Building Environments???

Outline

Salutations to everyone!

Q.Why did the chicken cross the road?
A. To find out how the other side of the road was made.

Okay, so cutting to the chase is I have been drafting up various designs for several environments and they all seem very complex from what I've been drawing. Scary in deed that one can draw such places, but can't make them because the scale is just too grand! I'd like some input on how artists put together environments, or better yet even a pipeline!

Thanks!

Wesley

I enjoyed the joke!

Wesley

It would help if you could post up your concept. If your concept is a huge landscape or a huge industrial complex the practical advice would be different.

Outline

Once I set up my scanner I will post them. In the mean time I can provide a textual reference.

This location that I have been drafting is a rather small-scaled (about the size of a bar) building. The point to this structure is to provide relaxation to visitors; a lounge simply put it. Pipes, vents, and rafters painted a matte black line the ceiling of this place. The windows are large and coupled together by metal plating. A strip of the windows look out to a hallway greeting passerbys entering this large complex, while another set of windows overlook a shopping strip located inside the super structure. This lounge, itself, is located in that plaza, and that plaza a branch of the grander building.

In short, the draft of this place is closer to that of an industrial complex.

I suppose I should also add that this would be my first attempt in trying to translate a concept to a full 3D environment.

Outline

So what I'm looking for here is just a general idea of how people go about building their environments. The piece I'm trying to put together is in another thread, here:
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1656193#post1656193

Eric Chadwick

Lots of different ways to go, depending on what kind of game it is. Generally though, modular is the way to go:
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryEnvironmentModularity
http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryGameDesign#Level_Design

Outline

@Eric: Wow that's a lot of ways to go about it. Thanks a lot!

Eric Chadwick

If you have to narrow it down to just one, this is a great tutorial

• Modular Building Workflow - ($) a 3dmotive tutorial by Tyler Wanlass
  Covers planning and workflow for modular buildings using Photoshop, 3ds Max, and UDK.