Hero Prop: Statue of King Gilgamesh

In our final semester at Seneca College, we were tasked with making a hero piece in ZBrush for our group project environments. I sculpted a statue of King Gilgamesh, the Sumerian hero from the Epic of Gilgamesh. I began by sculpting the high poly in ZBrush, where I then decimated the mesh and cleaned up the topology within Maya. The normals were baked in Substance Painter and a mask was applied on a rock texture to simulate a cracking yet glowing surface. For the crown, sword and tablet, I created low poly versions in Maya, and then added control loops as well as a bit of sculpting for the high poly where necessary. After texturing in Substance Painter by adding normal stamps for scratches, etchings and designs, as well as adding rust/wear to give it an ancient look, I positioned them as a centerpiece within the environment, considering the feedback of my professors. This mesh was then taken into Houdini to simulate a crumbling animation, which is activated upon placing the stone tablet in his empty hand.

Within the game narrative, Gilgamesh began the ancient organization known as the Circle of Calamity. He left his disciples with relics to thwart the return of the Anunnaki who once ruled over Sumner. Gilgamesh was worshipped by his modern-day disciples as a result and his legacy was kept alive in all of their ritualistic activities. I wanted this prop's look and feel to show that this ancient statue was being preserved for thousands of years but with rudimentary knowledge of how to do so, yet despite its age, held a powerful mystery that was waiting to be revealed.