Drogheda

Inspiration:

I gathered as much reference material as I could, focusing on the Boyne viaduct. I tried to include the viaduct in as many pictures as I could to help with the scale of the level. I included information on the amount of arches the Boyne viaduct has as part of this reference material.

A positive about creating an environment based on a real-world location is Google Map's street view. It can fill in the gaps that reference images can't. The ability to move around the streets helped to gather as much detail as possible.

I wrote down the task list for this project in my development notebook. This was helpful in keeping track of the project and all the necessary tasks. I didn't feel it was necessary to use software to track the tasks as I was the only person working on this project.

I created a rough level layout of the area I was looking to develop. I split the level layout into three sections using a traffic light system: 

• High Detail (Green)

• Medium Detail (Orange)

• Low Detail (Red)

The traffic light system helped me to put my focus into the desired areas, reducing the chances of getting carried away with sections outside of the target area.

I annotated the level layout to make it easier to understand.

The use of colour made it easier for me to visualise where the assets would go.

I blocked out the level in UE5 using cubes. I did expand beyond the desired development area, but this was to accurately display the correct scale and distance between elements, (using the roads). I included several landmarks outside the area to help with the positioning of structures and roads. The placement of the block level was not drastically changed as it was using the real-world for positioning.

I started the development process by creating the models that I couldn't source from third-parties. This delayed the progress of the level but helped to create a more accurate environment, which was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I used Blender to make low-poly assets. I started with the Boyne Viaduct as this was the landmark of the environment. If I couldn't model this piece, then I would have to look for an alternative landmark to base the project around.

The Viaduct was a good landmark to use as it is large. This adds a clear boundary to the environment and helps with the placement and scale of other assets in the level.

I used the reference material that I gathered previously to help not only create the basic shape, but to help set the scale and placement. Once I was happy with the basic shape and positioning, I started adding details by creating the arches and sculpting the bricks.

Other details such as bushes, vines and railings were added as separate objects later in development. This was due to reduce the poly count and reuse assets, were possible, throughout the environment.

UV mapping is a weak point of mine, which made my created assets look very 'indie'. The UV mapping was a tedious process due to the amount of faces that needed to be updated to suit the textures.

I followed this process of using the reference material to create a basic shape with the appropriate scale and positioning for every model I made. Details were always added after I was satisfied with the basic shape. UV mapping was always left until last. 

The houses were the next set of models I made. The abandoned house took the longest, as it had a detailed archway around the door. The other house models had mostly cube-like features, making them easier to model.

I started to replace the blocked cubes with the assets I had procured. While I still had texturing to do, I felt it was necessary to place the models in the environment to see if I was missing any elements or felt more detail was needed.

The viaduct was the first model implemented. I thought building the environment from the landmark piece would be time efficient. The placement of the viaduct in the level would decide the positioning of every other asset in the environment so it was important to get it right from the start.

I sculpted the landscape to fit the profile of the area of Drogheda I was trying to recreate. I started with the viaduct and spread outwards, expanding to the opposite bank of the river Boyne. The landscape would be adjusted several times during development to become more aesthetically pleasing and immersive.

I implemented the roads and paths next as this would shape the environment. I wanted to learn how to use the spline too, which I felt would be appropriately used on the roads and paths. It was an enjoyable experience to learn a new tool despite some mistakes made along the way, in particular, the 'Side Falloff' value. This caused some issues with the landscape sculpting that I wasn't fully aware of until later in development. I solved this error through experimenting with the spline tool.

There were three water bodies that needed to be implemented:

• The river Boyne

• Two pools

These were implemented using the experimental 'Water' and 'Water Extras' plugins. The shape of each was adjusted by altering the spline points. I did notice that the river block out was narrow, meaning I had to widen the landscape to accommodate the river.

The first buildings that I implemented were the industrial buildings on the southside of the river Boyne (opposite Drogheda Port).

I referred to the reference material and Google Map's street view. I changed the orientation of the buildings and silos several times to try and accurately position the assets. One mistake I made was not painting the landscape at the early stages of development as this made it difficult to correctly position the assets.

The next set of buildings I implemented was the housing along the Marsh Road. This took the most amount of time during the 'Implementation' phase. Positioning the houses and avoiding as many discrepancies as possible with the reference material was important.

Adding the garden boundaries for housing was the next addition. At this stage, adding the walls was the only aims. Details would be added later in development.

To visualise the boundaries more clearly, the stone walls were placed along the southside, covering all streets. I used Google Map's street view to accurately place the stone walls.

The northside of the river was barren so I started to implement the housing along the roads. I was less detailed with my implementation in this section of the environment as these models would only be seen from a distance.

I implemented the stone walls along the roads by the houses (on the North Strand Road). I again, used Google Map's street view to help position the stone walls.

To finish off the implementation of the base structures on the northside of the river, I added the river walls and port piers to help finalise the river shape and create boundaries for Drogheda Port. I then added the several warehouses to the port area using the reference material as a guide.

When I had the base assets implemented I created a landscape material that had the following materials:

• Grass

• Dirt

• Wet Mud

• Rock

• Tarmac

• Concrete

This material used macro-variation to scale better at a variety of distances.

I painted the landscape, starting with a base layer of grass. I painted a concrete texture to areas where appropriate using the reference images to determine the positioning.

A dirt texture was mixed with the grass in the marshlands to create a nice contrast. Wet mud and rock textures were painted around the river banks and water pools to show the marshland better. 

Finally, a tarmac texture was painted in distant areas where a model for the roads was not necessary. It was more optimal to avoid using 3D assets were necessary.

To begin adding detail and bringing this scene to life, I started by implementing the industrial props. I added containers at the 'Store4U' site before adding various crates and packages at the port. Wire coils and industrial waste bags were added to give variety to the port.

The streets were lacking life so I looked to add extra props to help fill empty spaces and more accurately reflect the environment I was trying to recreate. I couldn't find any third-party assets that suited the environment, meaning I had to model my own. I modelled road signs, gates, fences, stairs, electrical poles, wooden walls and speed bumps from the reference material.

I was aware of this during the planning phase but decided to wait to model them until I had the bulk of assets implemented into the level. These models followed the same production pipeline as the previous models I made, including the unorthodox normal map generation.

I made street lights and wooden electrical poles. Implementing all these models was rather straightforward as I used the street view of Google Maps to get the placement right as there was little reference material to use. 

I used a cable actor as the power lines, connecting the electrical poles and houses to each other. I added a slight bend to these cables to make it appear more realistic. I modelled a parking meter to go beside the parking signs just as the reference material showed.

I added several vehicles to the environment to make it feel less empty. I used some creative freedom to position all the vehicles.

The 'sinking ship' is in the rough area of its real-life position. As this was outside the target area, I was not too exact on the orientation. 

The ship docked at the port is placed in the area where I see ships dock when I drive past on my way into the town center. The two cranes either side were placed on the pier to make them more visible from the Marsh Road.

The cars were parked around the environment in positions that I thought was suitable. I didn't want to flood the level with cars so I went for a more spacious approach.

It was time for the finer details to be added. I started with the road markings. White and yellow lines were added. I used these decals for parking spaces and road symbols. I then added other road details such as manholes, storm drains, pot holes and tar patches. These elements all followed the street view of Google Maps to accurately position them.

Parking spaces used a red brick and tar decal that I made in UE5. This diversified the road appearance. The blue industrial wall was painted with graffiti decals. I couldn't quite get my own designs to look the same as the reference images, so I decided to use third-party assets instead.

The 'Drogheda Port' text on the warehouses of the port needed to be added. I used FireAlpaca to create a decal of the 'Drogheda Port' text. I felt it was appropriate to use a decal instead of a 3D-model for not just performance reasons, but also as the 'Drogheda Port' text is painted onto the warehouse.

The last few elements that needed to be added was the foliage. I started with the larger elements. There was five types of trees. These were based on what I saw in the reference material and what assets I was able to source. I used two other types of trees but I used these as bushes for the gardens as I felt it worked better than the other bush models I sourced. 

The final updates to the materials was made once all assets were implemented. The tilling, metallic values and roughness were the main values updated at this stage of development. Some normal maps had updates to create a stronger effect, this helped with the cohesion around the environment.

The final part of the development pipeline was to implement the lighting. I first had to decide on a time of day. I originally planned to set this scene during the afternoon, in a bright, sunny setting. 

I changed my mind on this as I wasn't satisfied with how it looked. I was considering a stormy setting but wanted to explore an evening setting first. In the final images, the results of the evening setting can be seen, making me feel a little justified by exploring an evening setting.