Blame! style UDK scene

Latedi

Hello there, I believe this is my first time posting here possibly? I think this is where I'm supposed to post my thread So yeah please give me feedback on my work that would be much appreciated. I'll go sleep for now.

http://youtu.be/mqMg8D1glWg

Copypasta from youtube follows:

I'm a big fan of the series Blame! by Nihei Tsutomu and made this scene in UDK inspired by it to an extent. Currently I'm just going to start my third year in uni where I learn 3D and gamedesign in Sweden( www.hgo.se and www.ingame.se ).

As for this video there are a few things I couldn't get as I wanted them in the scene, they are quite noticable (No, I don't count the bad art or camera track etc :d)
- There are some lightmap artifacts in the first corridor
- The light shafts don't render as I imagine they should, create some real weird effects.
- In the 'garbabe shaft' the doors create non-realistic shadows
- I tried to create the illusion of close to infinite height but you can see that the level actually ends up there somewhere.

If you're into UDK you can probably tell I have followed tutorials for some parts such as the water but I can't remember everyone I learnt from. Creds to those guys anyway

Estimated time spent so far: 40-60 hours
Programs used:
- UDK
- 3DS Max
- Adobe Photoshop
- CrazyBump
- XNormal
- Headus UV Layout
- Adobe Premiere
- Not software, but a Wacom Bamboo tablet

I might upload another video at some point if I fix the ugliest parts but for now I'll leave it. If you have any feedback please tell me, I'd be glad to hear your tips or opinions. I'm going to bed now, hopefully I didn't miss anything

Roelant

You have spent 40-60 hours so far and your level has became huge! Why? Why don't you put more effort in creating a smaller scene wich is rich in detail and looks super sexy! This was the first that came to my mind.

Your lighting looks nice except for the little glitches you mentioned. I can't tell much from design perspective.

Also when you want some attention on the forum you should add some images to your post. It will help.

Blaisoid

well, huge interior spaces is one of characteristic things in blame! and Nihei's works in general.
but to be honest besides the size i don't feel much of blame! vibe.
also there's too many surfaces using the same texture and objects aren't very interesting. they kinda make me think of 90's shooters.

and yeah, making a smaller scene definitely would make it easier to produce something impressive.

daemoria

I have to agree with the posts previous. The current layout is huge, but lacking in detail. . . and honestly doesn't resemble any of Tsutomo Nihei's work.

Starting small will greatly help your level, and look over some examples of other dystopian building styles. Relying on just one source for inspiration, especially when you are new to the medium can lead to you focusing on minute detail, and ignoring the overall flow of form that makes it all 'work'.
One element that is missing from the level that is key in Nihei's works is his use of Lighting. There are nice open areas flooded with light, with shadowy crevices and doorways that lead to who-knows-where. The lighting in his graphic novels is my favorite aspect.

In addition to Blame!, check out Abara, and Digimortal. Also look for references in photographs of abandoned Industrial sites, oil derricks, and abandoned apartment complexes.

I look foward to seeing this develop into something cool.

Latedi

Thanks for all the feedback guys Makes sense now that I hear it, kind of got blinded with what I was doing after a while. But yeah in the future I'll work on smaller scenes for sure and if I require large areas I'll try to make it look more interesting somehow.

The lightning from Nihei's works, I didn't think about that much to be honest but I was going to reread some soon anyway. I'll make sure too analyze the style more this time around

As for development of this/remake I'm not sure what's gonna happen, summerbreak is over so I'll be having a lot of stuff to do haha. Maybe I should just practice on working faster? I've seen loads of people on polycount create a lot more well polished levels than this in under half the time I used.

Ooh and pictures! I thought the youtube link would turn into a preview but some fancy renders would be nice too. Once again thanks for the feedback :d

Mask_Salesman

I am disappoint man, you'l find quite a few of us are Tsutomu Nihei fans and I must say there's a severe lack of his style in here. He excels in organicly styled architecture. Having square blocky envs with stone reminiscent textures is not characteristic of his style.

I would suggest creating a theme sheet, take images from specific scenes you choose to emulate and create a good set of references to work from.

And as stated working on a specificly small localled area to focus on instead of a large area could drastically improve the quality of your scene. Quality over Quantitity dude.

Good luck with it

Latedi

Yeah I agree. I still have a hard time visualizing what I imagine in 3D so smaller scenes should be good, thanks.