North American history has often been told from an English-speaking perspective, leaving the contributions of Spanish figures overlooked. The Legacy: El Legado Español is working to change that by highlighting Spain’s impact across the continent.
As a long-time collaborator of The Legacy. Jose Andrés García leveraged his 3D expertise to support the exhibition We the Spanish People. Which commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence and Spain’s crucial role in aiding the 13 colonies. His work transformed static historical figures into animated representations, drawing major media attention, including coverage on NBC News.
This project was made possible by Reallusion’s 3D powerful software, which streamlines character creation and animation for both beginners and professionals. Read on to discover how Jose used Character Creator and iClone to turn history into a captivating, immersive experience for modern audiences.
Jose’s Path to 3D Animation
Hailing from Málaga, Spain, Jose Andrés García’s journey into 3D animation took an unexpected turn from his background in interior design and architectural visualization. “My dream had always been to tell animated stories beyond infographics and architectural video presentations,” he shares. “I wanted to create narratives where characters interact with each other and their surroundings. That finally became possible when I discovered Reallusion’s tools.”
After experimenting with various software, he found iClone and Character Creator—an experience that transformed his creative process. “That’s when everything changed,” Jose recalls. “The intuitive workflow and the ease of creating animations and characters truly surprised me. I was also amazed by how seamlessly everything could be transferred to Unreal Engine.”
iClone is a real-time 3D animation tool designed to streamline professional animation production for films, previsualization, video, and games. Character Creator, on the other hand. Is a comprehensive platform that enables artists to generate, customize, and import realistic or stylized characters for use in iClone, Unreal Engine, Unity, and other 3D environments.
By mastering these powerful yet accessible tools, Jose has built a successful career in 3D animation over the past five and a half years.
Bringing History to Life for New Audiences
This year, Jose Andrés García’s 3D expertise played a crucial role in We the Spanish People. An exhibition highlighting Spain’s contributions to American independence and its influence from the 1500s through the late 19th century. His digital recreations of historical figures became a centerpiece of this cultural initiative.
“Through this project, I was able to share my country’s history using 3D animation, making it accessible and engaging for both young and older audiences,” Jose explains. “Now, people can watch episodes of Spain’s history and discover its forgotten heroes.”
To bring these figures to life, Jose relied on the Headshot plugin for Character Creator. Which allowed him to generate fully animated 3D characters from historical portraits and photographs. His approach varied depending on the available references:
- For well-documented figures, like Admiral Luis de Córdova—a distinguished Navy officer from the Anglo-Spanish War—Jose worked directly from period paintings and archival images to ensure historical accuracy.
- For less-documented figures, he had to take a more creative approach. “In these cases, I designed the characters using facial features appropriate to their region of origin and historical era,” he explains.
This meticulous attention to detail has helped revive forgotten heroes, making their stories more accessible. Today, many of Jose’s digital recreations are among the first images that appear in online searches for these historical figures.
A Seamless Production Pipeline
Jose Andrés García’s production workflow highlights the versatility of Reallusion’s 3D software suite. Seamlessly integrating iClone with Unreal Engine to create fluid character animations using motion capture technology.
For the exhibition We the Spanish People, Jose leveraged Unreal Engine’s Museum Environment Kit to craft an immersive digital museum, allowing him to film historical characters as if directing a live-action movie. To enhance the realism, he populated the space with lifelike visitors using ActorCore. Reallusion’s 3D asset store featuring rigged characters and motion capture animations compatible with Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender, Omniverse, and iClone.
His work became an essential component of The Spanish Legacy: We the Spanish People, a book produced by The Legacy Association in collaboration with the Spanish Ministry of Defense. Launched at the National Library of Spain in September 2023, the book includes several of Jose’s videos, accessible via QR codes.
Jose’s digital recreations also played a pivotal role in the groundbreaking We the Spanish People exhibition, which debuted in March 2024 in Washington, D.C.—marking The Legacy Association’s first major international showcase. Set within the former residence of Spanish ambassadors. The exhibition blends postcard-style displays with video game technology to illustrate Spain’s profound influence on American history from the 15th to the 20th century.
The exhibition has received high-profile support, including a commitment from U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos del Toro to bring it to major naval facilities. Looking ahead, The Legacy Association aims to tour the exhibition across all 50 U.S. states leading up to America’s 250th anniversary in July 2026. Their broader mission includes establishing a Spanish Legacy Museum and reshaping historical narratives to rightfully recognize Spain’s role in American history.
Lessons for Creatives
The success of this project goes beyond its historical significance—it showcases the vast potential for creative professionals to harness Reallusion’s tools in powerful and innovative ways.
For those eager to push the boundaries of historical visualization and storytelling. Jose’s journey serves as an inspiring example of how Reallusion’s software can bring 3D visions to life with remarkable ease and efficiency.
Whether you’re a beginner, these tools provide an intuitive learning curve. As seen in our case studies with Het Nieuwe Kader and Deb Ethier. If you’re an experienced professional. They can significantly streamline your workflow. As highlighted in our interviews with director of animation Geoff Hecht and filmmaker Alberto Rojas.
Jose sums it up best: “With Reallusion, the possibilities for creation and editing are almost endless.”