Your scene is progressing nicely, especially from first page to you current update!
For me, I'm really enjoying your sculpts but feel like your diffuse maps are of mixed quality. I'm seeing a lot of high frequency information on some while others have broader and bigger shapes. Some things look very photo sourced while others look a bit more planned. I think you could really sit down and bring some more character to your diffuse maps that would compliment the work you've done in your sculpts.
The other thing that I think could help the scene is some lighting and color adjustments. Admittedly, the scene is looking much better in that regard then from where you started but at the end of the day, theres still a lot of warm earthy hues being lit by warm sun and its making the image a bit muddy. If you're able to mix some cool tones into your diffuse maps in the way of color variation, that would help break the visual monotony.
More importantly, I think this will boil down to the overall lighting mood you establish. Find a way to get some color contrast in the cool tones of your scene. This can be achieved with your environment color, the scene adjustments tab in World Properties, or by a LUT. Might help to tone down the number of bounces in your GI settings so the scene has an opportunity to have some darks to contrast your brights. Consider a light atmosphere pass to add some depth to your scene. Separating your foreground, mid ground, and background with some subtle fog can create a composition that is easier on the eyes and has more overall directionality.
Mind posting your unlit and lighting only shots for further critique?
Keep at it, the scene is evolving really nice,
-Jon
Jon > Infact I'm gonna retake the colors of the wooden elements, bring darker and brighter textures then get warm and hot wooden varations. I will add some details (painted ornaments, wear effect, etc) from that time I have got a point of view of about the entire scene (architecture).
Regarding the lighting and the post process, there is still a lot of work to do. Infact some of the element have not their "UV channel 2" well developed to bake the "lightmass" and actually there is only four "omny" and one "directionnal" used in the scene. It's a really roughtly step of it, just to gives an idea of the final render It may change constantly with all the new elements I will bring to the scene (candles, lantern, energetic artifact, etc
Thx again for your critiques
for informations:
> On the mantlepiece of the chimney, there will be a great painting with a fancy ornamented frame
> just above, a drape (curtain like) covering a part of the flue like if the painting toke the place of the window.
> below the tools, an iron container with log inside. Other logs will be stocked in the triangle wooden storage (CF panelling's part).
> beside the elements for the fireplace (log, embers, ashes, etc) I'm gonna make a bellows.
If you have any suggestion about other props link to a chimney I'm all ears
Thx guys !
All the ornaments have been made in Zbrush. I used the same technic for the leaves than I explained before then I placed all of it with "transpose tools", and "move brush". It didn't toke so much long time cause there is a symmetrie at the center of the object and the leaves on the front are the same than the ones on the sides. I heard unfortunatelly after about the "matchmaker brush" which could have make me the life much easier ^^ I just sculpted the vign (not the leaves) direct on the mantelpiece with symmetrie enable. So at the end I baked the high poly to my low poly, like I used to do for every other props.
nice work...
three things spring to mind, i think theyve been said before but im gonna say them too ;-)
1- diffuse looks a bit half baked on alot of the assets it needs a bit more life as do the spec maps...UV damage, dust, dirt wear and tear the wood should go greasy and soft where its been touched a lot,
2 - you need to bed your objects in a load more.. everything is looking stuck together, adding decals around objects and more dirt buildup within the textures would help as would more variation in tone over an object not nesecarily by material but across a material.
3 - i know the lighting is temp, but i always say you need to build your lighting up as you go as it may quite significantly change the colours and materila you want to use along the way.... currently your ranges for lights are a bit off. your sunlight isn't bright enough in relation to your im geussing candle/torch/fire light which should be much dimmer. you also have quite a busy scene with alot of detail so you want to try and keep the lighting in fairly broad strokes to give you much better low and medium frequecy detail... bright areas leading off into dark corners etc... as such i would be tempted to make some of the windows closed or blocked by exterior walls so its only indirect cooler light coming in
Cool feedback from Shepeiro! I definitely agree about trying to get lighting in as you work (especially if you are not using a Physically Based Rendering Model)
Like Shepeiro mentioned I would echo that some of the diffuse work could benefit from a bit more time. Thinking about how the various assets would have been built. (This effects lots of things for example... where the part lines (groves) are. What direction the woodgrain flows. If all the bits of wood are the same brightness, etc)
Also thinking about how the various assets are used would help a lot with the diffuse detailing. (what are the points of interaction? These areas will likely be a bit more damaged or dirty. In some cases with wood these areas also become smoother with more interaction, really depends on the type of wood and the way its been used.)
From now I have realised all the new elements from the test's step, I'm gonna integrated all the scene propelly an make a big up on the lighting!
Actually the scene is in its first step, which means it has been thinking only for the tones. I will bring more life as you told me to do so.
Some architectural modifications of the scene will be done too. The ceiling will be higher to prevent the wooden windows's parts to get cuted.
After intergrating the "interlacing" version (CF : previous picture ) it wasn't really matching with the others elements of the scene. So I remade the "body part" of the columns more simply.
After the precious advice from Tor Frick the columns is from now made of 9818 triangles (instead of 50 000 about ^^,) and its shape is not that much changed
Little update:
> Wall's texture
> Modelisation and texturing of the ceiling
> Stained glass window(to bring color varation)
> Integrations of the columns
> New setup of the lighs (still wip)
Reste encore pas mal de choses
You have some really good high polys and texture detail. UDK is really bad about letting the small details shine, you should port this over to UE4 if you can and rework your textures into PBR. The results would be worth it.
Otherwise looking good.. that column high poly is very impressive!
Thx dude! I would like to update my scene in UE4 but actually I dont have the budget
I hope the UDK 4's release wont take to long...
If by UDK 4 you mean a free version, we do not have plans to release a free version. If budget is a concern, you are able to subscribe for the 19/month, download, and cancel your subscription and continue to use UE4 as long as you like. You will still have access to support, and forums, but will need to resubscribe to receive updates to UE4.
Models are looking awesome, you could take the scene much further in UE4!
Is the wood floor constructed correctly? All the panels line up perfectly. Seem like it would fall apart. Do you have reference for this?
Is what I typically think for the pattern of wood floors.
Currently there is nothing for a sense of scale. I can't see a beer mug, chair, table, etc and figure out how big a character would be in this scene. That's super important to make sure to have.
The values look a bit similar. I would greyscale this out and make sure the ground, pillars, walls, etc all read as their own values.
Leading from that. What's the purpose? Old medieval hall isn't super descriptive. Is this current day restored castle used as a museum? in the past and a battle is about to happen? in the past but it's been destroyed by the opposing army? There's no story right now. It's just making art. Which is a huge problem a lot of Environment Artists do (myself included at times too). Just go through the process and make stuff and not think about the backstory. Ask yourself who, what, when where, why. If you can't answer those or a friend can't from looking at your scene then sound the alarms and figure out how to correct that.
The wooden floor has been made like this because there is tunnels under them and I plan to make other rooms connecting to each other. This hall and the tunnels are some of them.
I take note for the technique suggestions (contrast, color, etc.)
However about the background aspects I already gave some details in the previous comments. So without making a monologue (none everyone cares :poly121:), this scene is one of of the rooms from a castle where a character like Merlin or Leonardo da Vinci lives and has been given to him by a lord in a fantastical medieval inspirated world. This kind of a guy who study lot of things and who has brought many articles from his journey. So a the end this room will be full of object with their own stories (alchimy, art, artefact, tribal, etc.) It's also a showroom for all object I'm gonna make in future which could matched with this world of course.
About "it's just making art", ok that's your point of view, I respect that. Personally I use my free time for making project I enjoy, far from the constraints a job could give you (time, concept art, etc.) Ok I keep in mind it's for video game, but come on, do we have to be so serious every time.:)
If you wish to know more about the background (it's all a world in truth) I will be glad to say you more.
Cool. Totally get your vibe about just having fun making stuff, etc. I definitely do that. I was just commenting that this is a big time commitment to not thoroughly think all the aspects of this out.
There is the last renders from UDK...before the update into UE4!!!
This update will be the occasion to:
> Get a better readability by tweaking the color of the elements and their light's impacts (flat, shiny, metalic, etc.).
> Optimise some props ^^,
> Tweak the shadows artefacts.
> Maybe add tesselation, if not so expenssive, for the ceiling, the walls and the grounds.
> Add atmospherical FX like godrays, dust, etc.
> Get a better rendering of the scene using some post-process and maybe setup and day/night loop.
> Remake all the lighting setup thank to BPR renderinf and the hability to use many dynamique lights (flickable lights for the fire in the chimney, the candle flames, etc.).
> And of course add some interactions in the scene (interruptors, openings gates, flying machine (to give the oppoturnity to use a free camera) (cf blueprint) ^^
Meanwhile I'm working on the props which will be in the scene, and there is still a lot of them to do
Retake of my femal basemesh(anatomy, face, etc.) to use it like ornamentation of props or simply for characters project. From now I'm gonna use it for the handle of a sword consisting of 6 wood-nymph, gather to each other by branch, roots, leaves and flowers:
For the project which will need it, I will retake the hands and the feet to bring theme more details.
About the handdle of the sword, the head's height of the wood-nymph will be the same than the phalanx of the thumb.
Hey, just dropping by to say its coming together nicely.
Some issues are already mentioned.
My two cents:
I have difficulty to get the right scaling of your map.
For example the ground looks so big and if you compare the candles
with some of the wall pieces its hard to say how big everything is.
This makes me think - "something is wrong"
Overall its also hard to see a point of interest - what do you want to sell ?
Whats the story behind ?
Thx for the feeds!
I've already answered to this, just check the comment (C.F: Ulwaen on 04-03-2014 10:38 PM);)
I admit the wooden planks of the ground are quiet big, but it the only way to get the effect mentioned into the comment.
However this scene is not finish yet, more I produce and more it's susceptible to change.
Unfortunately I'm not able to make concept art, that why the pipepline of this project looks a little rought ^^,
Replies
Right?
btw sorry for stupid question, trying to learn ZBrush
For me, I'm really enjoying your sculpts but feel like your diffuse maps are of mixed quality. I'm seeing a lot of high frequency information on some while others have broader and bigger shapes. Some things look very photo sourced while others look a bit more planned. I think you could really sit down and bring some more character to your diffuse maps that would compliment the work you've done in your sculpts.
The other thing that I think could help the scene is some lighting and color adjustments. Admittedly, the scene is looking much better in that regard then from where you started but at the end of the day, theres still a lot of warm earthy hues being lit by warm sun and its making the image a bit muddy. If you're able to mix some cool tones into your diffuse maps in the way of color variation, that would help break the visual monotony.
More importantly, I think this will boil down to the overall lighting mood you establish. Find a way to get some color contrast in the cool tones of your scene. This can be achieved with your environment color, the scene adjustments tab in World Properties, or by a LUT. Might help to tone down the number of bounces in your GI settings so the scene has an opportunity to have some darks to contrast your brights. Consider a light atmosphere pass to add some depth to your scene. Separating your foreground, mid ground, and background with some subtle fog can create a composition that is easier on the eyes and has more overall directionality.
Mind posting your unlit and lighting only shots for further critique?
Keep at it, the scene is evolving really nice,
-Jon
Jon > Infact I'm gonna retake the colors of the wooden elements, bring darker and brighter textures then get warm and hot wooden varations. I will add some details (painted ornaments, wear effect, etc) from that time I have got a point of view of about the entire scene (architecture).
Regarding the lighting and the post process, there is still a lot of work to do. Infact some of the element have not their "UV channel 2" well developed to bake the "lightmass" and actually there is only four "omny" and one "directionnal" used in the scene. It's a really roughtly step of it, just to gives an idea of the final render
Thx again for your critiques
Its still missing the elements in the hearth (Firedogs, burning log, embers, fireback) and there is enought place in the UVs for it.
Add of the tools to keep the fire alive:
for informations:
> On the mantlepiece of the chimney, there will be a great painting with a fancy ornamented frame
> just above, a drape (curtain like) covering a part of the flue like if the painting toke the place of the window.
> below the tools, an iron container with log inside. Other logs will be stocked in the triangle wooden storage (CF panelling's part).
> beside the elements for the fireplace (log, embers, ashes, etc) I'm gonna make a bellows.
If you have any suggestion about other props link to a chimney I'm all ears
How did you make that ornate leaf/vine pattern tile around the trim? Is it fully tileable? Did you use and alpha?
Can you explain how you made that design.
Great work!
Yeah, I second that question! Really awesome work goin on here!
Wish I could sculpt stuff like you!
Keep it going!
All the ornaments have been made in Zbrush. I used the same technic for the leaves than I explained before then I placed all of it with "transpose tools", and "move brush". It didn't toke so much long time cause there is a symmetrie at the center of the object and the leaves on the front are the same than the ones on the sides. I heard unfortunatelly after about the "matchmaker brush" which could have make me the life much easier ^^ I just sculpted the vign (not the leaves) direct on the mantelpiece with symmetrie enable. So at the end I baked the high poly to my low poly, like I used to do for every other props.
Chimney (click to view in 3D)
three things spring to mind, i think theyve been said before but im gonna say them too ;-)
1- diffuse looks a bit half baked on alot of the assets it needs a bit more life as do the spec maps...UV damage, dust, dirt wear and tear the wood should go greasy and soft where its been touched a lot,
2 - you need to bed your objects in a load more.. everything is looking stuck together, adding decals around objects and more dirt buildup within the textures would help as would more variation in tone over an object not nesecarily by material but across a material.
3 - i know the lighting is temp, but i always say you need to build your lighting up as you go as it may quite significantly change the colours and materila you want to use along the way.... currently your ranges for lights are a bit off. your sunlight isn't bright enough in relation to your im geussing candle/torch/fire light which should be much dimmer. you also have quite a busy scene with alot of detail so you want to try and keep the lighting in fairly broad strokes to give you much better low and medium frequecy detail... bright areas leading off into dark corners etc... as such i would be tempted to make some of the windows closed or blocked by exterior walls so its only indirect cooler light coming in
Like Shepeiro mentioned I would echo that some of the diffuse work could benefit from a bit more time. Thinking about how the various assets would have been built. (This effects lots of things for example... where the part lines (groves) are. What direction the woodgrain flows. If all the bits of wood are the same brightness, etc)
Also thinking about how the various assets are used would help a lot with the diffuse detailing. (what are the points of interaction? These areas will likely be a bit more damaged or dirty. In some cases with wood these areas also become smoother with more interaction, really depends on the type of wood and the way its been used.)
Hope this makes sense, good luck.
From now I have realised all the new elements from the test's step, I'm gonna integrated all the scene propelly an make a big up on the lighting!
Actually the scene is in its first step, which means it has been thinking only for the tones. I will bring more life as you told me to do so.
Some architectural modifications of the scene will be done too. The ceiling will be higher to prevent the wooden windows's parts to get cuted.
Remake of the columns.
After intergrating the "interlacing" version (CF : previous picture ) it wasn't really matching with the others elements of the scene. So I remade the "body part" of the columns more simply.
After the precious advice from Tor Frick the columns is from now made of 9818 triangles (instead of 50 000 about ^^,) and its shape is not that much changed
Whatch it in 3D with Verold::
http://goo.gl/aT3EOB
> Wall's texture
> Modelisation and texturing of the ceiling
> Stained glass window(to bring color varation)
> Integrations of the columns
> New setup of the lighs (still wip)
Reste encore pas mal de choses
Otherwise looking good.. that column high poly is very impressive!
I hope the UDK 4's release wont take to long...
If by UDK 4 you mean a free version, we do not have plans to release a free version. If budget is a concern, you are able to subscribe for the 19/month, download, and cancel your subscription and continue to use UE4 as long as you like. You will still have access to support, and forums, but will need to resubscribe to receive updates to UE4.
Models are looking awesome, you could take the scene much further in UE4!
Is what I typically think for the pattern of wood floors.
Currently there is nothing for a sense of scale. I can't see a beer mug, chair, table, etc and figure out how big a character would be in this scene. That's super important to make sure to have.
The values look a bit similar. I would greyscale this out and make sure the ground, pillars, walls, etc all read as their own values.
Leading from that. What's the purpose? Old medieval hall isn't super descriptive. Is this current day restored castle used as a museum? in the past and a battle is about to happen? in the past but it's been destroyed by the opposing army? There's no story right now. It's just making art. Which is a huge problem a lot of Environment Artists do (myself included at times too). Just go through the process and make stuff and not think about the backstory. Ask yourself who, what, when where, why. If you can't answer those or a friend can't from looking at your scene then sound the alarms and figure out how to correct that.
I take note for the technique suggestions (contrast, color, etc.)
However about the background aspects I already gave some details in the previous comments. So without making a monologue (none everyone cares :poly121:), this scene is one of of the rooms from a castle where a character like Merlin or Leonardo da Vinci lives and has been given to him by a lord in a fantastical medieval inspirated world. This kind of a guy who study lot of things and who has brought many articles from his journey. So a the end this room will be full of object with their own stories (alchimy, art, artefact, tribal, etc.) It's also a showroom for all object I'm gonna make in future which could matched with this world of course.
About "it's just making art", ok that's your point of view, I respect that. Personally I use my free time for making project I enjoy, far from the constraints a job could give you (time, concept art, etc.) Ok I keep in mind it's for video game, but come on, do we have to be so serious every time.:)
If you wish to know more about the background (it's all a world in truth) I will be glad to say you more.
By the way there is the full chandelier :
I stand by my scale and value comments though.
And there is the ceilings part where the chandelier is hanged to
This update will be the occasion to:
> Get a better readability by tweaking the color of the elements and their light's impacts (flat, shiny, metalic, etc.).
> Optimise some props ^^,
> Tweak the shadows artefacts.
> Maybe add tesselation, if not so expenssive, for the ceiling, the walls and the grounds.
> Add atmospherical FX like godrays, dust, etc.
> Get a better rendering of the scene using some post-process and maybe setup and day/night loop.
> Remake all the lighting setup thank to BPR renderinf and the hability to use many dynamique lights (flickable lights for the fire in the chimney, the candle flames, etc.).
> And of course add some interactions in the scene (interruptors, openings gates, flying machine (to give the oppoturnity to use a free camera) (cf blueprint) ^^
Meanwhile I'm working on the props which will be in the scene, and there is still a lot of them to do
For the project which will need it, I will retake the hands and the feet to bring theme more details.
About the handdle of the sword, the head's height of the wood-nymph will be the same than the phalanx of the thumb.
Some issues are already mentioned.
My two cents:
I have difficulty to get the right scaling of your map.
For example the ground looks so big and if you compare the candles
with some of the wall pieces its hard to say how big everything is.
This makes me think - "something is wrong"
Overall its also hard to see a point of interest - what do you want to sell ?
Whats the story behind ?
Cheers
I've already answered to this, just check the comment (C.F: Ulwaen on 04-03-2014 10:38 PM);)
I admit the wooden planks of the ground are quiet big, but it the only way to get the effect mentioned into the comment.
However this scene is not finish yet, more I produce and more it's susceptible to change.
Unfortunately I'm not able to make concept art, that why the pipepline of this project looks a little rought ^^,