Retro-Futuristic Monorail Station
Hi everyone,
As part of my MSc Dissertation I have chosen to produce a Monorail Station set in a retro-futuristic theme, using the UDK to present it.
Below are a couple of mood boards that I've been using. I've been trying to aim for the same clean glossy look found on most of the vehicles/concepts shown, while using pictures taken at a local station for the base of my layout.
Using these, I experimented with 3D shapes to create the base of some of my props, and played around with their arrangement in a block-out:
Also had another look at the layout during model refinement, making a plan view of the scene's 'main area:'
Some of the high-poly models and tiles are shown here, including some early versions:
(These wall tiles were welded together before baking the normal map, but were separated before being exported.)
From here I used 3DS Max to bake out my normal maps, while using Photoshop (and the xNormal plugin) to correct any errors that showed up. I also exported the models as FBX files, keeping in mind the locations of pivot points and such, and imported them into the UDK.
Using the material editor I was able to use a couple of real-time reflections for the floor tiles and train. For the train itself I used a Lerp node to control the strength of the reflections, and another to control the specular power (some minor effects still need to be added). I also utilised the alphas of my diffuse maps, allowing me to create minor variations of my tileset and add some support for holograms and scrolling text.
Shown here are the results so far:
A couple of notes: the lighting still needs to be finalised as such, and there will eventually be a platform on the other side of the train. A skybox also needs to be added, as well as a few edits to disperse repetition:
That said, I would sincerely appreciate any and all feedback that you can provide, and I will do my best to adapt the scene accordingly.
As part of my MSc Dissertation I have chosen to produce a Monorail Station set in a retro-futuristic theme, using the UDK to present it.
Below are a couple of mood boards that I've been using. I've been trying to aim for the same clean glossy look found on most of the vehicles/concepts shown, while using pictures taken at a local station for the base of my layout.
Using these, I experimented with 3D shapes to create the base of some of my props, and played around with their arrangement in a block-out:
Also had another look at the layout during model refinement, making a plan view of the scene's 'main area:'
Some of the high-poly models and tiles are shown here, including some early versions:
(These wall tiles were welded together before baking the normal map, but were separated before being exported.)
From here I used 3DS Max to bake out my normal maps, while using Photoshop (and the xNormal plugin) to correct any errors that showed up. I also exported the models as FBX files, keeping in mind the locations of pivot points and such, and imported them into the UDK.
Using the material editor I was able to use a couple of real-time reflections for the floor tiles and train. For the train itself I used a Lerp node to control the strength of the reflections, and another to control the specular power (some minor effects still need to be added). I also utilised the alphas of my diffuse maps, allowing me to create minor variations of my tileset and add some support for holograms and scrolling text.
Shown here are the results so far:
A couple of notes: the lighting still needs to be finalised as such, and there will eventually be a platform on the other side of the train. A skybox also needs to be added, as well as a few edits to disperse repetition:
That said, I would sincerely appreciate any and all feedback that you can provide, and I will do my best to adapt the scene accordingly.
Replies
You've got some good stuff going on here - the shapes of the seating and information sign are working well, but you could punch up the 50s retro-futurism quite a bit. At the moment a lot of it looks like stuff you could find in any train station anywhere in the world. Futurama is a great source of this style of art. Take a look at the designs of the cityscapes, buildings and machinery - the shapes and colours used.