[WIP][UE4] Primitive Lab
polycounter lvl 7
Edit: As I progress, I'll be keeping the updated views in this first post as well:
Original first post:
Hello Polycount
I am currently building a scene in 3ds Max, which I plan to bring into UE4. The concept is by Nicolas Ferrand (http://www.nicolas-ferrand.com/) for Assassin's Creed 2. It is very much a work in progress at the moment, but I would love to get some feedback as I add to it.
Here is the concept:
And my screenshots from Max:
As you can see, I'm focusing on the high poly models right now, although I do have some of the low poly models in place. I quickly put what low poly models I have into UE4, just to get some sense of lighting and scale. It looks HORRENDOUS at the moment, so any UE4 tips are welcome:
Still very new to UE4/UDK, though I am experienced with setting up lights and scenes in 3ds Max for arch-vis renderings.
C+C welcome. Thanks for looking.
Original first post:
Hello Polycount
I am currently building a scene in 3ds Max, which I plan to bring into UE4. The concept is by Nicolas Ferrand (http://www.nicolas-ferrand.com/) for Assassin's Creed 2. It is very much a work in progress at the moment, but I would love to get some feedback as I add to it.
Here is the concept:
And my screenshots from Max:
As you can see, I'm focusing on the high poly models right now, although I do have some of the low poly models in place. I quickly put what low poly models I have into UE4, just to get some sense of lighting and scale. It looks HORRENDOUS at the moment, so any UE4 tips are welcome:
Still very new to UE4/UDK, though I am experienced with setting up lights and scenes in 3ds Max for arch-vis renderings.
C+C welcome. Thanks for looking.
Replies
It'll be a good exercise to really try and sell the 'abandon-ness' of the space.
TL;DR - Please send me some crits!
Hoping for some critical feedback. Really want this scene to stick out as my main portfolio piece.
Your HP work is very great !
This scene will get much more interesting by adding more details of course, but also by having a more precise focus point, wich should be the leather chair.
You could help this by simply shifting your sunlight rays toward this chair.
By the time, you could add couple of decals pretty much everywhere to break the wall tilling.
But for now I would fill the scene with as much stuff as possible before tweaking lighting, because we all know we can waste a precious amount of time baking light.
Love your textures on your assets
Keep working hard on it, eager to see moar !
Yes, I removed the wall with the interior window on it because I wasn't sure if it really made sense. I may add it again to fill in the space on the left, or I may add in something different, like a small desk to go with that wooden chair. I'm thinking maybe some clipboards and files on the desk, as if the doctor or interrogator was using it for taking notes. I would of course follow the art as closely as possible if this was for work, but since it's just a portfolio piece, some artistic freedom is fine, right?
And I agree on making the leather chair the focus. I'm still figuring out how to use the camera in UE. It would be nice to adjust the aperture so that the outer portions of the view aren't so distorted. I think that would help center the view on whatever I focus it on as well.
And I want to add wallpaper all around, similar to the concept, but have it peeling in areas, which I could do with some decals.
Working on the wheelchair tonight, and will continue with more entourage and details as the week progresses (all in my spare time, of course).
Some artistic freedom is certainly fine, but right now the concept's room layout is much more interesting. Think about the composition of the room as an art piece and not just a room with stuff in it. Use contrast, asymmetry, balance and so forth as your tools to manage the viewer's eye through the scene. Either come up with something good from your own ideas that works, or go to the original concept's room layout (which I would recommend). That corner wall extension really helps.
I agree on the plywood. It's a bit too busy. I will probably go with an old masonite material, similar to the concept for the low platforms the props are sitting on (I think I see two).
Adding the window wall on the left would probably be quicker than building a desk, so I'll give that a try first.
As a test, make a new scene, start with boxes......attempt to get a cube on a flat plane to cast a shadow with a simple lighting setup. Get that to work and compare with your scene, something isn't checked/flagged whatever. It'll be easier to understand how the system works on a basic scene, and you can iterate faster on a basic scene and in turn reverse engineer where you went wrong.
Good luck.
Nice scene so far though.
Not sure if it's really shiny, or a strong normal map, but the sheet of wood on the floor looks a little odd in the latest shot.
Edit: You could also try changing the Mip Gen Settings to NoMipmaps, or changing the LOD Group from World to something else.
Going into each materials albedo map and changing this setting worked. Thanks!
This definitely sounds like mipmap settings. Do what Narticus did. As you move away from it the textures are changing to lower res versions based on the default mipmap settings. Since its just a portfolio piece you can maximize quality over performance.
Now onto the other stuff......your floor is too brown. Try a gray to contrast the wood. The plywood seems really out of place and too new for the scene. Meaning it looks like it was put in there to build something, but then all this old furniture was placed on top of it? I'd make it older looking with worn off edges, or just dump it. The lighting makes no sense by the windows, those boards blocking the light from the outside would not show on the inner frame....currently being completely lit up. You have more lighting stuff to figure out. Like I said, experiment with a few cubes in a test scene, figure out how it works, and then apply it to your bigger scene.
The concept your working from doesn't really work too well, this scene is fighting with itself, is it new stuff or old forgotten stuff? The windows and floor treatment suggest an abandoned building, yet the equipment and lack of wear and tear on the props suggest that it's all new stuff? I'd pick a direction and go for it. Possibly ditching the concept and going for something that pushes your piece further.
Already swapped out the plywood, for some beat-up masonite, as seen above. Still working on that texture though.
Not sure what you mean by the boards on the windows not showing the inner frame, could you explain that more? I think I'd like to add some actual double hung windows into those frames, in front of the boards.
Definitely constantly experimenting with lighting every time I open the scene. Still figuring it out.
And I agree on taking the concept a bit further. I like the idea that it's an abandoned space, but has an active lab set up within it.
oh and the wall is too clean considering how messed up the floor is. Make it a really messed up room but someone is still operating in there.
cheers and goodluck !
I've been tweaking the light settings and adding some details to the materials. Also added some decals and cardboard.
Just want to thank everyone for all your input! Please feel free to leave more, good or bad.