AI Lab

AI Lab - Where human and AI brains collide. Follow to discover how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

TMNT - Michelangelo, Fan-Art

Software used: ZBrush, Blender, Unreal Engine 5, Photoshop

Concept art: Plarium

More renders and progress video on my ArtStation: https://t.co/vn4p10TLzl

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

3 years of daily art practice

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

“You don’t care much about these Fascists, do you?”

@bethesda @BethesdaStudios @Microsoft

I think you guys need to address your social media team, that's what you do now? promoting hate and calling those with who's opinion you don't agree with - Fascists?

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

This is a very dangerous moment for our society.

Rest in peace, Charlie.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Concept Art

Artist - João Bragato: https://t.co/CVPjJLDLLb

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Google DeepMind has just unveiled Genie 3 - a new model that generates interactive 3D worlds from text in real time.

What’s new: the generated environment no longer disappears after 10 seconds - it now remains stable for several minutes.

Genie 3 runs at 720p and 24 FPS, supports agent control, physics, and basic interactivity. Users can also input prompts to modify the world. For now, access is limited to researchers.

How much do you think this will influence current development workflows? And how much of the human touch might we lose in the process?

Curious to hear your thoughts.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – GOTY 2025

What an incredible journey it’s been, diving into this world and story. Expedition 33 is a living proof that passion and craftsmanship can outshine games with hundreds of millions poured into them just for the sake of profit.

To me, Expedition 33 is more than just a game - it’s a cultural and artistic milestone. Not playing it is like never reading the works of Dumas, Tolkien, Rowling, or Sapkowski. Like skipping the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films. Like never experiencing The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy XVI, or God of War 2018.

If you haven’t already, go play this game. You won’t regret it.

This game has earned its place in gaming history - and years from now, people will still remember it fondly, just like the timeless classics.

Wishing @SandfallGames all the success in the world. Can’t wait to see what you create next. We continue!

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Progress after 2 years of daily 3D practice

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

10 years ago, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released.

This game is a perfect example of what happens when insanely talented and hardworking people come together to work on something they truly love. Thank you, CDPR, and everyone involved, for all the beautiful memories this game has given to me - and to millions of others all around the world. Even after all these years, it's still my #1 game ever created.

I'll attach some screenshots I took over 3 years ago during one of my many playthroughs.

Happy birthday!

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

AI is here to stay - Fortnite introduces an AI companion with Darth Vader’s voice. Epic Games created it in collaboration with Google Gemini and ElevenLabs.

To activate Vader, players must find and defeat him in the game, after which he becomes a companion. His voice can be triggered by clicking on his character icon. The AI can talk about the Force, the Empire, offer survival tips, and discuss everyday topics.

He does not respond to questions about V-Bucks, violence, drugs, sex, or other prohibited subjects. Players under 18 require parental permission to use the feature.

Vader’s voice is AI-generated based on recordings of James Earl Jones, who passed away in September 2024. His family gave permission for the use of his voice.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

DOOM: The Dark Ages has been released for Deluxe Edition owners.

Meanwhile, preloading is now available for Standard Edition owners. The full release is scheduled for May 15.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is available on PS5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Miami, USA, April 2025.

Just something to think about.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Day 61: Daily Art Practice

Increased geometry on the hand/head meshes. Finished baking accessories, eyes, head + teeth/gums/tongue. Rebaked the hands. No artifacts during texture tests, so going to start texturing. (Might slightly adjust the shape of the apron before that).

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Manticore Armor

Software used: ZBrush, Blender, Substance 3D Painter, PureRef, Photoshop, After Effects, Marvelous Designer, Marmoset Toolbag

More renders, references, and progress video on my ArtStation: https://t.co/qpTpZM695w

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Day 32: The Witcher 3 Manticore Armor Study 🐺⚔️

Finished texturing the jacket and created a leather material for it, thus texturing the gloves/boots/pants should take less time. Stitched all parts. Tried new texturing techniques by mixing masks, generators, and fills.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Day 15: The Witcher 3 Manticore Armor Study 🐺⚔️

Completed the detail pass on the jacket and fasteners with leather effect sculpting. Fully redid the bag (I didn’t like the first version + messed it up during the optimization pass). Started working on the potion holder details.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Day 14: The Witcher 3 Manticore Armor Study 🐺⚔️

Completed a detail pass on the boots - sculpted leather wrinkles, adjusted the form and silhouette. Modeled boot belts in Blender.

Had to redo leg belts alpha in Photoshop, it was too cornered and didn’t properly fit the UV.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Day 13: The Witcher 3 Manticore Armor Study 🐺⚔️

Worked on the pants - polished surfaces, added details with the Dam Standard brush, and sculpted wrinkles. Started leg belts and made an alpha for it.

Note: Mask by Alpha is disabled when exporting multiple meshes in an OBJ.

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

With its full release, Avowed's peak online player count on Steam exceeded 17,000.

Among Obsidian games, this ranks as the seventh-highest result, falling behind:

Fallout: New Vegas - 51,000
Pillars of Eternity - 42,000
South Park: The Stick of Truth - 35,000
Grounded - 32,000
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - 23,000
The Outer Worlds - 20,000

[David Zarn @davidzarn]

Bethesda and the Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic organization have announced a charity auction, where the winner will have the opportunity to create an NPC for The Elder Scrolls VI and work directly with the developers at Bethesda Game Studios.