I joined DotDotDash as a 3D Artist and Technical Artist on Extraordinary Windows for the Port of Portland’s PDX Airport, a large-scale real-time LED wall installation that shifts throughout the day to depict Oregon’s landscapes while dynamically responding to live weather and airport data. My focus was the sunset sequence, a hyper-real recreation of the Painted Hills that runs daily from twilight to sundown. I sculpted the terrain in Blender from photographic references, textured it in Substance Painter with high-resolution captures from the site, and optimized the assets for a 20-foot-tall display using Unreal Engine 5’s Virtual Textures.
To bring the Painted Hills to life, I designed Blueprint systems that integrated real-time weather through Ultra Dynamic Sky, directing the atmosphere to remain visually compelling across different lighting conditions, while also connecting to the airport’s live data to spawn AI-controlled deer that roamed the flats in relation to passenger traffic. I further created and directed seven animated shots in Level Sequencer, blending them seamlessly to create a dynamic yet comfortable visual flow at architectural scale. The result was an immersive, evolving environment that captured the natural beauty of Oregon while grounding it in real-time responsiveness.
