Character Art
Sculpted, retopologised, and groomed creatures and heroes — built to hold up in close-up.
Riven Castel · CGI Artist · Booking Q3
I sculpt light into worlds that don't yet exist.
I'm Riven — a 3D artist and CGI creator. For a decade I've built characters, environments, and product visuals that look impossibly real, rendered frame by frame.
The tools behind every frame
Blender
Cinema 4D
Houdini
ZBrush
Octane
Substance
Nuke
About
Photoreal takes patience. Style takes a point of view.
Based in Berlin and working with studios worldwide, I help brands, game teams, and directors turn ideas into rendered images that feel tactile and alive. Every shader, light, and polygon is placed on purpose.
- Look-dev and lighting that sells the shot
- Production-ready topology and UVs
- Pipelines built to scale across a series
What I make
Four worlds, one obsession with light
A focused craft, sharpened over a decade across film, games, advertising, and concept art.
Environments
Full CG worlds and set extensions, from neon cities to weathered interiors, lit cinematically.
Product CGI
Photoreal product renders and packshots that out-shine a physical photo studio.
Abstract & Motion
Loops, simulations, and abstract design frames for launches, titles, and live visuals.
Look-Dev & Lighting
Shader authoring and lighting setups that give every scene a signature mood.
Simulation & FX
Houdini-driven smoke, fluids, and destruction that read as believable, controllable, and art-directable.
By the numbers
A decade, measured in rendered frames
10+Years in CGI
320+Renders delivered
60+Studios & brands
4FWA awards
Kind words
What collaborators say
Riven delivered hero renders that became the entire campaign. The lighting alone made our product look unreal — in the best way.
Sasha LindqvistCreative Director, Halo Labs
Our creature pipeline was a mess until Riven rebuilt it. Clean topology, art-directable shaders, and shots that rendered on schedule.
Daniel MensahVFX Supervisor, Northpoint
A rare artist who is also a great partner. Riven communicates clearly, hits deadlines, and somehow always raises the bar.
Mei TanakaArt Director, Studio Verge