I am the Level designer for "Project Botanista," where I developed the initial 3D environment and UI Initial Scrapbook framework for a Slime Botanist’s (Player) journey. I focused on creating a forest layout with organic rock barriers to guide the player through a research-based exploration.

• Level Design & 3D Modeling: I did the Initial Level Design, creating a Terrain that was open with 3 distinct zones: Green Forest, Autumn Forest and Purple Forest coupled with mini hills and bumps to create a more natural terrain. Although the final assets were later iterated upon due to time constraints, it ensured that the key objectives such as the Player’s Yurt and Plots remained anchored. I also created the 3 Trees that would be used in the level design of our project in Blender 4.5 with the help of the Tree Generator Add-on and pointers from my teammates on how stylized we wanted it.

• Establishment of the Initial UI/UX Framework: I designed and built the first functional "Book Turning" UI prototype which would act as the player’s Logbook whenever the player would collect the plants in the world space, recording the information and updating it. While the aesthetics were later overhauled for team consistency, my initial layout established the logical flow for how players interact with plant logs and the quest as a means of guidance.

• Post-Processing and Environment: Using the Initial Post-processing pipeline, I use it to create the Soft Shadows that will be cast on the environment in tandem with Day and Night System my Teammate has create and to make the game looks stylized by tweaking the values on the draw distance as well as adding Global Volume to adjust other settings such as Bloom and Anti-aliasing for the details.

• Navigating Professional Iteration and Design Overhauls: A major challenge I experienced was the extensive overhaul of my initial Level Design and Scrapbook UI by the team. Initially, it was a test of my professional resilience to see my work replaced; however, I learned that in a collaborative pipeline, the "first draft" is essential for identifying spatial constraints and logic. I realized my foundational layouts served as the necessary prototype that allowed the team to refine the project’s final vision. This experience taught me professional detachment, shifting my focus from individual asset ownership to the overall success of the cohesive final product.
• 3D Wayfinding and Visual Communication: When play testers tried our game there was "little to do," I learned how to pivot a design to solve a mechanical problem. I originally developed the Scrapbook with a page-flip function to be a visual enhancement, but I had to adapt it into a core progression tool. I recalled a lesson about using the world space to integrate things like landmarks, quest markers and flower collection into the word space and UI to give the player a clear sense of purpose. This reminded me that Wayfinding is another way to guide between the player and the game's goals.
• Balancing Visual Fidelity with Technical Optimization: A major technical challenge was creating stylized 3D assets, such as the 3D Trees and Signposts, that matched our target aesthetic while remaining performant. While using the Tree Generator Add-on in Blender, I initially struggled to balance the polygon count with the "bumpy," natural look required for the three distinct forest zones. I overcame this by learning to use efficient modeling techniques and pointers from my teammates to achieve the desired stylized silhouette. This experience taught me that asset creation is an iterative technical process, and it has made me more proficient at producing environment props that are both visually high-quality and optimized for a 3D game engine.
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