. The studio’s existing character library was rebuilt against the new specifications over six weeks.
Maya Systems Used: Custom Python validation tools, joint orientation standardization, skinning optimization, FBX export pipeline Delivery: Rebuilt character library · Custom Maya validation toolset · Pipeline documentation · Technical team training
Our work
Video Portfolio
Every video needs something different, and that includes the type of animation.From energetic 2D typography to detailed 3D product videos, we make sure your project gets exactly what it needs.Our goal is to bring your ideas to life in a way that’s clear, engaging, and true to your brand.
Technical Testimonials
“We needed a character rig that could survive a full production. The difference between what 3DAnimationMaya.com delivered and what our previous rigger produced wasn’t just quality—it was fundamental technical understanding. The rig simply works, under any conditions.” — Animation Director, Interactive Experience Studio
“Their Bifrost work on our fluid visualization was genuinely impressive. They understood the physics we needed to represent and got the simulation to match engineering parameters we provided. Not something you find at most 3d animation services providers.” — Lead Engineer,
Industrial Manufacturing Company
“Pipeline consulting solved problems we’d been working around for two years. Custom tools, proper documentation, and a team that actually explained what they were fixing and why. Exactly the technical partnership we needed.” — Technical Director, Independent Game
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