Introduction
My name is Ben Close, and I originally got into 3D art through modding. I started by creating mods for Elder Scrolls games and custom maps for a Battlefield 2 tournament league. Although games were always a passion, I initially studied programming and general engineering. After being homeschooled for much of my early education and starting an Engineering associate degree, I transferred to Full Sail University for their Game Programming Bachelor’s program. About a third of the way through, they launched a Game Art degree, and I made the switch. The technical skills I gained from programming have been invaluable, especially as tools and workflows continue to evolve.
After graduating, I landed my first role as an Environment Artist at 38 Studios, working on an ambitious MMO. Although the company went under due to political issues, it was an incredible learning experience and helped me build a strong professional network. I then joined Turn 10 Studios at Microsoft, where I worked on Forza Motorsport 5 and 6. I managed most of the track and environment shaders and created assets for several tracks, including our E3 showcases. On Forza Motorsport 6, I was heavily involved with developing the wetness system, which was an awesome learning experience in breaking down a complex visual target and figuring out how to actually plan and build the shaders and systems needed to hit it.
After that, I spent some time at Monolith working on Middle-earth: Shadow of War as the primary texture artist. I wasn’t there that long, but I basically lived inside Substance Designer for almost a year, and learned a ton!
At this point, I was looking for something with a bit more work-life balance and I ended up joining Certain Affinity. Amazing studio, great people, and a lot of fun projects. Two standout highlights for me were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and Halo Infinite. I led the centralized material team, developing tools, shaders, and materials across multiple projects, and also served as an Associate Art Director on Halo Infinite, helping to align teams with the project’s artistic vision while collaborating with 343 Industries.
While at Certain Affinity, one of the things I’m most proud of starting was our monthly Material Challenge. They ranged from small things like building a pixel processor for a geometric pattern or trying out a new piece of software, to creating especially challenging full materials. Several pieces in my portfolio actually began as part of those challenges.
Most recently, I was the Lead Material Artist at 5by5 Interactive, working on an early alpha Unreal Engine 5 project. While there, I was responsible for creating textures and assets along with nearly all our materials/shaders and lighting/post-process work. I also worked on a number of more technical systems, including TOD, Wind, and PCG.
At this point, I have been in the industry for nearly fifteen years, and I have built a strong background in environment art, materials, and shaders, technical art, and team leadership. Also some shameless self promotion but I am looking for a new opportunity so please feel free to reach out!