Asura Architecture [Environment / Scene]
polycounter lvl 11
Hey everyone. I'm working a scene that's been posted by someone else here before. I was working on this around the same time it was posted, but had been working on some other stuff.
If you've seen my other scene with a waterwheel, it is still going, and is looking much, much nicer than the awful post so far.
Anywho, here's a screenie from UDK of the wall so far as well as the concept. I am currently working on the rocks for the rest of the scene, as well as refining and tweaking the water shader. Atm, the waterfalls are UDK, and having them in really help to create some energy, so I'm working hard on the shader!
Here we go..
Concept:
What I've got so far:
This is another piece focusing on modularity. So far, this scene is all on one texture page and made up of only a few different assets. I've made the triangular arch's for the right side, but are just not in yet. Next is the rocks, the waterfalls, some earth texture for terrain, and a water plane with the flow that is has going on. I've also been tweaking the material for the rocks a tad, the edges aren't as accented as much for my taste.
So that's it so far. Please lemme know how this can be made awesomer!!
If you've seen my other scene with a waterwheel, it is still going, and is looking much, much nicer than the awful post so far.
Anywho, here's a screenie from UDK of the wall so far as well as the concept. I am currently working on the rocks for the rest of the scene, as well as refining and tweaking the water shader. Atm, the waterfalls are UDK, and having them in really help to create some energy, so I'm working hard on the shader!
Here we go..
Concept:
What I've got so far:
This is another piece focusing on modularity. So far, this scene is all on one texture page and made up of only a few different assets. I've made the triangular arch's for the right side, but are just not in yet. Next is the rocks, the waterfalls, some earth texture for terrain, and a water plane with the flow that is has going on. I've also been tweaking the material for the rocks a tad, the edges aren't as accented as much for my taste.
So that's it so far. Please lemme know how this can be made awesomer!!
Replies
I think you could have increased the size of some of those pieces such as the arch and the circular pieces. They seem much more massive in the concept and it would help it stand out from the rest of the wall. There's a sense of scale to the concept that I think you could try to work in more. Maybe some fog in there could also help that.
Nice work so far though.
Swizzle, I would totally show the rest, but there isn't really. It's just the wall so far, but I'm working on the rocks atm, almost done, then I'll retopo. Also working on the monument that's kind of cut off to left, the structure with the chevrons.
I started blocking out the floor, still working on the water shader. Here's some assets in the mean time. (May take a few minutes)
Otherwise I'm really only using TrimDynamic everywhere (except the roots). I love that brush, instant sezy chamfers.
What matcap is that you're using in the WIP shots?
You got some nice shapes in here
I like the way your doing this, but I can't help but think your copying the colours from the concept art too much, in a sense that your textures actually look like the lighting is baked into them, shouldn't your lighting be creating those colours on the stones/ roots? Not the texture?
Anyway keep it up man, this reminded me I need to go back to mine and work on it again.
And myles also beat me up to it, I was about to say that you shouldn't be recreating the colors of the concept art in the textures, and instead leave that work to the lighting / post-process or even shader work; you'll be making your life harder if you don't.
I agree tho, the color you picked for the stone has too much lighting info. Look at the concept at the top middle area that's the true color of the rocks.
The roots definitely need to be sharpened, I agree. I originally, had it browner, but I didn't think it was going to work. It was too off, maybe I'll keep it greener, not sure, I'll do some paint overs I suppose. I'll sharpen it definitely, looking at it after some time passed, it is blurry.
Thanks for this, it really helps keep me going!
Some quick recolors.
Looking forward to seeing more!
I'm not an environment artist, but I recommend putting more into your diffuse texture. For all their declamations on being painterly at ArenaNet, they were never shy about using photos and grunge to really give textures interest and impact. Maybe also look at some oil slicked rocks or something like that for reference... I don't know if that was necessarily Tom's intention with the piece, but it could give you some interesting ideas on what you can add.
The greenish tone of the scene is something you might want to try experimenting more with the lighting/atmosphere rather than putting it in so strongly in the diffuse (this way maybe you could get the water to be colored as well).
Lastly, I think you need some things to help sell the immense scale of the place. Had I not seen the concept I wouldn't have guessed that the scene was very large at all. Some areas of really small and tight detail, and maybe some bits of vegetation among the rocks would help a lot. Big details, medium details, small details. Also, try to vary the overall hue and tones of the wall so it's not all the same from one end to the other.
I moved recently, so I haven't had time to work much, but I'm dying to. I've started taking on the crits I got. Haikai, I got some tiling diffuse on it to get some of the rocky texture variation, like your saying, utilizing textures.
Scaling has been changed. I've looked up some vids on some kickass animated materials for the water on the floor (leading to the foreground) but I have no clue how to do some of the things I've seen. Like directing the water flow for one.
I hope to post up soon, I'm at school atm, but only for a bit more. In addition to moving, the place I have doesn't have any internet. I'll be getting it hopefully by wednesday. So I'm crossing my fingers to have something by then as well as be able to post it.
Lastly, for the roots, I think I'm leaning towards the green one, though I'll lessen the yellow in it, maybe have it a bit desaturated and utilize the spec like the rest of the scene.
I've also been playing around with the idea of adding something of a focal point. The figure serves well as scale, but that'll be handled through camera. I was thinking of having one of those cyborg things the Asurans use in the scene, or maybe a carin stone stack thing.
Anyways, I've worked the scene as much as humanly possible while also trying to settle in to this new place. Still settling in. :poly127:
I worked a large portion on refining the shaders. Everything in there I made, except the dirt, that's UDK's, I'm working on it right now. I also got some moss worked into the vertex shader for the stones and walls (not there, yet!)
My biggest challenge makes me laugh every time. I was rendering lightmass and each time it came out the same. Deleted all my lights, still the same. I finally looked in the world properties to find lightmass was set to have its own environment color. Thanks UDK, each new release, new things be different!
The entire scene right now is emissive lit by the waterfalls on the walls (not the ones flowing over the stones below)
So, here they are. I will post the WIP stuff of the shaders sometime later!
The scene is also getting too monotone. Adding some areas of warm browns and reds like you see in some parts of the concept could help break it up some more. Did you end up getting rid of the root/vine things you were working on?
It's looking great so far.
I dunno how to update the previous picture posts, so I'll just repost some stuff.
*EDIT* Using Google Photos now!
Link to everything I've posted so far: https://picasaweb.google.com/InGrownCG/AsuraScene
Here's the updates of the scenes again.
Last thing to do is some post process, then a vid to show the water and particles going on. Crits are still welcome, I'd appreciate them, helps me learn and might get me motivated to push this scene more.
Also the foreground is crying for small scale details like pebbles and grass. Just a suggestion.
(As always, photobucket is pain in the ass :
@ ParoXum: good idea, before the video I'll add some edge loops, it'll definitely help. And an even better idea about some foreground stuff. I think I could do both, I'll see what I got. Thanks for the ideas, I can already imagine how it'll help it.
@ shawnell3D: Yeah, your going to have to show me that, or maybe give me a link to that. I'm not sure what your saying exactly, I'm getting that somehow I'll be able to have water caustics on the walls, I think, but yeah, educate me on it. I have some particles atm where the waterfalls meet the water, but if what your saying is what I'm thinking, that'll be some nice added effects.
@ Froyok: Thanks. Lesson learned about photobucket - don't.
http://www.hourences.com/tutorials-ue3-light-function/