A premium portfolio presentation header showcasing original 3D character art layout frames for in-game player cards, featuring detailed tactical soldiers and specialist humanoids rendered in high-contrast cinematic lighting.

Battlefield 2042

3D Illustrations

Disciplines

Concept
3D Illustration
3D Production

Company

EA
DICE
Criterion Games

Credits

3D Game Assets – The DICE art team
UI Design – The DICE UI team
Art Direction – Pascal Eggert
3D Illustrations and Production – Baz Pringle

Information

A set of illustrations created for the player cards found in DICE’s Battlefield 2042.  The task was to use 3D assets from the game to create original 3D illustrations and designs that would be used on the player cards.

Cinema 4D and Octane were used to render the final illustrations, with post work and addtitional painting in Photoshop.  Game assets had to be converted to render correctly with Octane, and humanoids posed inside of C4D once imported.

A close-up portfolio presentation view showcasing a 3D specialist character in a dense ghillie suit holding a sniper rifle, angled dramatically across a dark layout plane with clean background defocus.
A cinematic 3D illustration of a heavy armoured tank positioned in a snowy winter pine forest environment, styled with dramatic camera focus and specific top and bottom layout zones reserved for blurred UI overlays.
An exploded architectural layout breakdown demonstrating the technical structure of a modern gaming player card, illustrating how the background 3D tank illustration combines with text, badge overlays, and gradient safe areas.

Anatomy of a Player Card

Each illustration had to include areas at the top and bottom that would be blurred and used for the UI overlays.

Blurs had to be consistent, but the underlying palettes and values could vary in order to complement the visuals of each individual player card.

A safe area in the lower third of the illustration had to allow for badge overlays, with an emphasis on readability.

A striking mid-shot 3D character composition of a combat-ready tactical soldier set against an urban skyscraper backdrop, framed by energetic diagonal light vectors in high-contrast cyan and crimson.
A close-up tactical profile illustration of a specialist soldier holding an assault rifle, featuring vivid neon teal backlighting contrasted with dynamic, aggressive orange and red graphic streaks.

Marketing Alignment & Key Art Adaptation

These two specific player card layouts were developed to seamlessly align with the established global marketing key art.

The objective was to maintain strict visual continuity across the product ecosystem by directly mirroring the signature colour palettes, stylistic motifs, and high-energy diagonal design streaks that defined the game’s promotional identity.

While anchored entirely within the overarching marketing design language, these frames represent completely original compositions designed from the ground up for the player card format.

By carefully balancing the aggressive, high-contrast teal and orange lighting accents with new character staging, the illustrations deliver a bespoke look that feels intrinsically connected to the broader brand aesthetic while functioning within the constraints of UI interface.

A low-angle 3D aviation render showcasing a futuristic grey military tiltrotor aircraft cruising through a bright, open blue sky alongside accompanying fleet transport vehicles.
A dynamic air-to-air 3D render of stealth fighter jets banking hard through a clear sky, creatively framed with a soft-focus American flag waving across the lower foreground.
A high-angle look-development composition showing a squadron of metallic stealth fighter jets parked on a reflective, dark glossy hangar deck surface under crisp studio spotlighting.
An extreme macro portfolio close-up focusing on the metallic plating, panel lines, and dual engine thrusters of a military jet, emphasizing realistic texture work and hard-surface shading.
A dramatic close-up frame highlighting a aggressive black and white tiger graphic paint layout applied to the nose cone of a military fighter jet, captured with high-contrast cinematic lighting.
A cinematic 3D character illustration of a heavily armoured specialist soldier wearing a stylized white ballistic skull mask and dark tactical plate carrier, posed on a ship deck with supporting infantry blurred in the background.
A dramatic low-angle 3D illustration of a combat specialist holding a modern bullpup rifle, framed against dark industrial scaffolding with warm, golden sparks flying in the distant background.
A front-facing 3D character composition showcasing a combat engineer in full EOD explosive ordnance disposal tactical gear, including a gas mask, visor, and tan protective collar setup.
A detailed portrait composition of a stealth recon sniper clad in a full textured camouflage ghillie suit, holding a high-caliber sniper rifle inside a blurred architectural military facility.
A grounded 3D render of a seasoned support soldier wearing a headset and holding a heavy light machine gun, staged inside a brightly lit industrial military hangar bay.
A dynamic action render featuring a female assault specialist aiming a rifle on a bright, outdoor aircraft carrier flight deck, surrounded by combat elements and subtle floating debris particles.

Asset Extraction & Cinema 4D Look-Dev

A core element of this project involved sourcing raw 3D assets directly from the game build—ranging from heavy armour and hero characters to individual weapon components, rocket launchers, and ordnance canisters.

These production assets were exported, restructured, and brought into Cinema 4D to build out dedicated look-development scenes. This environment offered the flexibility required to explore dynamic compositions, allowing standard, utilitarian hardware to be transformed into striking visual centerpieces for the final player cards.

A dramatic close-up composition of a modern assault rifle mounted against a clean white panel featuring bold black "YATAGARA" corporate typography and modular mag accessories.
A dynamic look-development frame focusing on the rear receiver and circular drum magazine of a black automatic combat rifle, staged with warm, low-key background horizon lighting streaks.
A pristine macro close-up of a futuristic white and red sci-fi flight helmet, showcasing high-fidelity panel curves, optical lens elements, and coiled red cables.
A rugged, grounded composition showcasing an explosive anti-tank landmine asset alongside a portable electronic detonator unit resting on a heavy-duty protective hardcase.
A high-angle studio render displaying a sequence of repeating high-caliber sniper rifles propped on bipods across a dark, glossy, reflective studio surface scattered with spent brass casings.
A low-key studio portrait of a tactical black combat crossbow weapon system, reflecting cleanly onto a dark, polished, high-gloss floor tile.
A clean top-down perspective layout of an olive-drab rocket launcher asset arranged symmetrically alongside rows of heavy explosive rocket ammunition canisters.
An extreme macro close-up detailing the mechanical carbon-fibre bow limbs and loaded bolt tension track of a tactical crossbow, featuring high-contrast orange lens flare accents.
A high-angle 3D product shot of the Grenade Brigade skateboard assembly, showing the graphic composition printed on the deck surface with chrome trucks and white wheels.
A floating studio presentation showcase of a dark special forces ballistic helmet asset, complete with detailed chinstrap rigging, interior padding, and night-vision shroud mounts.
A detailed macro render of a heavily bleached and weathered bull skull prop resting on a wet, stony shoreline mud terrain surface.
A rear-view alignment shot of a rugged, dark green off-road military quad bike carrying an integrated animal skull trophy motif over its rear cargo rack frame.
A custom weapon skin look-development render displaying a highly detailed, polished chrome skull engraving bordered by ornate filigree scrollwork over a green, white, and red backdrop.
An extreme macro crop focusing on a custom deep-etched steel gun receiver component, highlighting a stylized skeletal face graphic nestled among intricate baroque swirl scrollwork.