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SCREENSHOTS
Eleanor Townsend - Lighting Screenshot.png
Eleanor Townsend - Material Screenshot.png
Eleanor Townsend - Shaders Screenshot.png
Eleanor Townsend - Lighting Screenshot.png
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GET TO KNOW ELEANOR
Can you describe the extent of any relevant work experience you might have?
While I don’t have direct industry experience yet, my university projects and lectures from industry professionals have given me a strong understanding of studio workflows and expectations. Working in collaborative teams has helped me develop relevant skills that I’m confident will transfer well into a professional environment.
How would you describe your contribution to your group project?
In Hullbreak, I worked on lighting, materials, VFX, and overall engine organization. I created two distinct lighting scenarios for the hangar environment, developed a range of tiling materials, co-developed a master material, and created a forcefield shader. I also set up and organized the Unreal project, folders, and outliner, and created the cinematic to support the team’s final vision.
What do you specialise in and what made you choose that specialism?
I really enjoy Materials/Shaders.
This aspect feels the most visually artistic to me and I really enjoy using node graphs and figuring out what everything does.
What would your ideal first role in the industry be?
Material/Environment Artist or a 3D Generalist
Which of your student projects are you most proud of, and why?
"Hullbreak" is the student project I'm most proud of. This project has pushed me to learn new specialisms, particularly in lighting and shaders, which I've developed a genuine passion for. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown as a more well-rounded game artist through this experience. It has also taught me how to balance my time more effectively, especially as I was juggling project work with the other units of work and preparing for life after university. One of the best parts of this project has been the team dynamic; it's been the most collaborative and supportive team environment I've had so far, which has made the whole process even more rewarding. Additionally, this project has been my favourite because we tried a new workflow/pipeline, which has been a great learning experience.
What’s a piece of media (film, game, animation) that changed the way you think about your discipline?
Cyberpunk 2077 definitely changed how I think about game art. I got it not long after discovering that game art was a real career path, so it kind of hit at the perfect time for me.
What really stuck with me was how every district had its own vibe. You always knew where you were in the city just based on the architecture and style, but it still all felt like one connected world. That level of art direction made me realise how powerful environment and world-building can be. I was especially obsessed with the shaders and VFX (the holograms looked so cool).
It also made me appreciate how much work goes into games. I’d heard about the developers struggling with time and pressure to get it finished, and even though the launch was messy, you could tell so much effort went into it. Watching the game slowly get better with patches over time really made me think about how collaborative and ongoing game development is.
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