Boiler Island (Riven, 2024)
Boiler Island - Riven (2024 Remake)
As one of the two initial artists on the Riven remake, I contributed to laying the groundwork for the project through an initial massing pass and a complete graybox pass. Boiler Island was the first area to receive a final art pass, serving as the vertical slice demo before many of our core art tools were established, and full art team brought on.
My primary focus areas included Gehn's Lab, the Boiler Building and puzzle interactions, and the Maglev Dock.
Gehn's Lab: I was responsible for constructing the entire building and performing an initial prop pass, recreating many of the iconic items from the original Riven. Throughout development, as new narrative elements emerged, I collaborated with other artists to refine and replace props while maintaining the space's immersive storytelling. One notable addition I contributed was the Fire Marble Finisher, which I designed, modeled, textured, animated, and implemented in-game.
Boiler Building: Creating the Boiler Building was particularly rewarding as it housed the primary puzzle for the vertical slice. Ensuring the puzzle's functionality in VR presented unique challenges that I addressed through thoughtful design adaptations. Every adjustment was carefully made to preserve the spirit of the original while modernizing the experience.
Maglev Dock: The Maglev Dock in this area served as a template for the docks on the other islands. I created all the initial dock pieces, ensuring a unified aesthetic that made them feel like they were constructed at the same time. For the brick elements, I created custom ZBrush sculpts and used our in-engine material tools for texturing. These tools allowed us to maintain a consistent visual language across all docks while applying area-specific wear and tear.
Additional Work: I also designed the pneumatic tube system along the island's ridge, connecting it to Temple Island. Additionally, I assisted with the initial massing and graybox work for new cave areas, collaborating closely with the design team to refine the layout. This foundational work supported other talented environment artists in bringing these spaces to final polish.
Working on Boiler Island was a dynamic and collaborative process, and I’m proud to have played a key role in reimagining this iconic environment for modern audiences.
Boiler Island Approach via the wood cart. From this view you can see the Maglev Dock and the Lab which I created. I also created the cart track supports based on another similar support.
Boiler Island aerial shot.
Boiler Island crater.
I created the Boiler Building, pneumatic tubes, and the pot belly stove.
Boiler Building. I created the main boiler here. The walkway was a different artists piece.
Boiler Puzzle Controls. Special care was taken to make sure they were in good VR Range.
Boiler Interior. I modeled and did a material pass on this whole area.
Gehn's Lab front area. I modeled, textured, and did the material pass on the whole building. The Angled Brick pillars required a custom Z Brush sculpt to get the brick pattern just right.
Gehn's Lab back area. IN addition to the build I worked on the cement staircase slab.
Boiler Lab From Above.
Initial entry to the lab, with your first glimpse at the new Fire Marble Finisher. One of the new devices for the remake, I modeled, textured, and animated this device.
Boiler Interior. I created the interior of the building, and did the initial pass on all props. This was one of the first areas worked on for the project. All light fixtures were created by me.
Fire Marble Finisher polishing device close up.
Boiler's Maglev Dock. I sculpted the custom pattern of the rounded bricks in ZBrush, and with my mesh maps was able to set some areas to be brick, and some grout, each with their own surface maps.