Client
El Celler de Can Roca
Role
Lead 3D Animator & Technical Artist
Services
3D Animation, Rigging, XR Integration
An immersive, multi-user Extended Reality (XR) experience designed to crown the gastronomic journey at the world-renowned, 3-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca. Although specific narrative details remain under non-disclosure agreements (NDA), the project seamlessly blends cutting-edge technology with high-end storytelling. Users step into an animated environment where they can interact and follow a storyline alongside multiple 3D characters.
The team behind the experience brought me on board to design, breathe life into, and execute a complex animated sequence. Acting as the bridge between the 3D Art department and the programmers, my responsibilities included reviewing models, recommending artistic variations, and coordinating technical feasibility and trigger events for final implementation and optimization in Unity.
The main challenge was time efficiency. Being my first time working with this specific team and facing a tight deadline, we needed to establish an extremely agile workflow. On a technical level, the biggest hurdle was integration: the team provided a series of animation presets from various external sources that had to be ported and adapted to the characters’ main rigs.
My goal was to build a non-destructive and highly modular system. I developed an advanced rigging setup in 3ds Max, creating custom rigs and multiple rig conversions. I split the workflow into two key pipelines: full-body motion and facial animation (setting up clips with different expressions for fast deployment). Using 3ds Max’s Motion Mixer, I gained precise control over the simultaneous combinations and transitions of all body parts. Once these base combinations and transitions were established, I utilized animation layers to apply the final polish and intricate details.
The result was a workflow so fluid that whenever the Roca brothers requested modifications or final tweaks, they could be implemented quickly and effectively without breaking the core structure. The project has been a massive success, and the team is waiting to nominated for the National XR Awards in the Best Narrative and Best Experience categories.