I build interactive characters for the web
I am Matt Lebeau, a 3D artist and interactive web designer in Ottawa. I build character-led AR, browser-based 3D, and scannable experiences that make digital things feel a little more present in the real world.
I think in connections. I like talking through problems, pulling in tangential references, and finding the version of a project that feels surprising and achievable.
How I think
I tend to think broadly and a little tangentially, which is probably why I keep ending up in interactive web and AR. It is a niche space, but it still feels open. People do not fully live there yet, so there is room to make things that feel genuinely new.
I like projects where collaboration matters. If someone comes in with a problem, I am usually happy to jump in, sketch options, share ideas, and figure out what the project actually needs to be.
Characters
I am most comfortable in character design, character animation, and personality-driven 3D work.
Interactive web
I like making web things people can touch, scan, drag, or remember after the conversation ends.
Blender
Most of my work happens in Blender, and the open-source community has shaped how I learn and build.
Why AR stuck with me
There are moments where someone learns that a new thing is possible and their understanding of the world expands a little. A phone taps a card and opens a website. A flat image gets scanned and comes to life. A character appears on a screen, chats back, and suddenly feels present.
Those moments feel close to magic because they shift what someone believes can happen. That is the most meaningful work for me: making a person pause, smile, ask a question, or pass the phone to someone else because the world just got a little bigger.
What shaped the work
Animation shaped me because of the way story changes what people believe they can become. The Iron Giant is not just warmth to me; it is a story about connection, learning something about the world, and being pushed toward who you are meant to be.
Spider-Verse did something similar in a different language: the story, the technical style, the smear frames, the 2D techniques inside 3D animation, and a character growing into himself right when he needed to.
Have something you want people to experience
Send me the rough idea, the character, the object, or the problem. I can help shape it into an interactive moment that feels surprising and achievable.