Parallel Avatars

Studio Parallel Studios
Role 3D Asset Library Lead
Collection 11,001 Items
Chain Ethereum
Launched June 2023
Credits
Lluis Andreu Pardo — 3D Asset Library Lead, Outsource Direction
Overview

The Parallel Avatars collection consists of 11,001 unique handcrafted AI agents, each generated from a modular 3D library using a Houdini-powered automated pipeline. The avatars are faction-based characters used across both Colony and Sanctuary, bridging the NFT collection with the live game worlds. I was responsible for the complete 3D asset library — every piece of armour, every weapon, every companion and accessory — and for the outsource pipeline that produced and delivered them at production quality.

Automated Generation Pipeline

The 11,001 items were not hand-assembled individually. A Houdini-based system combined elements from the modular library — bodies, armour sets, headsets, primary and secondary weapons, companions, face features — according to faction-based rules, then assembled, rendered, and delivered each unique combination automatically. Faces were generated from blends between scanned base heads; hairstyles were adapted per armour and headset through the pipeline.

This meant every change or addition to the asset library could trigger a full regeneration of all 11,001 items — placing enormous emphasis on asset quality, consistency, and technical correctness from the start.

Asset Library & Outsource Pipeline

My role covered everything except faces and hair. For each asset category I defined the outsource brief, established visual and technical benchmarks, and managed the review process — ensuring detail preservation and art direction consistency across a large number of contributors working in parallel.

The final assets were optimised for cloud rendering efficiency: meshes and textures were tightened to reduce render times across the full 11k generation run without compromising the videogame-quality visual standard the collection required. The goal throughout was to make each avatar feel like it belonged in a real game — not a generated collectible.

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