Eric Zhang
☺
creative practice specializing in design & motion
new character release promotion (jabba the hut)
Game Title: Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
Skills: Motion design, Cinematic Capture, 3D Game Model Polishing, 3D Texture & Shading, Lighting, Video Editing, SFX
Tools: Unity, Cinema 4D, Photoshop, After Effects
FINAL DELIVERABLE
project overview
I conceptualized and executed this project end-to-end to launch the newly playable Galactic Legend, Jabba the Hutt, alongside his iconic environment, Jabba's Palace.
To maximize impact and build hype, I designed a "Double Reveal" creative strategy:
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Phase 1 (Character Reveal): Introduce Jabba the Hutt through high-energy motion graphics and card-game-inspired dynamic visuals.
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Phase 2 (Environment & Squad Reveal): Transition Jabba seamlessly into Jabba’s Palace for a dramatic reunion with his Hutt Cartel squad.
COLOR PALETTE & BRAND GUIDELINES
Following brand guidelines, color choices communicate character alignment and thematic tone:
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Red (#E80001): Primary tone—represents the Dark Side and Jabba the Hutt's faction.
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Blue (#1FB5DE): Secondary tone—typically represents the Light Side or neutral accenting.
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Black & White (#000000 / #FFFFFF): Neutral foundation across both factions.
#E80001
#1FB5DE
#142B51
#000000
#FFFFFF
SHOT BREAKDOWN & HIGHLIGHTS
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TCG-Inspired Reveal: Introduced Jabba using interactive 3D card depth and dynamic lighting contrast.
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Kinetic Typography: Leveraged custom animated text transitions for a fresh, high-impact title reveal.
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360° Environmental Transition: Executed a match-camera turn and procedural transition to reveal Jabba's Palace and his surrounding squad.
SHOT 1: TCG-INSPIRED CHARACTER REVEAL
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Concept: Inspired by trading card game mechanics, the sequence begins with a shadowy silhouette of the mystery character framed within a 3D collectible card.
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Execution: As intrigue builds around the character's key features, a sharp light sweep cuts through the composition, fading the dark overlay to reveal Jabba the Hutt in full detail.
01. VISUAL REFERENCES & INSPIRATION
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Inspiration: Analyzed trading card game packaging, physical card layouts, and mystery character reveal dynamics (such as Pokémon TCG) to establish a familiar aesthetic.
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Application: Translated classic TCG mechanics into a dynamic 3D motion graphic sequence for Jabba the Hutt's debut.
02. CREATING THE 3D CARD IN AFTER EFFECTS
A visual walkthrough of the After Effects composition pipeline: starting with the static character artwork plate, building the collectible card framework with proper text hierarchy and iconography, and finally applying perspective and depth effects to generate a realistic 3D asset for animation.
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03. UNITY CAMERA MATCHING & BG CAPTURE
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Matched camera focal length and perspective in Unity.
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Rendered dynamic background footage sequences for composite alignment in After Effects.
04. COMPOSITING & FINAL ASSEMBLY (SHOT 1)
Composited 3D card assets, camera-matched Unity background captures, and lighting transition sweeps in After Effects for the Shot 1 final output.
SHOT 2: KINETIC TYPOGRAPHY REVEAL
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Concept: Modernized the classic character reveal trope by replacing generic light burst effects with dynamic kinetic typography.
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Execution: Created energetic, high-impact text animations in After Effects that sync with the music beats, amplifying key narrative callouts and character title announcements upon reveal.
01. VISUAL REFERENCES & INSPIRATION
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Inspiration: Analyzed iconic anime/pop-culture silhouette reveals and character title bumpers (such as Pokémon "Who's That Pokémon?") to benchmark viewer recognition mechanics.
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Execution: Replaced standard radial light bursts with custom kinetic typography layouts to create a modern, high-energy impact moment.
02. TYPOGRAPHY ANIMATION & MOTION DESIGN
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Layout & Rigging: Formatted dynamic circular and radial text structures in After Effects.
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Pacing & FX: Synchronized kinetic motion paths and typography reveals with audio markers to maximize impact.
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03. 3D MODEL REFINEMENT & UNITY CAPTURE
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Asset Polish (Cinema 4D): Imported the Jabba 3D model into Cinema 4D to refine geometry and enhance surface textures.
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Lighting & Animation (Unity): Exported back to Unity to set up character rigging, align dynamic scene lighting with background plates, and render the sequence with alpha channels for seamless compositing.
04. OMPOSITING & FINAL ASSEMBLY (SHOT 2)
Integrated the dynamic kinetic typography elements, refined 3D Jabba character renders, and animated title passes in After Effects, blending lighting and motion blur for maximum visual punch.
SHOT 3: 360° ENVIRONMENT TRANSITION
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Concept: Revealed the new game environment using a continuous 360° match camera turn—seamlessly transitioning from the default Cantina setting to Jabba’s Palace.
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Execution: Placed and animated the full Hutt Cartel squad inside Unity, matching camera rotation speeds and light angles across both scenes to showcase Jabba reuniting with his crew in high fidelity.
01. CHARACTER STAGING & CAMERA CAPTURE (UNITY)
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Environment & Character Setup: Arranged characters and synced idle/action animations inside the environment.
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Lighting & Output: Configured dynamic lighting passes and captured 360° camera sequences for final After Effects integration.
02. PROCEDURAL HEXAGON TRANSITION (AFTER EFFECTS)
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Grid & Wipe Setup: Built custom procedural hexagon matte grids in After Effects to drive the environment wipe transition.
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Displacement & FX: Applied displacement maps and dynamic glow passes along the wipe boundaries, creating a futuristic, sci-fi transition from the Cantina to Jabba's Palace.
03. COMPOSITING & FINAL ASSEMBLY (SHOT 3)
Merged the 360° Unity environment renders, character squad animations, and procedural hexagon wipes in After Effects, blending the rotation and effects into a flawless transition from the Cantina to Jabba's Palace.
