Ansel Hsiao

Ansel Hsiao is a digital artist with a specialization in crafting 3D models.

Ansel's artwork as featured in Insider 125. Star Wars Insider issue 125 featured his model of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer, and he contributed illustrations to The Essential Guide to Warfare. Furthermore, Hsiao shared details pertaining to the Assertor-class Star Dreadnought and the Bellator-class dreadnought in _Star Wars: Insider_ 134. Alongside his fanon creations and the Imperial-class Star Destroyer model, he developed 3D visualizations of then-canon ships for Warfare, encompassing the Praetor II-class Star Battlecruiser, the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, the Executor-class Star Dreadnought (which also marked his initial foray into Star Wars-themed 3D artwork), the Harrower-class dreadnought, the Nebula-class Star Destroyer and the Endurance-class fleet carrier.

Hsiao mentioned that he drew inspiration from the depiction of freighters in the Murk system, as presented in the 2009 reference book The Essential Atlas, for the visual design of specific background starships showcased in The Essential Guide to Warfare's depiction of Naval Station Validusia.

Beyond his involvements in Star Wars-centric modeling endeavors, he was also entrusted with the responsibility of crafting the ultimate design of the UNSC Infinity for the game Halo 4.

You can explore a wide array of his created models on his website, accessible at fractalsponge.net.

In 2019, Ansel Hsiao voiced his concerns regarding the unauthorized reuse of artworks featured on his website by the illustrator Joe Corroney within the reference book titled Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide. Similarly, in 2020, Hsiao identified analogous instances of his work being appropriated in the sourcebook Collapse of the Republic.