A low-poly homage to one of the greatest games ever made: Red Dead Redemption 2. This project draws inspiration from the breathtaking visuals and emotional depth of RDR2, which captured my heart and soul despite not being my usual genre of choice. Through this project, I aimed to recreate a serene sunrise scene featuring Arthur Morgan's horse in an iconic moment, as a personal tribute to the game.

This project was made possible by the incredible Three.js Journey course by Bruno Simon. During the course, we created a beautiful portal scene to get a first grasp of Blender. That, combined with curiosity, research, and countless mistakes, allowed me to create this far-from-perfect but deeply personal and rewarding scene.

Click the image above to view the live experience directly!

• Blender Shortcuts and Tools:
  • Discovered and used tools like mirror modifiers, boolean modifiers, and vertex/edge cleanup many times during the project.
• UV Unwrapping:
  • Tackled the challenging task of unwrapping for objects like the horse and character, which was quite difficult due to the not-so-optimized geometries I created.
• Lighting and Sky Backgrounds:
  • Experimented with lighting setups and environmental textures like the Nishita Sky (hope I’m spelling that right).
• Three.js Integration:
  • Applied basic cinematic animation to the entire scene for a dramatic effect.

• The horse and character models were particularly demanding. They required significant time and effort, and I had to accept that the results, while not perfect, were a valuable learning experience.
• UV Unwrapping for complex models highlighted gaps in my skills, which I’m working to improve through additional courses.
• Staying focused despite my perfectionist tendencies, learning to let go and move forward was one of the biggest lessons from this project.

This project is a stepping stone, and there’s plenty of room for growth. Here’s what I’d like to improve in the future:

1. Better Models:
   • Add more polygons for smoother details while retaining the low-poly aesthetic.
2. Shading and Materials:
   • Explore more advanced shading techniques and improve material quality for realism.
3. Animations:
   • Introduce subtle animations for the horse, grass, or even a dynamic sunrise.
4. Texture Optimization:
   • Use more detailed baked textures by subdividing and creating multiple texture maps for better resolution.

• 3D Modeling: Blender
• Rendering and Interaction: Three.js with React Three Fiber (R3F)
• Version Control: Git with Git LFS
  • I discovered Git LFS during this project and used it to manage large files like Blender models and textures. I also faced challenges when publishing to GitHub Pages, as the LFS files were not correctly uploaded. To resolve this, I switched those files back to normal Git tracking.
• Hosting: GitHub Pages (for the live demo)

• Bruno Simon for the Three.js Journey course, which laid the foundation for this project.
• Rockstar Games for creating a masterpiece that continues to inspire millions of players and creators worldwide. Even years after its release, it’s still a marvelous and breathtaking experience from start to finish.
• Royalty free music from FesliyanStudios

This project was a labor of love and a huge learning experience. It’s not perfect, but it represents my journey and growth as a 3D artist and developer. I’ve realized the importance of embracing imperfection, learning from challenges, and moving forward. I’m excited to continue improving my skills and taking on new, ambitious projects in the future.

"Don't be sorry, be better." - Kratos

I included this quote because it encapsulates the mindset I tried to maintain throughout this project: acknowledging flaws, learning from them, and striving to improve without dwelling on what isn’t perfect.