ESME HUME - THIRD YEAR - GAME ART - BLOG

OVER THE CLOUDS

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/klvY96

This is a placeholder ill replace it with my board once the project is finished

GOALS SUMMARY

OPTIMIZE WITH DECALS AND ALPHA MAPS:
USE DECALS AND ALPHA MAPS TO ENHANCE SURFACE DETAIL WHILE MAINTAINING PERFORMANCE AND STAYING WITHIN TEXTURE BUDGET CONSTRAINTS.
TRIM SHEET & TEXTURE DEVELOPMENT
IMPROVE MY TRIM SHEET CREATION PROCESS AND DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION WITHIN THE FINAL SCENE.
USE MODULARITY:
DEVELOP A MODULAR RAMP KIT THAT CAN BE REUSED TO BUILD AND EXPAND THE ENTIRE SCENE, ALLOWING FOR THE CREATION OF LARGE-SCALE LEVELS EFFICIENTLY.
CREATE AND APPLY MESH DECALS:
IMPLEMENT MESH DECALS TO BREAK UP REPETITIVE TILING, INTRODUCE VISUAL VARIETY, AND SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING.
CREATE GAME-READY FOLIAGE:
DESIGN AND PRODUCE OPTIMIZED FOLIAGE ASSETS SUITABLE FOR REAL-TIME APPLICATIONS.
VEHICLE CREATION:
MODEL AND DEVELOP A HIGH-QUALITY, GAME-READY VEHICLE ASSET.

I WENT TO AN ARCADE WITH MY BOYFRIEND AND CAME ACROSS A STREET FIGHTER MACHINE. IT WAS REALLY COOL TO SEE IT IN PERSON AND GATHER SOME REAL-LIFE REFERENCES. IT WAS MUCH BIGGER IN SCALE THAN I EXPECTED, SO I DECIDED TO TAKE SOME PHOTOS NEXT TO IT IN ORDER TO BETTER GAUGE THE SCALE FOR MY SCENE.

I ALSO HAD A LOT OF FUN PLAYING IT, BUT I WAS AWFULLY BAD AT IT — I DEFINITELY NEED SOME MORE PRACTICE.

I CAME BACK TO THE ARCADE TO ADD GRAFFITI, TAGS, AND STICKERS AFTER CREATING MY FULL DECAL SHEET. THIS HELPED PUSH THE NARRATIVE FURTHER. I THINK IT LOOKS REALLY EFFECTIVE AND WORKS NICELY WITHIN MY SCENE.

OVERALL, I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH THIS PROP, AND IT FITS PERFECTLY INTO THE ENVIRONMENT.

DURING TEXTURING, I NOTICED THE ORIGINAL UV LAYOUT WAS CAUSING ISSUES WITH THE MATERIAL. THE SEAMS WERE TOO VISIBLE AND WERE BREAKING THE FLOW OF THE DISTRESSED LEATHER, MAKING THE WEAR PATTERNS LOOK MISALIGNED. TO RESOLVE THIS, I RE-UNWRAPPED THE SOFA TO CREATE A CLEANER UV LAYOUT.

ALTHOUGH IT MEANT STEPPING BACK FROM TEXTURING BRIEFLY, THE FIX WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND DEFINITELY WORTH IT. THE UPDATED UVS ALLOWED THE DISTRESSED DETAILS TO FLOW MORE NATURALLY ACROSS THE SURFACE, RESULTING IN A MUCH CLEANER FINAL MATERIAL.

HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT THE LIGHT BROWN SOFA CLASHES TOO MUCH WITH THE WOOD, SO IT DOESN’T STAND OUT OR FEEL WELL DEFINED. CHANGING IT TO A MUCH DARKER LEATHER COLOUR REALLY HELPS DEFINE THE SOFA AND CREATES A CLEAR CONTRAST BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT AREAS.

I ADDED A RANGE OF PROPS AROUND THE SOFA TO BUILD THE NARRATIVE, MAKING IT FEEL LIKE A CHILLING AREA FOR SKATERS. THE SPACE FEELS LIVED-IN AND NATURAL, LIKE IT’S USED BETWEEN SESSIONS. I REALLY LIKE HOW GRUNGY AND WORN THE SOFA IS, AS IT ADDS A LOT OF CHARACTER.

THE SMALL DETAILS—LIKE PIZZA BOXES, BOTTLES, AND THE SKATEBOARD—HELP SELL THE STORY AND MAKE THE SCENE FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC. OVERALL, I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH HOW THIS AREA TURNED OUT, AS IT ADDS STRONG VISUAL INTEREST AND NARRATIVE DEPTH.

TRASH AND DEBRIS

MY PROJECT IS AN OUTDOOR SCENE WITH A SKATER VIBE. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO FEEL GRUNGY, WITH TRASH, GRAFFITI, AND DIRT THROUGHOUT. I DECIDED TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE DIRT AND TRASH, AND I TRIED TO INCLUDE AS MANY VARIATIONS OF PROPS AS POSSIBLE. BELOW, I WILL GO OVER ALL THE DIFFERENT PROPS I MADE IN ORDER TO CREATE A TRASHY SKATER VIBE.

I MADE SOME CARDBOARD BOXES. I MADE THESE IN PAINTER, BUT SOMEHOW THE FILE BECAME CORRUPTED AND I WASN’T ABLE TO SAVE IT. I CAN’T GO BACK AND EDIT THEM NOW, WHICH IS REALLY ANNOYING BECAUSE I HAD LABELS ON THE BOXES THAT HAVE SOMEHOW DISAPPEARED. LUCKILY, THESE PROPS ARE IN THE BACKGROUND AND NOT THAT IMPORTANT, SO IT’S NOT VERY NOTICEABLE — BUT IT’S STILL A BIT FRUSTRATING. OVERALL THOUGH, I THINK THEY TURNED OUT QUITE NICE. THEY FILL OUT THE SPACE AND IMPROVE THE SCENE.

THIS SHEET BELOW WAS DEDICATED MORE TO TRASH AND DEBRIS FLOOR PROPS, SO I ADDED A VARIETY OF BOTTLES, CANS, AND CUPS TO HELP FILL OUT THE SCENE AND ADD MORE VARIATION. THESE WERE SIMPLE TO CREATE AND I TEXTURED THEM IN PAINTER.

THEY’RE FAIRLY PLAIN, BUT THEY MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN ADDING DETAIL AND HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT FEEL MORE BELIEVABLE.

IN ORDER TO AVOID ISSUES WITH TRANSPARENCY AND GLASS/PLASTIC SHADERS IN UNREAL ENGINE, I DECIDED TO MAKE THE BOTTLES OPAQUE AND MORE WORN, FOCUSING ON BELIEVABILITY RATHER THAN STRICT REALISM. THIS WORKED MUCH BETTER, AND I THINK IT’S MORE IMPORTANT FOR SOMETHING TO LOOK GOOD IN-ENGINE THAN TO BE PERFECTLY REALISTIC BUT RENDER POORLY DUE TO TRANSLUCENCY.

I’VE STRUGGLED WITH THIS IN THE PAST, SO THIS FELT LIKE THE BEST APPROACH. I ALSO MADE THEM REALLY DIRTY, WHICH HELPED SELL THE LOOK. OVERALL, THESE PROPS ARE SIMPLE AND SMALL IN THE SCENE, SO THEY DON’T NEED A LOT OF DETAIL, BUT THEY’RE STILL VERY EFFECTIVE.

CHAIRS AND LARGER PROPS

THESE ARE SIMPLE PROPS DESIGNED TO SIT ON TOP OF THE RV, INCLUDING A CHAIR, A PADDLING POOL, AND A HAT. THERE IS NOT MUCH TO DISCUSS ABOUT THESE ASSETS, AS THEY ARE FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. THEY ARE ALL PACKED ONTO THE SAME TEXTURE SHEET FOR EFFICIENCY.

I CREATED THE WATER IN-ENGINE USING A YOUTUBE TUTORIAL THAT ALLOWS ME TO EXPOSE AND ADJUST MULTIPLE PARAMETERS TO SUIT MY NEEDS. I CHOSE A MURKY GREEN COLOUR, AS THE WATER WOULD LIKELY BE OLD AND STAGNANT.

I CAN LATER ADD LEAVES AND OTHER DEBRIS INTO THE POOL WHEN I BEGIN WORKING ON THE FOLIAGE, FURTHER ENHANCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL DETAIL AND STORYTELLING.

THESE ARE MY CHAIR AND COOLER PROPS. THEY’RE QUITE BASIC, AND THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN WITH MY FILE. I’M DEFINITELY GOING TO SWITCH PCS, AS I’VE BEEN TEXTURING AT HOME AND IT’S BEEN FINE THERE. LUCKILY, I HAD FINISHED BEFORE I HAD TO LEAVE, SO I WAS ABLE TO EXPORT THE MAPS. HOWEVER, IT STILL MEANS I CAN’T EDIT MY MATERIALS, WHICH IS FRUSTRATING.

NEVERTHELESS, I THINK THEY CAME OUT QUITE NICE. I WAS STRUGGLING TO MAKE THEM LOOK REALISTIC AND INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY’RE FAIRLY BORING PROPS. HOWEVER, AFTER ADDING LOTS OF VARIATION IN COLOUR AND ROUGHNESS, THEY STARTED TO LOOK MUCH BETTER. I ADDED SUN-BLEACHED COLOUR VARIATION TO THE FABRIC, AS WELL AS CIGARETTE BURNS, LOTS OF DIRT AND GRUNGE, AND SOME FOLDS WHERE THE FABRIC WOULD SAG FROM CONSTANT WEIGHT.

SIGN'S

I CREATED SOME SIGN PROPS, MAINLY TO DECORATE THE FRONT OF THE RV, BUT I ALSO USED IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD SOME OF THE RANDOM PROPS I NEED IN MY SCENE, SUCH AS LIGHT BULBS, A MEGAPHONE, AND AN IPHONE. I HAD EXTRA UV SPACE, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO FILL IT AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.

I KEPT THINGS RELATIVELY SIMPLE — I MODELLED THE WOODEN SIGNS IN ZBRUSH AND THEN BAKED THEM DOWN. THERE’S NOT MUCH ELSE TO SAY ABOUT THESE PROPS, AS THEY FOLLOW THE SAME PROCESS I USED PREVIOUSLY.

HERE IS THE TEXTURING. I REALLY LIKE HOW THE WOODEN SIGNS TURNED OUT — THEY LOOK HANDMADE AND DIY, WHICH IS A REALLY NICE TOUCH.

I WILL PROBABLY COME BACK TO A LOT OF THE TEXTURES. SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET BURNT OUT FROM TRYING TO TEXTURE EVERYTHING SO INTRICATELY AND IN SO MUCH DETAIL THAT IT ENDS UP TAKING TOO MUCH TIME. BECAUSE OF THAT, I WANTED TO GET THEM TO ABOUT 80% COMPLETE SO THEY LOOK LIKE THEY FIT WELL IN THE SCENE, WHILE STILL LEAVING ROOM TO COME BACK AND DEVELOP THEM FURTHER.

I THINK THIS IS A GOOD WAY OF WORKING. EVEN IF YOU DON’T COME BACK TO THEM, THEY ARE STILL AT A GOOD STANDARD THAT WORKS IN THE SCENE AND ALLOWS YOU TO VISUALISE EVERYTHING PROPERLY. THEN, IF YOU DO HAVE TIME, YOU CAN RETURN TO THEM WITH FRESH EYES AND IMPROVE THEM.

SKATEBOARD'S

FOR THE SKATEBOARDS, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE REALLY FUN TO CREATE MY OWN DESIGNS, AS THEY ARE OLD, WORN, AND WELL-USED. I THINK THIS ADDS A VERY PERSONAL TOUCH TO THE PROJECT AND MAKES THE ASSETS FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC.

IN ADDITION, IT MEANS I HAVE STRONG FIRST-HAND REFERENCES TO WORK FROM, WHICH HELPS IMPROVE THE ACCURACY AND QUALITY OF THE FINAL RESULT.

HERE YOU CAN SEE THE REFERENCES. AS I HAD THEM IN PERSON, I WAS ABLE TO CLOSELY OBSERVE HOW THE WOOD, PAINT, AND GRIP TAPE WEAR OVER TIME.

THIS WAS EXTREMELY USEFUL AND HELPED ME ACHIEVE THE BEST RESULT POSSIBLE IN MY TEXTURING AND DETAILING.

HERE IS THE FINISHED RESULT. I MODELLED THE WHEELS, TRUCKS, AND ALL COMPONENTS, THEN CREATED TWO DIFFERENT DECK AND WHEEL VARIATIONS TO ADD MORE VISUAL VARIETY.

THIS APPROACH ALLOWED ME TO HAVE TWO UNIQUE GRIP TAPE DESIGNS AND TWO DIFFERENT DECK GRAPHICS. IT WORKED REALLY WELL AND WAS AN EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES, AS EVERYTHING WAS PACKED ONTO A 2K TEXTURE SHEET. I CHOSE THIS RESOLUTION BECAUSE THESE ARE HERO PROPS IN MY SCENE, AND I WANTED TO FOCUS ON HIGH-QUALITY TEXTURING.

OVERALL, I THINK THE TEXTURING TURNED OUT REALLY WELL. I FOUND IT REALLY ENJOYABLE TO CREATE MY OWN SKATEBOARDS, AND I BELIEVE THAT PASSION CONTRIBUTED TO THEIR SUCCESS.

I CREATED SCRATCH ALPHAS IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE WOOD SCRATHING ON THE BOTTOM WHICH REALLY HELPED THE TEXTURING

RAMP CREATION

SO ONCE I HAD MY TWO WOOD VARIATIONS—CLEAN PLYWOOD AND GRUNGY, MOSSY WOOD—I WAS ABLE TO VERTEX PAINT THESE ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT RAMPS. SINCE ALL OF MY RAMPS ARE MADE FROM THE SAME WOOD, VERTEX PAINTING FELT LIKE THE BEST OPTION TO QUICKLY ADD VARIATION ACROSS ALL MY ASSETS WHILE KEEPING A CONSISTENT BASE COLOUR. AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW, THE VERTEX PAINT IN THE SCENE LOOKS REALLY GOOD AND ADDS STRONG VISUAL VARIATION. I PAINTED IT INTO AREAS THAT WOULD EXPERIENCE MORE WEATHERING, SUCH AS UNDER THE COPING, ALONG THE SIDES NEAR THE GROUND, AND TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE RAMPS WHERE WATER WOULD COLLECT.

Vertex_wood.mp4

HERE IS THE VERTEX-PAINTED WOOD USED IN MY SCENE. IT ADDS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF VARIATION AND HELPS BREAK UP THE OTHERWISE PLAIN AND REPETITIVE APPEARANCE OF THE WOOD SURFACES.

JESSE ALSO HELPED ME SET UP THE RAMPS SO THAT I COULD ADJUST THE BRIGHTNESS AND SATURATION OF THE WOOD SHEETS. THIS ALLOWED ME TO TWEAK EACH INDIVIDUAL SHEET, GIVING ME MUCH MORE CONTROL OVER THE OVERALL LOOK.

THIS WAS A GAME-CHANGING ADDITION, AS IT ENABLED ME TO BUILD A LOT MORE VARIETY INTO THE WOOD PANELS. IT HELPED BREAK UP THE TILING TEXTURES AND CLEARLY DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN EACH SHEET.

I REALLY LIKE HOW THIS LOOKS. IT ALSO ALLOWED ME TO CREATE THE EFFECT OF SOME SHEETS BEING MORE SUN-BLEACHED, AS SUGGESTED BY MY LECTURERS, WHILE OTHERS APPEAR DARKER AND MORE WORN IN AREAS THAT WOULD EXPERIENCE HEAVIER WEATHERING.

THIS PICTURE I TURNED UP THE VALUES QUITE EXTREMELY JUST FOR SHOW.

THIS WAS THE FINAL TRIM SHEET. IT COULD BENEFIT FROM SOME ADDITIONAL CLEAN-UP AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT; HOWEVER, OVERALL IT IS A SOLID RESULT.

IT WAS VALUABLE PRACTICE TO CREATE A HYBRID TRIM SHEET INCORPORATING MESH DECALS. I ALSO INCLUDED A VARIETY OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS WOODEN BEAMS FOR STRUCTURAL SUPPORT, METAL COPING, AND PLYWOOD.

I AM PLEASED WITH THE OUTCOME AND GLAD I EXPLORED A NEW WORKFLOW. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THE TEXTURING COULD BE PUSHED FURTHER TO IMPROVE THE FINAL QUALITY.

ONCE I HAD APPLIED ALL OF THE MESH DECALS TO THE DIFFERENT PIECES, MY LECTURER HELPED ME SET UP THE MATERIALS SO THAT I COULD ADJUST THE SATURATION AND LIGHTNESS OF THE MATERIAL. THIS ALLOWED ME TO DESATURATE, LIGHTEN, OR DARKEN THE WOOD SLIGHTLY.

BY DOING THIS, I WAS ABLE TO MAKE EACH INDIVIDUAL PLANK SLIGHTLY DISCOLOURED, WHICH ADDS MORE VARIATION TO THE SCENE. THIS WORKS REALLY NICELY AND DEFINITELY HELPS SEPARATE THE PANELS SO THEY DON’T ALL LOOK IDENTICAL.

I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESULT, AND I THINK IT LOOKS REALLY NICE.

Light_BP.mp4

IN ADDITION TO THE WIRE SPLINE BLUEPRINT, I ALSO CREATED A SPLINE FOR MY LIGHTS IN UNREAL ENGINE. THIS WAS MAINLY THANKS TO JESSE, AS THE BLUEPRINT WAS BASED ON HIS WORK.

THE SYSTEM ALLOWS ME TO APPLY A MESH ALONG A SPLINE AND EASILY DRAW IT OUT ACROSS THE SCENE. I CREATED TWO VARIATIONS OF THE LIGHTS TO ADD VISUAL INTEREST: ONE WITH A WORKING BULB AND ONE WITH A BROKEN BULB.

THIS FEATURE LOOKS REALLY EFFECTIVE IN-ENGINE, AND I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE FINAL OUTCOME.

JAMES BUTCHER, AN INDUSTRY VISITOR FROM EPIC GAMES, LOOKED AT MY WORK AND SUGGESTED ADDING A SHARPEN COMMAND TO THE WHOLE SCENE. I REALLY LIKE THE EFFECT THIS CREATES, AS IT HELPS BRING OUT THE DETAILS IN MANY OF THE PROPS THAT PREVIOUSLY LOOKED A BIT WASHED OUT. IT ALSO HELPS DEFINE THE SCENE MORE CLEARLY OVERALL.

IT IS PROBABLY SLIGHTLY TOO STRONG AT THE MOMENT, BUT THIS CAN EASILY BE ADJUSTED AND TWEAKED TO GET A MORE BALANCED RESULT.

BEFORE SHARPEN

AFTER SHARPEN

DECALS

DECALS WERE A MAJOR FOCUS OF MY GOALS FOR THIS PROJECT. I WANTED TO PRIORITISE DECAL ATLAS CREATION AND APPLICATION, AS THEY ARE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO REDUCE TEXTURE BUDGET WHILE SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCING VISUAL DETAIL.

I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH DECALS IN THE PAST, BUT I DECIDED THIS WAS THE PERFECT PROJECT TO DEVELOP THAT SKILL. THE SCENE FEATURES A LOT OF GRAFFITI, STICKERS, AND AN OVERALL GRUNGY ENVIRONMENT, MAKING DECALS A HIGHLY SUITABLE AND IMPACTFUL APPROACH.

I LEFT MY DECAL SHEET AS A BLACK AND WHITE MASK SO I COULD CREATE INSTANCES AND COLOUR VARIATIONS EASILY IN-ENGINE, ALLOWING ME TO GENERATE A LOT OF VARIATION QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY. THIS ALSO MEANT I COULD REUSE THEM THROUGHOUT THE SCENE WITHOUT IT LOOKING REPETITIVE.

I ALSO CREATED AN ATLAS AND MASKED THEM IN THE MATERIAL EDITOR, SO I ONLY NEEDED ONE MAIN MATERIAL, WHICH HELPED SAVE ON TEXTURE BUDGET. THIS WAS A REALLY EFFICIENT WORKFLOW THAT I ALSO APPLIED TO THE SCRATCHES AND GRUNGE DECALS.

WHEN CREATING THE DECALS, I HAND-PAINTED SOME OF THEM WHILE OTHERS WERE SOURCED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS. FOR THE GRAFFITI TAGS, I WENT AROUND TOWN AND TOOK PHOTOS OF REAL TAGS FROM LOCATIONS SUCH AS SKATEPARKS AND ELECTRICITY BOXES.

I ALSO HAVE A CLOSE FRIEND WHO IS REALLY INTO GRAFFITI. I WILL NOT DISCLOSE HIS NAME, BUT I SEE HIS TAG FREQUENTLY, AND HE HAS BEEN A BIG INFLUENCE ON MY SKATEBOARDING. BECAUSE OF THIS, I WANTED TO INCORPORATE HIS TAG INTO THE SCENE. I TOOK MY OWN REFERENCE PHOTOS AND ALSO ASKED HIM TO SEND ME SOME OF HIS WORK.

I THEN BROUGHT THESE IMAGES INTO PHOTOSHOP AND CREATED BLACK-AND-WHITE MASKS. THIS PROCESS WAS VERY EFFECTIVE, AS IT PRESERVES THE ORIGINAL PEN AND PAINT STROKES, RESULTING IN A MUCH MORE REALISTIC FINAL LOOK.

FIRST- HAND REFERENCES

ON MY WAY TO THE SKATEPARK, I REALISED I WAS IN A GREAT AREA TO GATHER REFERENCE — AN OLD ABANDONED WAREHOUSE BACKYARD. SO I DECIDED TO EXPLORE, AND I QUICKLY REALISED IT WAS ACTUALLY QUITE SIMILAR TO MY SCENE, WHICH MADE IT PERFECT FOR COLLECTING REFERENCES.

I SAW SOME PIPES RIGHT AFTER HAVING JUST MADE MY PIPE GENERATOR, SO I TOOK SOME PHOTOS OF THOSE. I ALSO GATHERED LOTS OF REFERENCES FOR NATURAL AND CONCRETE BLENDS, INCLUDING AREAS WITH MOSS AND PEBBLES, AS WELL AS SOME GRAVEL AND MUDDY MATERIALS.

IT WAS REALLY COOL TO COME ACROSS THIS ON MY WAY THERE, AND IT WILL DEFINITELY BE VERY HELPFUL WHEN I START MAKING MY MATERIALS.

I MADE SOME RAMP SCRATCH DECALS AS MY SCENE REALLY NEEDED THEM. THIS REALLY HELPS ADD DETAIL AND REALISM TO THE SCENE, AS WELL AS A SENSE OF DYNAMIC MOVEMENT. THEY ALSO HELP SHOW THE MOVEMENT AND DIRECTION OF THE SKATERS.

WHEN PLACING THEM, I HID THE MASK TO MAKE IT EASIER TO SEE THE PLACEMENT AND OVERLAPPING OF THE DIFFERENT DECALS. THIS MADE THE PROCESS MUCH EASIER AND MORE ACCURATE.

I MADE THE MASKS IN PHOTOSHOP USING SCRATCH PHOTOS, CONVERTING THEM TO BLACK AND WHITE. I ALSO USED SOME BRUSHES TO ADD EXTRA VARIATION ON TOP. I THEN BROUGHT THESE MASKS INTO UNREAL AND ASSIGNED THE ROUGHNESS AND COLOUR DIRECTLY IN THE ENGINE, AS THIS MAKES THEM MUCH EASIER TO ADJUST LATER.

I CREATED MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS—SOME THAT ALIGN WITH THE COPING, SOME LARGE ONES, AND SOME CURVED ONES—TO PROVIDE A GOOD RANGE. THIS HELPS PREVENT THEM FROM LOOKING TOO REPETITIVE.

THIS IS THE FINAL OUTCOME. I ALSO CLEANED UP THE RAMPS AND PAINTED IN VERTEX PAINT TO MAINTAIN THE GRUNGY OUTDOOR VIBE. THIS IS VERY EFFECTIVE, AND I THINK IT CONVEYS THE WEATHERING OF THE WOOD FROM BEING OUTSIDE.

IT IS STILL NOT FINISHED, BUT THE SCRAPES AND MARKS REALLY HELP ADD NARRATIVE AND PERSONALITY TO THE RAMPS. HOPEFULLY THE GRAFFITI AND OTHER DETAILS WILL PUSH THIS EVEN FURTHER.

IN ADDITION TO THE GRAFFITI, I CREATED A VARIETY OF DECAL STICKERS TO PLACE AROUND THE SCENE. THIS WAS REALLY FUN AND MODULAR, AND THEY COULD BE REUSED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT FEELING REPETITIVE.

I EVEN TOOK MY OWN PHOTOS OF STICKERS AROUND TOWN AND BROUGHT THEM INTO PHOTOSHOP TO TURN THEM INTO DECALS. THIS WAS REALLY EFFECTIVE AND HELPED THE FINAL RESULT LOOK AUTHENTIC AND VISUALLY STRONG.

LASTLY, I ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO CREATE A FULL GRUNGE DECAL SHEET; HOWEVER, I RAN OUT OF TIME AND STARTED TO FEEL BURNT OUT. I WAS ALSO DEALING WITH SOME HEALTH ISSUES THAT AFFECTED MY WORK TOWARDS THE END OF THE BLOCK. AS A RESULT, I DECIDED TO TAKE A STEP BACK, AS I HAD ALREADY COMPLETED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK OVER THE 7 WEEKS.

I DID MANAGE TO CREATE SOME LEAK DECALS, AS THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT TYPE AND THE ONLY ONE I HAD TIME TO COMPLETE. I APPLIED THESE THROUGHOUT THE SCENE, PARTICULARLY ON THE BINS AND UNDER THE RAMP COPING EDGES, TO ADD EXTRA GRUNGE AND WEAR.

THIS APPROACH WAS VERY EFFECTIVE, AND I DEFINITELY PLAN TO RETURN AND DEVELOP A FULL GRUNGE DECAL SHEET IN THE FUTURE.

I REUSED DECALS EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT MY SCENE, AS MY TEXTURES WERE TILING AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE ENOUGH VARIATION. THIS IS WHERE DECALS BECAME EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE.

WHEN CREATING NEW RAMPS, I COULD QUICKLY INTEGRATE THEM INTO THE ENVIRONMENT BY APPLYING DECALS SUCH AS WHEEL SCRAPES AND GRAFFITI, HELPING THEM BLEND SEAMLESSLY WITH THE EXISTING SCENE.

OVERALL, I AM VERY PLEASED WITH HOW MUCH MY DECAL WORKFLOW HAS IMPROVED, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE LAST BLOCK, WHERE I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO CREATE OR IMPLEMENT ANY DECALS.

IMG_7881.mov

A CHEEKY TRICK TO ADD TO MY BLOG—IT’S REALLY FUN WORKING ON A PROJECT THAT YOU CAN PERSONALLY RELATE TO AND EXPERIENCE IN REAL LIFE. ON THIS DAY, I WENT TO THE SKATEPARK IN THE EVENING, AND EVEN ON THE WALK THERE I WAS NOTICING DETAILS LIKE GRAFFITI, STICKERS ON LAMP POSTS AND FENCES, DIRT AND GRASS BUILDUP ALONG WALLS, AND GENERAL DEBRIS.

AT THE SKATEPARK, I NOTICED SMALL BUT IMPORTANT DETAILS LIKE FLIES AROUND THE BINS, BIRDS FLYING OVERHEAD, THE SOUND OF WIND WHISTLING, AND PLANES LEAVING TRAILS IN THE SKY. THESE ARE ALL THINGS YOU EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR SENSES IN REAL LIFE THAT ARE HARD TO RECREATE WITHOUT FIRST-HAND REFERENCE.

THESE DETAILS ARE WHAT HELP MAKE AN ENVIRONMENT FEEL TRULY IMMERSIVE, AND I’LL BE TRYING TO INCORPORATE THEM INTO MY SCENE TO CREATE A MORE REALISTIC AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATION OF THE SKATEPARK—BASED ON MY OWN EXPERIENCE.

UNREAL ENGINE

IN UNREAL, I CREATED MY FLOOR PLANE USING THE LANDSCAPE MODELING TOOLS. I FOLLOWED TWO TUTORIALS AND SPENT TIME EXPERIMENTING WITH THE TOOLS TO SEE WHAT THEY DO.

MY GROUND PLANE IS MEANT TO BE FAIRLY FLAT, SO I ONLY ADJUSTED THE HEIGHT IN AREAS WHERE DEBRIS AND MUD WOULD NATURALLY BUILD UP OVER TIME — SUCH AS INSIDE THE TIRE TRACKS, BEHIND THE WOODEN RAMPS, AND AROUND LARGE OBJECTS.

ASIDE FROM THOSE AREAS, I KEPT THE CHANGES VERY SUBTLE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5vFy5JK-oc - All 14 Landscape Sculpt Tools

I REVISITED THE FLOOR PLANE LATER ON TO ADD HILLS INTO THE BACKGROUND AND MAKE THE AREA FEEL LARGER. THIS HELPS CREATE THE ILLUSION OF A BIGGER SPACE AND MAKES THE FLOOR MORE DYNAMIC AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL. IT ALSO MEANS THE BACKGROUND IS MORE MASKED OFF, SO I DON’T HAVE TO WORRY AS MUCH ABOUT FILLING IT.

MY PLAN IS TO ADD LOTS OF TREES AROUND THE AREA ANYWAY, WHICH WILL HELP COVER MUCH OF THE LANDSCAPE. FOR NOW, I JUST APPLIED A BASIC GRASS MATERIAL TO THE FLOOR, AS THIS IS SOMETHING I WILL DEVELOP FURTHER IN THE NEXT BLOCK.

I DECIDED TO ADD ANOTHER RAMP USING PIECES I HAD ALREADY MODELLED IN ORDER TO FILL THE SPACE, BLOCK OFF THE SURROUNDINGS, AND AVOID IT LOOKING EMPTY. IT ALSO ADDS MORE PLAYABLE AREAS, AS THE ENVIRONMENT FELT QUITE SMALL BEFORE.

THIS ONLY TOOK A COUPLE OF HOURS BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS ALREADY CREATED AND READY TO USE, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF A MODULAR AND PROCEDURAL ENVIRONMENT. THE RESULT LOOKS REALLY NICE AND CREATES A MORE INTERESTING AREA. IT WAS INSPIRED BY THE VERT RAMP IN THE BACK.

I ALSO ADDED A SMALL RAMP SO THE SKATER CAN ACCESS THE POOL AREA MORE EASILY.

I ENDED UP EXTENDING MY ENVIRONMENT FURTHER TO DEMONSTRATE HOW MODULAR AND EASY IT IS TO BUILD A LARGER LEVEL. I DID NOT WANT TO EXPAND IT TOO MUCH, AS I DID NOT WANT THE SCOPE TO BECOME TOO LARGE.

OVERALL, I THINK IT IS REALLY EFFECTIVE THAT I CAN CONTINUE CREATING DIFFERENT RAMP COMBINATIONS TO BUILD OUT A MUCH BIGGER SCENE.

FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES, I ADDED TREES, FENCES, AND TREE STUMPS IN THE BACKGROUND. THESE MODELS WERE SOURCED FROM CGTRADER AND ARE NOT MY OWN WORK. I PLAN TO CREATE MY OWN VERSIONS IN THE NEXT BLOCK.

I WANTED TO TEST HOW THE SCENE WOULD LOOK WITH TREES INCLUDED, AS THEY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE LIGHTING. I AM PLANNING TO DEVELOP A FOREST ENVIRONMENT TO HELP ENCLOSE THE SCENE AND AVOID THE NEED TO MODEL A LARGE SURROUNDING AREA.

I REALLY LIKE HOW THE TREES COMPLEMENT THE WOODEN STRUCTURES, AND I THINK THIS APPROACH WORKS VERY WELL VISUALLY.

LIGHTING

INM ORDER TO CREATE THE HARSH SHADOWS ON THE RAMPS I ARTHUR HELPED SHOW ME THAT I CAN USE LARGE BLOCKS TO CREAT ETHE SHADOWS AND THEN JUST HIDE THESE IN THE RENDER AND VIEWPORT, TO CREATE THE MAIN SHADOWS ON THE RAMP ACCURATE TO THAT OF MY LIGHTING. THIS WORKS REALLY EFFECTIVELY AND IM VERY GRATEFUL TO ARTHUR FORSHOWING ME THIS. I SUED IT TO MASK OUT THE SOFA AREA ASWELL.

THE POST PROCESS VOLUME IS DOING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK IN THIS SCENE, AS CAN BE SEEN IN THE COMPARISON. THE DIRECTIONAL LIGHT IS KEPT FAIRLY LOW IN INTENSITY TO ACHIEVE THE NICE, WARM GOLDEN LIGHTING ON THE RAMPS. HOWEVER, THIS RESULTS IN THE OVERALL SCENE APPEARING TOO BRIGHT AND SLIGHTLY WASHED OUT.

TO COUNTER THIS, I USED THE POST PROCESS VOLUME TO REDUCE THE EXPOSURE, HELPING TO BALANCE THE LIGHTING AND RESTORE CONTRAST ACROSS THE SCENE. THIS MAKES THE IMAGE FEEL MORE GROUNDED AND VISUALLY PLEASING.

I ALSO ADDED A SUBTLE SHARPEN EFFECT. THIS WAS INSPIRED BY JAMES BURTCHER’S APPROACH, BUT I KEPT IT QUITE MINIMAL TO AVOID OVERPROCESSING THE IMAGE. THE SHARPENING HELPS BRING OUT FINE DETAILS IN THE MATERIALS AND ASSETS WITHOUT MAKING THE SCENE LOOK TOO HARSH OR NOISY.

OVERALL, THE POST PROCESS SETTINGS HAVE BEEN ESSENTIAL IN FINALISING THE LOOK OF THE SCENE, ALLOWING ME TO PUSH THE LIGHTING STYLE WHILE STILL MAINTAINING GOOD VISUAL BALANCE AND CLARITY.

I ADDED RECT LIGHTS IN ORDER TO LIGHT UIP THE MAIN GOLDEN AREAS IN THE PIECE AS POINTED OUT BY ARTHUR AND INDUSTRY VISITOR. THESE MAIN AREAS WERE THE ARCADE MACHINE ON THE LEFT SIDE. AS WELL AS THE RIM LIGHT ON THE WHITE CHAIR.

BEFORE

AFTER

I USED AN HDRI BACKDROP TO ACHIEVE THE PINK AND GOLDEN CLOUDS IN THE BACKGROUND. THIS ADDS A REALLY STRONG VISUAL ELEMENT TO THE SCENE AND HELPS REINFORCE THE TITLE OF THE PIECE, “OVER THE CLOUDS.”

THE HDRI ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO THE OVERALL LIGHTING, HELPING TO CREATE A SOFT, WARM AMBIENT LIGHT THAT COMPLEMENTS THE DIRECTIONAL SUNLIGHT. THIS COMBINATION ENHANCES THE GOLDEN-HOUR FEELING AND TIES THE ENVIRONMENT TOGETHER MORE COHESIVELY.

IN ADDITION, THE COLOUR GRADIENT IN THE SKY CREATES A NICE CONTRAST AGAINST THE EARTHY TONES OF THE WOODEN RAMPS AND PROPS, HELPING THEM STAND OUT MORE CLEARLY. IT ALSO ADDS DEPTH TO THE SCENE, MAKING THE ENVIRONMENT FEEL MORE OPEN AND ATMOSPHERIC.

OVERALL, THE HDRI BACKDROP PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN BOTH THE VISUAL STYLE AND MOOD OF THE PIECE, HELPING TO ELEVATE THE FINAL PRESENTATION.

POST-MORTEM

OVERALL PROGRESS

OVERALL, I AM HAPPY WITH HOW THIS PROJECT IS PROGRESSING. I HAVE SPLIT IT INTO TWO 7-WEEK BLOCKS, AND I THINK I AM ON TRACK TO CREATE A REALLY STRONG ENVIRONMENT.

FOR THIS FIRST BLOCK, I FOCUSED ON RAMP AND PROP CREATION. INITIALLY, MY BRIEF INCLUDED THE RV; HOWEVER, AS TIME PROGRESSED, I REALISED THIS WOULD NOT BE ACHIEVABLE WITHIN THE FIRST 7 WEEKS. I DECIDED TO MOVE IT TO THE NEXT BLOCK, ALONG WITH FOLIAGE, WHICH WILL MAKE THE WORKLOAD MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE.

MODELLING

I MADE AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE MY TOPOLOGY BY STUDYING ONLINE 3D MODELS AND ANALYSING GOOD EDGE FLOW. HOWEVER, I STILL FEEL THAT MY TOPOLOGY COULD BE CLEANER.

I FOUND IT CHALLENGING TO KNOW WHERE TO PLACE EDGE LOOPS AND HOW TO RESOLVE NGONS EFFECTIVELY. THIS IS AN AREA I NEED TO CONTINUE PRACTISING AND DEVELOPING.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I DID SEE IMPROVEMENT IN MY UV UNWRAPPING AND PACKING. I MADE SURE TO MAXIMISE TEXTURE SPACE BY PLACING MULTIPLE ASSETS ON THE SAME SHEET AND MINIMISING WASTED SPACE. OVERALL, THIS ASPECT HAS IMPROVED, AND MY NEXT FOCUS WILL BE TOPOLOGY.

TEXTURING

TEXTURING CONTINUES TO BE MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE PROCESS. I REALLY ENJOY CREATING VISUALLY INTERESTING ASSETS WITH A SENSE OF NARRATIVE.

WHILE I AM HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF MY TEXTURING, I THINK THE NARRATIVE COULD HAVE BEEN PUSHED FURTHER THROUGH ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND STORYTELLING. TOWARDS THE END OF THE PROJECT, I SPENT LESS TIME ON SMALL PROPS DUE TO BURNOUT AND SOME HEALTH ISSUES.

TILING TEXTURES

SO FAR, I HAVE CREATED TWO MAIN WOOD TILING TEXTURES, WITH MORE TO BE DEVELOPED IN THE NEXT BLOCK. I AM PARTICULARLY PLEASED WITH THE PLYWOOD MATERIAL I CREATED.

USING STRONG REFERENCES WAS KEY TO ACHIEVING A GOOD RESULT. BEING ABLE TO ADJUST SATURATION AND BRIGHTNESS IN-ENGINE WAS EXTREMELY USEFUL FOR QUICK VARIATION.

I CREATED THE BASE MATERIAL IN SUBSTANCE DESIGNER TO IMPROVE MY SKILLS, BUT COMPLETED THE GRUNGE WORK IN SUBSTANCE PAINTER, WHERE I HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE AND CONTROL. IDEALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO DO EVERYTHING IN DESIGNER IN THE FUTURE, BUT I NEED MORE PRACTICE.

DECALS

I BELIEVE DECALS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE STRONGEST ASPECTS OF MY PROJECT. THEY ALLOW ME TO QUICKLY ADD DETAIL AND VARIATION WHILE KEEPING WITHIN TEXTURE BUDGETS.

I AM PARTICULARLY PLEASED WITH MY USE OF MESH DECALS. I HAVE ATTEMPTED THESE BEFORE AND STRUGGLED, SO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTING THEM THIS TIME IS VERY REWARDING.

THE GRAFFITI AND STICKER DECALS WERE QUICK TO CREATE BUT HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN THE SCENE. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT HAVE TIME TO CREATE A FULL GRUNGE DECAL SHEET, THIS MAY ACTUALLY BE BENEFICIAL, AS IT ALLOWS ME TO PLAN AND DEVELOP IT MORE THOROUGHLY IN THE NEXT BLOCK—INCLUDING DECALS SPECIFIC TO THE RV.

UNREAL ENGINE

I MADE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO IMPROVE MY WORK IN Unreal Engine, AS IT IMPACTED MY GRADE IN THE PREVIOUS BLOCK.

I PUSHED MY LIGHTING FURTHER BY INTRODUCING AN HDRI BACKDROP AND USING FOG TO HELP MASK THE BACKGROUND AND CREATE ATMOSPHERE. I ALSO USED RECT LIGHTS AND BLOCKING OBJECTS TO SHAPE HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS, RESULTING IN MORE DYNAMIC LIGHTING.

I TRIED TO MATCH MY REFERENCE LIGHTING, BUT FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE STRONG PINK TONES WITHOUT MAKING THE GRASS APPEAR DESATURATED. THIS IS SOMETHING I WILL REVISIT AFTER COMPLETING THE FOLIAGE.

I ALSO IMPROVED MY ORGANISATION SLIGHTLY, ALTHOUGH I ENCOUNTERED SOME ISSUES SUCH as UNWANTED FOLDERS. I CONTINUED USING MASTER MATERIALS TO REDUCE MATERIAL COUNT AND IMPROVE OPTIMISATION.

OVERALL, I FEEL I HAVE MADE GOOD USE OF ENGINE TOOLS TO CREATE A MORE OPTIMISED AND GAME-READY SCENE, WHILE ALSO SPEEDING UP MY WORKFLOW THROUGH IN-ENGINE CUSTOMISATION.

PRESENTATION

THE OVERALL PRESENTATION COULD BE FURTHER IMPROVED. THE TREES, FENCES, AND STUMPS CURRENTLY IN THE SCENE ARE NOT MY OWN WORK AND WERE USED PURELY FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES.

I EXPERIMENTED WITH A FOREST-LIKE ENVIRONMENT TO HELP FRAME THE SCENE, AND I PLAN TO DEVELOP THIS FURTHER IN THE NEXT BLOCK WHEN I CREATE MY OWN FOLIAGE.

I ALSO BELIEVE THE SCENE DRESSING COULD BE STRONGER, AND I WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO REFINE THIS WHEN I FOCUS ON THE RV AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETAILS.

NARRATIVE

THE MAIN AREA I NEED TO IMPROVE IS NARRATIVE. THIS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT FEEDBACK, AND I NEED TO BETTER CONNECT ELEMENTS IN THE SCENE AND BUILD A CLEAR BACKSTORY.

I STARTED TO INTRODUCE SOME NARRATIVE ELEMENTS, SUCH AS CALIFORNIA-BASED DETAILS AND CUSTOM GRAPHICS, BUT THIS COULD BE DEVELOPED MUCH FURTHER.

MOVING FORWARD, I WANT TO FOCUS ON DEFINING THE SKATERS, THEIR LIFESTYLE, AND THE HISTORY OF THE PARK TO CREATE A MORE IMMERSIVE AND BELIEVABLE ENVIRONMENT.

NARRATIVE

I HAD FORMATIVE FEEDBACK WITH MY LECTURERS, AND THEY EMPHASISED THAT I SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON THE NARRATIVE BEHIND THE SCENE. THEY ENCOURAGED ME TO THINK ABOUT WHY THIS LOCATION WOULD EXIST IN A GAME, WHAT STORY IT TELLS, AND WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE WOULD USE OR LIVE IN THIS SPACE. THEY ALSO ASKED ME TO CONSIDER HOW AND WHY IT WAS BUILT, IN ORDER TO CREATE A MORE REALISTIC AND ENGAGING ENVIRONMENT WITH A STRONG BACKSTORY.

ONE OF MY LECTURERS RECOMMENDED THAT I WATCH Dogtown and Z-Boys, AS IT PROVIDES VALUABLE CONTEXT ON THE ORIGINS OF SKATEBOARDING AND IS SET IN A LOCATION SIMILAR TO MY CONCEPT ART.

BASED ON THIS, I HAVE DECIDED TO SET MY ENVIRONMENT IN CALIFORNIA, AS IT FITS WELL WITH THE VISUAL STYLE AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES I AM AIMING TO REPRESENT.

AFTER WATCHING DOGTOWN Z-BOYS, I FOUND IT REALLY INSPIRING AND INTERESTING. I WAS PARTICULARLY DRAWN TO THE GROUP DYNAMIC, ESPECIALLY THE IDEA OF MENTORSHIP WITHIN SKATE CULTURE.

I CAN PERSONALLY RELATE TO THIS WHEN I GO TO THE SKATEPARK. NO MATTER SOMEONE’S AGE OR BACKGROUND, EVERYONE IS HAPPY TO SKATE AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER. I OFTEN SKATE WITH SOMEONE WHO IS OLDER THAN ME, AND I SEE IT AS A FORM OF MENTORSHIP. HE HELPS ME LEARN NEW TRICKS, FILMS MY PROGRESS, AND WE ALSO HAVE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LIFE. IT IS REALLY VALUABLE TO TALK TO SOMEONE WITH MORE LIFE EXPERIENCE.

AT THE SAME TIME, I ALSO SKATE WITH PEOPLE MY OWN AGE, SO I UNDERSTAND BOTH DYNAMICS. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO DRAW FROM REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES, AND I CAN APPLY THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND INTERACTIONS TO MY SCENE TO MAKE IT FEEL MORE AUTHENTIC.

THIS SAME PERSON IS ALSO PASSIONATE ABOUT GRAFFITI, AND I ASKED HIM FOR SOME OF HIS TAG REFERENCES. I ALSO TOOK MY OWN PHOTOS OF HIS TAGS WHEN I CAME ACROSS THEM AROUND TOWN. I WANTED TO INCLUDE THEM IN MY SCENE AS A WAY OF SHOWING APPRECIATION AND RESPECT, AS HE HAS HAD A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON ME.

IN MANY WAYS, HE REMINDS ME OF JeEFF HO FROM THE DOCUMENTARY—SOMEONE WHO IS DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT BOTH SKATEBOARDING AND ART.

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