Portfolio · 2026
I build immersive worlds.
3D environment artist & XR developer crafting photoreal interiors, VR experiences, and real-time scenes.
01 · About
A craftsman
of digital
worlds.
Hey! I'm Reese Nelson — a UVU grad with a passion for building immersive digital worlds. I specialize in scene environments, VR simulations, and interactive experiences that blend technical precision with creative storytelling.
The work here is a mix of freelance projects and industry collabs — each built around thoughtful design, clean workflows, and experiences people actually remember. My main toolkit is Unreal Engine, Blender, Substance Painter, and DaVinci Resolve.
Whether I'm crafting a detailed environment, designing a VR experience, or untangling a gnarly technical problem — I love bringing ideas to life in ways that feel immersive, intuitive, and visually compelling.
🎮
Origin story
Started taking classes in high school about computers
🌊
Weirdest project
Simulated a storm with pure math
⏱️
Hours logged
UVU Engineering Building has over 1991 hours of team effort.
✈️
Remote ready
Works with teams worldwide
🏛️
Proudest work
Digitally preserved a Greek church
Freelance Environment Artist
2024 -- NowIndependent · Provo, Utah · Remote
UVU Walk-through Project
2025UVU Innovation Lab · Lead Artist
3D Generalist · Personal
2022 -- 2024UVU Digital Media · Provo, Utah
B.S. Digital Game & Animation
2021 -- 2026Utah Valley University · Orem, Utah
A.S. Web Design & Development
2021 -- 2026Utah Valley University · Orem, Utah
Software
- Unreal Engine 5Game Engine
- Blender3D Modeling
- Substance PainterTexturing
- FigmaUX Design
- DaVinci ResolveColor
- Photoshop2D
- After EffectsMotion
Disciplines
- Environment ArtCore
- VR DevelopmentXR
- Real-time LightingLumen
- PBR MaterialsShading
- ArchvizVisualization
- Hard SurfaceModeling
- CompositionStorytelling
02 · The Pinboard
Drag, arrange,
make it yours.
A live pinboard of projects, memos, sketches & more. Grab anything -- move it anywhere.
Note to self
Every model has a place
Hire me for
VR sims · Archviz · 3D scanning
Currently
Building another enviroment using the new Blender 5.0 verison
Project Brief · 001
UVU Engineering
Built in Unreal Engine 5. Stereoscopic VR tour with Lumen GI. Meta Quest. 11,713 objects.
Project Brief · 002
J.E.F.F.
3 military aircraft · 5 missile systems · Educational VR experience
Fun fact
J.E.F.F is controlled through Hand-Tracking
Currently
I am learning more about Claude and how to implent it.
Collab
I have collabed with UNESCO and UVU Engineering Department
Hobbies
I love to bake, qulit and draw outside of 3D developing
Project Brief · 003
G.A.P. · UNESCO
LiDAR + Gaussian Splatting · Agios Achilios, Greece · Cultural preservation for UNESCO
Business Card
Reese Nelson
3D Artist · XR Developer
reesenelson125@gmail.com
reese-nelson.com
Provo · Utah · USA
Drag any note -- pin it wherever you like.
03 · The Archive
Selected
work, 2024-26.
Click any project to open the full case study.
04 · Methodology
From concept
to final pixel.
Every project runs the same four phases. Here's the Ocean Storm simulation — from a blank viewport to a real-time storm at 60fps.
Phase 01
Reference
& Discovery
Before opening a single tool, I build a visual language — mood boards, reference pulls, material studies. The goal is a shared direction so there are no surprises at the end.
Phase 02
Block-out
& Mesh
Rough geometry first — no textures, no lighting. I lock in scale, flow, and camera composition with clean topology before committing to detail. Measure twice, model once.
Phase 03
Lighting
& Materials
PBR materials and Lumen GI are dialled in simultaneously. Every material decision is tested under the final lighting so nothing looks good in isolation but wrong in context. The evening pass is the hardest to get right. The image shown is from the project.
Phase 04
Beauty Render
& Delivery
Final path-traced beauty render, colour-graded in post. All render passes exported and ready to finilize.
05 · Final chapter
Let's make
something real.
Case Study · 01 · VR Simulation · Project B.R.E.A.D.
Smith Engineering & Technology Building.
01 · Overview
A building before it exists.
This virtual reality tour provides an immersive experience of the upcoming Utah Valley University Smith Engineering and Technology Building. Students and faculty gain insights into the building's size and the comprehensive amenities it will offer -- from the Forum and Drone Lab to the Machine Shop and Lecture Hall.
Dean Kelly Flanagan contributed financial support to the engineering building virtual experience, along with the necessary equipment. in collaboration with the Digital Media Department. This space serves as the students' workspace, enabling the realization of the project.
Dec 2023 -- Mar, 2026. 28 days, 39 sprints.
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Documentation that earned the $50K funding.
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Each room named after a donor to the real building.
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The virtual walkthrough directly inspired $4 million in donor contributions to the real building.
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02 · Gallery
Wide Shot
Forum (Nu Skin)
Lab
ECE Drone Lab
Workshop
Machine Shop
Interior
Lecture Hall (Spid3rThink)
Lab
Smart Grid Lab
03 · The Team
Meet the team.
04 · Trailer
Watch the walk-through.
05 · Details
By the numbers.
The original product file contained 21,152 3D objects, optimized down to 11,713 in the final build. The team completed 39 production sprints across 61 builds, with 12 faulty builds caught during QA and 19 students who play-tested the experience.
This was the first-ever virtual tour of this kind at UVU -- a pioneering project that set the standard for immersive campus experiences. Donors contributed $4 million to the building, with 46 donor rooms featured in the virtual experience.
Want something similar?
Let's build your world.
VR walkthroughs · Architectural visualization · Real-time environments
Case Study · 02 · Real-time Archviz
Luxury ApartmentSuite.
01 · Overview
A penthouse brought to life.
A luxury penthouse interior built in Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen global illumination. Features marble columns, custom hi-fi speaker systems, floor-to-ceiling windows, designer furniture, and accent LED ceiling lighting -- all rendered in real-time at interactive framerates.
02 · Gallery
Scroll to explore · Click to expand
Hero
Living room · daylight
Evening
Living room · warm lighting
Angle
Alternate view
Wireframe
Mesh topology
03 · Flythrough
Walk through the space.
Quick facts
Let's build your space.
Case Study · 03 · Real-time Simulation
Ocean StormSimulation.
01 · Overview
Procedural chaos.
A real-time ocean storm environment featuring lighthouses, buoyancy physics, volumetric rain, and dynamic wave displacement. Built in Blender with foam generation, underwater caustics, and storm lighting.
02 · Gallery
Night
Storm · lighthouse beams
Wireframe
Wave mesh topology
03 · In Action
Watch the storm.
Wireframe Pass
Quick facts
Let's simulate.
Case Study · 04 · Cultural Heritage · G.A.P.
Agios AchiliosPreservation.
01 · Overview
Preserving history.
The Gaussian Acquisition & Preservation project digitally captures and preserves a Greek Orthodox church on the island of Agios Achilios in Greece. Using LiDAR scanning and Gaussian splatting technology, the church's centuries-old frescoes, ornate woodwork, and architectural detail were captured as high-fidelity 3D point clouds and rendered in Unreal Engine 5.
02 · Process & Results
Comparison
Gaussian Splat vs Point Cloud
Scanning
Mobile scan preview
Reference
Church interior
On-site
Mobile LiDAR capture
Equipment
Tripod scanner setup
03 · Video
See the capture.
Quick facts
04 · UNESCO Report
Read the newsletter.
The February UNESCO newsletter documenting the Agios Achilios G.A.P. project — from on-site scanning to the final Gaussian splat deliverable.
UNESCO · February 2026
G.A.P. Project Newsletter
Official newsletter covering the Agios Achilios digital preservation project — scanning methodology, Gaussian splatting results, and cultural heritage impact delivered to UNESCO.
Click to view inline ↗
Let's preserve.
Case Study · 05 · VR Simulation · J.E.F.F.
J.E.F.F.VR Simulation.
01 · Overview
Learn about military aircraft.
An educational VR experience that lets users explore 3 military aircraft and 5 advanced missile systems in a realistic hangar environment. Built by Reese Nelson and Vryan Arias over approximately 5000 development hours. The experience is interactive, immersive, and designed to teach users about military aviation technology through hands-on VR exploration.
Built by just 2 students over an entire year.
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Modelled from reference, not scan -- original 3D.
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Each system is fully interactive in VR.
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Hand-tracking on Meta Quest 3 — no controllers, fully gesture driven.
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02 · In Action
Watch J.E.F.F. in action.
J.E.F.F. · In Action
Let's build your sim.
Case Study · 06 · Demo Reel
DemoReel '26.
01 · Overview
90 seconds, everything.
A tightly-cut showreel spanning 2024-26. Mixes real-time captures and offline renders from every project in the portfolio. Color-graded in DaVinci Resolve with subtle film emulation.
02 · Watch