Case Study

BugBox

3D ArtistConcept ArtistProgrammer / UI Engineer

Unity (C#)

Looking Glass Portrait

Maya

Substance Painter

Overview: BugBox is a holographic idle simulation built for the Looking Glass display, designed to mimic the wonder of a virtual ant farm. Players customize modular low-poly bugs, observe emergent behaviors within an interactive terrarium, and influence creature interactions in a playful sandbox environment.

Watch on YouTube

Key Features

Bug customization
Omnidirectional AI pathfinding
Interactive terrarium
Holographic multi-angle viewing
Day/night cycles
Biome variety

Gallery

BugBox concept art establishing the bug customization visual style

BugBox concept art, alternate bug color and pattern designs

3D low-poly bug model turnaround from BugBox

3D low-poly bug model turnaround from BugBox, alternate bug

Set of low-poly bug models used in BugBox

Contributions

Art & Design

Modeled and textured low-poly beetle, ant, and grasshopper rigs with interchangeable modular parts and customizable texture support.
Designed concept art establishing a colorful, approachable visual identity.

Development

Engineered bug AI with omnidirectional pathfinding and environment interaction systems.
Built player-facing UI for real-time bug customization.

Impact

Modular rig architecture enables combinatorial customization without additional modeling work per variant.
Reduced cross-discipline handoff friction by handling 3D production and systems integration.
Navigated a full engine migration mid-project, delivering a working holographic build under time constraint.

Quick facts

Aug 2024 — Dec 2024 · RIT School of Interactive Games & Media

Team

3-person collaboration