JOE RUSSO

My Role: Everything

Software: Blender, Cycles, DaVinci Resolve

Personal Project

My Role: Everything. This was a 4 second character animation test for an idea that I'm still developing.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Personal Project | Full Video

My Role: Robot Character & Bowling Pins (3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Animation). This was one scene of a larger team project that had the robot in different scenarios.

Software: Maya

Client: Ohio Lottery | Studio: Pixel Farm

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My Role: Dollar Man Character (3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation).

Software: Maya

Client: Kentucky Lottery | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: Everything except the background clouds.

Software: Maya, Mental Ray, After Effects

Client: General Mills | Studio: Pixel Farm

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My Role: Original Idea, Director, News Anchor Character (Materials, Rigging, Hair, Animation), other 3D Elements (Materials, Lighting, Object/Camera Animation), and collaborated on Compositing. This was a style test for a 30 second commercial that was never greenlit.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Internal Project

My Role: Peg People (3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Animation).

Software: Maya, V-Ray

Client: KeyBank | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: Lottery Tickets (3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation).

Software: Maya

Client: Kentucky Lottery | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: Evil Twins (3D Modeling, Rigging, Materials, Lighting, Animation), Lightning/Particle FX, Camera Animation, and Compositing. This was one scene of a larger project that showcased other Trolli candy.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Ferrara Candy Company | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Trade Show | Full Video

My Role: Everything except for the 3D vehicle models.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects, Premiere Pro

Client: MnPASS | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Visualization | Full Video

My Role: My involvement as 3D Animation Director for this project included editing pre-existing 3D models to fit store layouts, creating 3D signage models from provided artwork, and handling materials, lighting, rendering, compositing, and video editing. Beyond the flythrough animation, I delivered high-resolution still renders to the client for their designers to further concept signage elements.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Visualization

My Role: Same as the Grocery Store Visualization example.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, Marvelous Designer, After Effects

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Visualization

My Role: Leading this project as 3D Animation Director, I focused on camera animation, oversaw 3D modeling and materials for store fixtures, products, and signage (with support from other 3D artists), and managed lighting, rendering, compositing, and video editing. Deliverables included a flythrough animation and high-resolution still renders. 

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Visualization

My Role: Skier Character (3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Animation), background 3D Elements, and Camera Animation.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: As 3D Animation Director, I focused on working closely with the client/producer, 3D layout, camera animation, directing the art/animation team, rendering, compositing, and video editing. The garbage can scene showcased in my reel was the main scene I had fully animated for this project. 

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects, Premiere Pro

Client: BASF | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: As 3D Animation Director, I focused on developing the 3D production pipeline, 3D layout, camera animation, and directing the animation team. As a CG Production Artist, I primarily focused on the dock/lake scenes, where I created the 3D environment elements, camera animation, and character animation. I also contributed additional 3D modeling, rendering, compositing, and video editing for other scenes.

Software: Maya, Phoenix FD, V-Ray, After Effects, Premiere Pro

Client: Cummins | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: 3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Lighting, Animation, Water Simulation, Compositing, and collaborated on Video Editing.

Software: Maya, Phoenix FD, V-Ray, After Effects, Premiere Pro

Client: The Hoover Institution PolicyEd | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Educational | Full Video

My Role: Everything except some of the background elements and typography.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: KNOCK | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Cultural Promotion | Full Video

My Role: Animation & FX (Shatter Particles).

Software: Maya

Client: Minnesota Twins | Studio: Pixel Farm

Experiential

My Role: Everything except for the 3D holodeck model. This was created for MonsterQuest Season 4 Episode 2. I also contributed 3D modeling, materials, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing to five other episodes: Monster Sharks, Mothman, Lizard Monster, Sierra Sasquatch, and America's Wolfman.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: History Channel | Studio: Pixel Farm

Documentary | Full Video

My Role: Sign Animation, Camera Animation, and Floating Ember FX. For the full project, I worked on Storyboarding, Previsualization, more object animation (I-Beams, Stone Wall, Slide), and Sparks FX for other scenes.

Software: Maya

Client: Milwaukee Brewers | Studio: Pixel Farm

Experiential | Full Video

My Role: 3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Animation. A 3D CAD model was provided by the client and I cleaned it up / converted it for production.

Software: Maya

Client: Starkey Hearing Technologies | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Trade Show

My Role: Shoe/Foot (3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation).

Software: Maya

Client: New Balance Athletics | Studio: Pixel Farm

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My Role: Everything. This is a 15 second teaser that I created a while back to establish the style/mood for an idea that I'm still developing.

Software: Blender, Cycles, After Effects

Personal Project | Full Video

My Role: 3D Modeling, Materials, Rigging, Animation, Ember FX, Rendering, and collaborated on Compositing.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Orchard Supply Hardware | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: King Card Character (3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation).

Software: Maya

Client: Kentucky Lottery | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: 3D Modeling, Rigging, and Animation. I hand-animated the cubes by copying/pasting/offsetting the keyframes after the cube geometry was created in it's final position.

Software: Maya

Client: Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Studio: Pixel Farm

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My Role: 3D Animation Director, Robot Character (3D Modeling, Rigging, Animation). Additionally, for the final space scene, I created the moon / background elements (3D Modeling, Materials, Animation), Thruster Exhaust FX, and collaborated on Rendering / Compositing.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Ohio Lottery | Studio: NEIGHBOR

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My Role: Everything.

Software: Blender, Cycles, DaVinci Resolve

Personal Project

My Role: 3D Animation Director, 3D Modeling, Materials, Lighting. I closely collaborated with a 3D Artist/Programmer. 3D models were created in Maya and then converted into Unreal Engine. Textures & Lighting were baked with V-Ray. This experience was built for the original Oculus Quest.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, Unreal Engine

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Virtual Reality Visualization | Full Video

My Role: 3D Animation Director, 3D Modeling, Materials, Lighting. I closely collaborated with a 3D Artist/Programmer. 3D models were created in Maya and then converted into Unreal Engine. Textures & Lighting were baked with V-Ray. This experience was built for the original Oculus Quest.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, Unreal Engine

Client: FMC Corporation | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Virtual Reality Visualization | Full Video

My Role: Assisting another 3D Artist/Programmer in developing the pipeline for importing 3D assets from Maya into Unreal Engine. My contributions also included 3D modeling, mainly for the bathroom and certain elements within the main area. This experience was specifically built for the original Oculus Quest. 

Software: Maya, V-Ray, Unreal Engine

Client: Honour Cafe | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Virtual Reality Visualization | Full Video

My Role: Assisting another 3D Artist/Programmer in developing the pipeline for importing 3D assets from Maya into Unreal Engine. My contributions also included 3D modeling for some of the fixtures and products. This experience was specifically built for the original Oculus Quest. 

Software: Maya, V-Ray, Unreal Engine

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Virtual Reality Visualization | Full Video

My Role: I was more of a 3D Technical Director on this project. I researched how to use Snapchat's Lens Studio to import 3D Assets & Animation into the application and deploy it on smartphone devices via a QR Code. I collaborated with a Programmer and Animator for the Bullseye touchdown celebration animation (seen at around 15 seconds in the video).

Software: Maya, Lens Studio

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Augmented Reality Experiential | Full Video

My Role: I animated the post-it notes, the dotted line at the beginning, and the 2D application/document artwork at the end. Cameras were exported from Maya into After Effects which allowed for the 2D artwork to be placed in 3D space to align with the camera movements and the 3D tablet models. I also collaborated on 3D rendering & compositing.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: 3M | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: I created 3D models for the neighborhood elements, the van vehicles, animated the people, animated the ground wiring installation, and created the exterior to interior slicing transition using VRayClipper. I also worked on Materials, Lighting, and Rendering. The 3D scenes were rendered with an isometric camera larger than the final video resolution so that the compositor could move the camera in post.

Software: Maya, V-Ray, After Effects

Client: Cox Communications | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

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My Role: 3D Modeling, Materials, Lighting, and Rendering of the signage artwork shown below. It was a fun challenge to figure out a 3D production pipeline to render the 3D elements at a large resolution for in-store signage displays. I also enjoyed focusing on the details of the static 3D elements while still implying motion through the poses.

Software: Maya, V-Ray

Client: Target | Studio: NEIGHBOR Animation

Experiential | Full Video