THIBODEAUX: RISE OF THE MAGNAVORES - Early poster Concept 2018

Thibodeaux: Rise of the Magnavores is an early concept mock-up created in 2018 as part of the initial world-building and visual development for the Thibodeaux universe. This piece represents one of the first major attempts to define the tone, characters, and antagonistic forces within the world—balancing stylized heroes with grotesque, horror-driven creatures.

This project also marks one of my earliest experiments using Marmoset Toolbag as a rendering pipeline, exploring real-time materials, lighting setups, and compositing methods during my first attempts at building cinematic key art.

My Role

Sole Creator: Responsible for all modeling, sculpting, rigging, texturing, lighting, rendering, and final compositing for the heroes and all Magnavore creatures.

Responsibilities:

• Character Creation:

  • Designed, sculpted, and textured the three main hero characters

  • Modeled the Magnavores, a conglomerate of mutated, nightmarish creatures that serve as the primary antagonists. Each variant was created with exaggerated anatomy, personality, and distinct silhouettes.

• Full Rigging for All Characters:

  • Built rigs for every hero and monster, enabling expressive poses for group-shot composition.

  • Implemented mechanical and organic rigging setups depending on character type, supporting dynamic, layered posing.

• Visual Development & Worldbuilding:

  • Developed the first visual direction for the Magnavores as a unified swarm.

  • Established early identity and tone for the Thibodeaux world—mixing dark fantasy, sci-fi, and heroic stylization.

• Lighting & Rendering (Early Marmoset Pipeline):

  • Experimented with Marmoset Toolbag’s real-time lighting to create dramatic contrast between heroes and monsters.

  • Tested early material workflows, subsurface scattering, emissives, and rim lights to push stylized realism.

• Cinematic Composition:

  • Arranged a large multi-character composition combining foreground heroes and a towering mass of Magnavores.

  • Balanced color storytelling: warm infernal tones for monsters vs. cooler blue-steel hues for the heroes.

• Compositing & Final Polish:

  • Enhanced the overall scene with atmospheric effects, glow, sparks, and layered textures for a graphic-novel mood.

Software Used

3DS Max, Maya (Rigging and Posing), Marmoset Toolbag 3, Substance Painter, TopoGun 2, After Effects, Photoshop