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Kaan Zorlu

Lead 3D Character & Grooming Artist

Portrait photo of Kaan Zorlu a Professional 3D Grooming and stylized character lead artist

My pipeline highlights.

3D Characters Portfolio >
A Moodboard made by to showing different references for stylized character and grooming references, the first step in character creation pipelines

Pipeline Architecture

Every great character starts with technical foresight, finding the right reference is your weapon. I ensure I find the right refrences for any project I do before I touch a vertex.

A screenshot of a Stylized female head Sculpting made with zbrush by Kaan Zorlu, The character is Arcane style, with green eyes and orange long hair

Visual DNA

Sculpting personality through digital clay. I focus on expressive silhouettes that retains its "soul" in motion starting with very low res basic shapes first, and adding details slowly until I have the final polished sculpt of my characters.

A Screenshot from Maya viewport showing Archer stylized character from Clash of Clans game, showcassing the professional and complicated rig setup along with Facial Rig controls created by Kaan Zorlu for Clash of Clans game

Performance Rigs

I build robust, intuitive facial and body rigs that empower animators to achieve studio-standard performances with ulitmate controls and best deformations can ever be created.

A Polished render of colorful stylized short hair inspired by Raya and the last Dragon movie's hair styles, showcasing the best polished grooming of a stylized girl made with XGen in maya and rendered with Arnold render as a 3D Grooming Artist Portfolio Work

3D Grooming Artist

Mastering the architecture of hair, fur, and feathers. I specialize in XGen grooming pipelines, focusing on realistic clumping, procedural noise, and technical setups optimized for cinematic simulation and Arnold rendering.

A render of stylized character in Arcane Style, showcasing a beautiful female character in winter wearing black wool hat, having stylized red hair groomed and created with XGEN in Maya, the character has stunning blue eyes, and the full character was rendered using Autodes Maya and Arnold render engine showcasing a polished final stylized character in cinematic Lighting setup

Cinematic Finality

Compelling lighting and shading workflows in Arnold that showcase the character in its most cinematic form.

The Résumé. At a glance.

Download Resume

Visual Development Artist

Leo Production studio

Dubai, UAE | 2018-Present

Lead 3D Artist

IST Creative Agency

Istanbul, TR | 2022-2023

Lead 3D Artist

Bulls & Apes Project LLC.

Austin, TX | 2022-2024

3D Modeling & Texturing instructor

Emile Cohl Atelier

Los Angeles, CA | 2021-2022

3D visual development artist

ZAG Entertainment

Paris, FR | 2018-2021

Senior 3D Artist

9D Medya

Kahramanmaraş, TR | 2015-2016

The Craft of a 3D Grooming Artist

In the world of feature animation, grooming is more than just "adding hair." As a 3D grooming artist, I bridge the gap between artistic vision and technical stability. My workflow at studios like ZAG Entertainment involved creating complex hair systems that didn't just look beautiful in a still render, but remained stable under the intense demands of shot-based simulation and lighting pipelines.

Whether it is a stylized character requiring specific silhouette-driven curves or a photorealistic creature requiring millions of follicles, I utilize Autodesk Maya and XGen Core to deliver studio-standard results.

The Artist's Arsenal.

Autodesk Maya

Maya is the central hub of my pipeline. It’s where I assemble the final character, build intricate rigs, create advanced shader networks, and compose the final cinematic lighting.

ZBrush

This is where form and personality are born from digital clay. I use ZBrush for all high-fidelity sculpting, focusing on expressive, memorable characters with clean silhouettes.

Arnold Renderer

The final render is where light and shadow complete the story. I leverage Arnold for its powerful, physically-accurate rendering to create beautiful, cinematic images.

Substance 3D Painter

A character's history is written on its surface. I use Substance Painter to tell that story through texture, creating everything from realistic skin to stylized wear-and-tear.

Photoshop

Photoshop is the tool for both the first spark of an idea and the final, polished image. I use it for concept sketching, mood boards, and final render compositing.

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