SHERAZ ASGHAR
Technical Artist / Unity Developer
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Six Country, Nine City
PHOTOGRAPHY
Six Country, Nine City
Apr 20, 2026 Photography

Six Country Escape is a visual journey through six countries and nine cities, captured through architecture, street life, landscapes, food, and quiet…

WebGPU Automotive Configurator
UNITY
WebGPU Automotive Configurator
Feb 20, 2024 WebGPU

This project is a real-time WebGPU automotive visualization study built in Unity, focused on material customization, browser delivery, and optimized…

A project about nothing
UNITY
A project about nothing
Aug 21, 2023 Animation

A Project About Nothing is a small real-time Unity study built around a field dog wandering through a desert environment. The goal was to examine the…

Minion Mayhem
CINEMA
Minion Mayhem
Jul 20, 2016 CG Animation

This project was a stylized CG animation created as part of a licensed Mega Bloks campaign featuring the Minions universe in collaboration with…

TMNT 80s Blockfied
CINEMA
TMNT 80s Blockfied
Jan 10, 2017 CG Animation

This project was a stylized CG animation inspired by the classic 80s Turtles theme intro, created using Mega Bloks toy-based characters and…

SPARTAN MARK VI
CINEMA
SPARTAN MARK VI
Aug 20, 2014 CG Animation

This project was a stylized CG animation created as part of a licensed Mega Bloks campaign featuring the Halo universe in collaboration with Mattel…

World of Warcraft
WEBSITE
World of Warcraft
Jun 14, 2013 Web

Created for Mega Bloks during their licensed partnership with Blizzard Entertainment, this interactive website brought the world of World of Warcraft…

Destiny TVC
CINEMA
Destiny TVC
Jun 14, 2017 VFX

This project is a 7-second cinematic breakdown from a Destiny TVC sequence produced as part of an official Megabloks / Mattel Halo campaign. The…

Halo FOD
CINEMA
Halo FOD
Jul 15, 2018 CG Animation

This piece began with something simple and physical, a Megabloks / Mattel Halo ship, animated through stop-motion frame by frame created by…

Machine01
MACHINIST
Machine01
Dec 22, 2021 Machining

This is a personal project: a fully self-built CNC milling machine developed over the course of a year, designed and engineered from the ground up…

Magnext TVC
CINEMA
Magnext TVC
Sep 21, 2017 CG Animation

This project is a 10-second cinematic TVC created for MagneXt, a magnetic construction toy line developed by Mattel. The concept focuses on a single…

Gumpaway
WEBSITE
Gumpaway
Jun 11, 2016 Web

This project documents my journey biking across Canada, from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic Ocean, covering a total distance of approximately…

Halo Scorpion TVC
CINEMA
Halo Scorpion TVC
Mar 15, 2014 CG Animation

This project was created as a 10-second cinematic TV spot featuring the Halo Scorpion, a canon armored vehicle within the Halo universe reinterpreted…

Halo Pegasus TVC
CINEMA
Halo Pegasus TVC
Mar 15, 2014 CG Animation

This project was created as a 10-second cinematic TV spot featuring the Halo Pegasus, a canon vehicle within the Halo universe reinterpreted through…

Turrentblok Mixed Reality
MIXED REALITY
Turrentblok Mixed Reality
Nov 11, 2015 AR

This project is a mixed reality gameplay prototype developed in Unity, combining physical computing with real-time augmented reality. The experience…

Rover Mixed Reality
MIXED REALITY
Rover Mixed Reality
Aug 12, 2015 AR

This project is a mixed reality prototype built around a physical Mega Bloks / Mattel rover, combining real-world toy hardware with a Unity-based…

Shapeshifters
UNITY
Shapeshifters
Jul 18, 2018 Robotics

This project is a fully built modular RC-style vehicle system developed entirely using LEGO components, designed to explore physical computing…

Roboblok
MICROCONTROLLERS
Roboblok
Jan 10, 2013 Electronics

This project is a wearable robotic hand system built using Mega Bloks Micro components as the structural base, combined with embedded electronics and…

Minion Tracking at Mattel
CINEMA
Minion Tracking at Mattel
Nov 14, 2016 Match-Move

This project explores motion tracking and visual effects integration using real-world footage combined with 3D animation and compositing techniques…

Minions at Cafe
CINEMA
Minions at Cafe
Jan 5, 2017 VFX

This project is a motion tracking and visual effects experiment set in a real-world cafe environment. The background footage was captured on location…

Neoshifters
CINEMA
Neoshifters
May 12, 2008 CG Animation

This project is part of my early professional work, created during my time at a company where I had limited production access and tools. It…

Robots in the Warehouse
UNITY
Robots in the Warehouse
Jul 27, 2025 Simulation

Robots in the Warehouse is a real-time warehouse automation demonstration showcasing autonomous mobile robots operating within a modern distribution…

Talia
UNITY
Talia
Dec 11, 2022 Visualization

This project explores high-end product visualization using Unity HDRP, showcasing how real-time rendering can achieve the level of quality…

HDRP Ocean & Volumetric Clouds Showcase
UNITY
HDRP Ocean & Volumetric Clouds Showcase
Aug 24, 2024 Environment

This HDRP showcase was created for a Unity workshop I delivered at Boeing, demonstrating the visual fidelity possible with Unity's HDRP water system…

HDRP Path Tracing Studio
UNITY
HDRP Path Tracing Studio
Jul 17, 2023 Rendering

This project was built in Unity HDRP to showcase high-end automotive visualization using path tracing, custom shaders, lighting, and material…

The Mosaic
+ Featured Work / CINEMA

Minion Mayhem

This project was a stylized CG animation created as part of a licensed Mega Bloks campaign featuring the Minions universe in collaboration with Mattel and Illumination. The goal…

+ Featured Work / CINEMA

TMNT 80s Blockfied

This project was a stylized CG animation inspired by the classic 80s Turtles theme intro, created using Mega Bloks toy-based characters and environments. The goal was to recreate…

+ Featured Work / UNITY

Robots in the Warehouse

Robots in the Warehouse is a real-time warehouse automation demonstration showcasing autonomous mobile robots operating within a modern distribution center. Designed as a…

+ Featured Work / UNITY

Talia

This project explores high-end product visualization using Unity HDRP, showcasing how real-time rendering can achieve the level of quality traditionally associated with offline…

CINEMA

Halo FOD

Practical Stop-Motion VFX Breakdown

About the Project

This piece began with something simple and physical, a Megabloks / Mattel Halo ship, animated through stop-motion frame by frame created by stop-motion animators at Mega Bloks / Mattel. It was never perfect. It jittered, it shifted, it breathed in a way digital animation often smooths away. But that imperfection became the soul of the shot.

What started as a toy captured in motion became the foundation for something larger.

My role was not to replace what was filmed, but to listen to it and build around it.

Using After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator, I constructed a layered VFX world that wraps around the original animation. Light, HUD elements, atmospheric depth, and spatial overlays were introduced carefully, not to dominate the frame, but to extend its emotional weight. The goal was always the same: preserve the honesty of the physical motion while transforming it into something cinematic and expansive.

Each layer carries its own intention. Light defines scale. Color defines mood. Motion defines presence. Together, they form a constructed reality that still feels anchored to something real.

What makes this piece meaningful is not the final frame but the process behind it. A single 3-second shot becomes a slow build of decisions, adjustments, failures, and refinements. Hours dissolve into frames. Frames dissolve into seconds. And yet every second carries the weight of everything beneath it.

There is something quietly powerful about building worlds around something that already exists rather than replacing it. This project sits in that space between craft and imagination, where physical imperfection and digital precision meet halfway.

Disclaimer: This piece was created as part of my professional work during my time at Mattel, contributing VFX enhancement and compositing over existing stop-motion animation produced by the Mega Bloks/Mattel animation team. All original animation and IP belong to their respective rights holders.

Project Highlights

  • Category CINEMA
  • Year 2018
  • Type Stop-Motion VFX
  • Role VFX Artist / Compositor
  • Pipeline After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator

Pipeline & Workflow

  1. Animated a Mega Bloks Halo ship in stop-motion, shot frame by frame
  2. Built a layered VFX world around the original stop-motion footage
  3. Composited light, atmospheric depth and spatial overlays for scale & mood
  4. Designed HUD and graphic overlay elements in Photoshop & Illustrator
  5. Final compositing and finishing in After Effects

Tools & Technologies

After Effects
Photoshop
Illustrator

Credits & Collaborators

Acknowledging the teams, studios, and collaborators behind the project.

Sheraz Asghar
VFX & Compositing
All VFX and compositing were done solely by me, HUD and graphic overlays, lighting, atmosphere, and final compositing, built over the existing stop-motion footage. Produced as part of my work at Mattel.
Mega Bloks / Mattel
Physical Model & Stop-Motion Animation
Built the physical Mega Bloks Halo ship and produced the original stop-motion animation only, no VFX work. All original animation and IP belong to their respective rights holders.
Microsoft / 343 Industries
Halo IP
Owners of the Halo universe. All related IP belongs to their respective rights holders.