Tolan

Tolan is an alien best friend — a voice-first AI companion from Planet Portola, built to be a supportive friend rather than a love interest. Since launch it has passed millions of downloads, with over a hundred thousand people paying to talk to their Tolan, and the company behind it has raised $60M to bring embodied AI to life.

I work as Technical Artist & Art Director, responsible for the look, motion, and life of the Tolans — the character systems, shaders, and animation that make an alien feel like someone, not something.

Process

Placeholder — this is where the machinery goes: character shader breakdowns, procedural animation systems, the craft of making an embodied companion expressive in realtime on a phone. Fill in what’s public-safe to show.