EMBER LEXICON
BACKSTORY
The Ember Lexicon was once housed deep within the sanctum of Bellgrave Monastery, bound in silence and scripture beneath layers of divine protection. Penned in a forgotten dialect of ash-runes, the tome contains fragments of pre-Sundering fire rites—knowledge thought to have been erased by the high clerics of the Old Order. For centuries, it sat dormant, chained and sealed beneath layers of holy wax and stone, its voice muffled beneath the weight of ritual and fear.
But centuries of stillness could not hold back what stirred within. During the Night of Hollow Flame, a demon—drawn to the Lexicon’s smoldering pulse—broke through the monastery’s wards. Though it failed to claim the book, the encounter left scorched chains, shattered corner plates, and a diagonal gash across the Ashen Cross sigil—damage now burned into the relic itself. The Lexicon remains sealed, but its whispers have returned. Some say its bindings hum when the stars dim, and that the runes glow brightest in the breath between prayers.
DESCRIPTION
Hard Surface Model - Lore Asset
A game-ready prop designed to serve as a cinematic magical relic, ideal for narrative-driven or fantasy-based environments. Modeled, textured, and optimized for Unreal Engine 5.
Total Poly Count: 11,637
Render Engines: Substance Painter Iray (for wireframes) & Unreal Engine 5 (for rendering and in-world integration)
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Concept built around internal lore and stylized magical artifacts.
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Modeled in 3DS Max with clean quad topology and beveled control loops for stable baking.
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Textured in Substance Painter with custom PBR materials, including aged metal, scorched stone, molten carvings, and worn fabric.
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Exported and optimized for Unreal Engine 5 with packed texture maps, correct pivots, and LOD support.
A personal solo project focused on storytelling through prop design, emphasizing visual lore, wear detail, and high-read silhouettes. The object is meant to function as a central interactive piece, lore container, or cinematic focal point within a larger UE5 environment.
As the sole developer, I handled all aspects of creation, including UV unwrapping, material design, and baking workflows. Iteration focused on maintaining texel density, emphasizing material contrast, and integrating emissive effects cleanly. Topology and pivot orientation were aligned to Unreal standards for easy level integration.
Built for real-time rendering in Unreal Engine 5 with full adherence to game-ready asset conventions. The prop is plug-and-play for hero usage in game cinematics, lore hubs, or environmental storytelling nodes.
ROLE: Solo project — handled all aspects as 3D Artist from concept to export.
TOOLS: 3DS Max (modeling & bakes), Substance Painter (texturing), Unreal Engine 5 (optimization & integration).
PURPOSE: Designed as a centerpiece hero asset for fantasy or narrative-driven environments, with a focus on embedded lore, emissive storytelling, and PBR surfacing.
MODEL VIEWER TURNAROUND
CONCEPT
I want to design a sacred magical artifact — not a weapon, but something equally dangerous. The Ember Lexicon is a sealed tome, more prison than book. It isn’t meant to be opened, and its entire form should reflect that.
This prop lives in the same world as Vae’Brukh. Where the sword represents forged containment of raw energy, the Lexicon is about the containment of ancient, volatile knowledge. This piece should stand as a central ritual object — feared, protected, and possibly forgotten.
REFERENCES
Visual Influence & Direction
Drawing from the following visual references:
CONCEPT
DESCRIPTION
Oversized, sealed tome
I imagine the Lexicon as something thick and heavy, bound shut by arcane force. It’s too large to be handheld, designed to rest in place — studied, never read.
Scorched cover and runes
The book shows signs of internal burn damage. Maybe the contents tried to escape. I want the cover to be warped, charred, and engraved with ancient dwarven glyphs that act as seals.
Chains and lock mechanisms
These aren’t ornamental — they’re active containment. I’m thinking of layered locking plates or linked chains that wrap around the book, anchored to specific rune points.
Floating pedestal with containment glyphs
The Lexicon isn’t meant to touch the ground. I want it to float slightly above a stone pedestal inscribed with glowing rings — containment magic meant to hold it in place.
Ritual dressing
I'll include subtle worldbuilding props in the scene — maybe a frayed cloth, an extinguished candle, or broken chains — to suggest reverence, age, and abandonment. These items aren’t decoration, they’re narrative clues.