Sci Fi Interior
polycounter lvl 5
Here's a Wip of a Sci Fi environment. I'm just blocking it out in Max at the moment. I'm keeping my snap on and going for UDK proportions as much as possible (powers of 2) as I'll be assembling and lighting it in there eventually, and I want it to be as modular and as efficient as possible.
Will post some more as I go...
Edit:
here's where I'm at today:
Will post some more as I go...
Edit:
here's where I'm at today:
Replies
http://www.benprocter.com/prometheus/prometheus-interior/
Thanks for the link to Ben Procter's site too.
Here's some Zbrush work on one of the modular pieces:
I'm trying to further my hard surface in Zbrush techniques, so there's a bit of experimenting going on at the moment.
I'm taking the block outs into zbrush, adding detail mainly with projection master, and then baking Ambient Occlusion and normal maps in XNormal, then back into Max to finish off the lo-poly details and modifying the maps and texturing with Photoshop.
Been having some difficulties with ZBrush today, finding the right amount of subtool divisions for each asset so ZBrush doesn't keel over and die on me. But learning new stuff as I go which is always fun.
Here's another lo poly asset with AO and Normal maps only.
I'd also recommend separating your smoothing groups more on your low poly. This will help fix some shading problems.
I've also been having a few issues in max with normal maps when I mirror or use symmetry on the geometry. But only in Max, In UDK it's not an issue. Which is odd.
Here's an update shot from Max with some more texture work:
gotta get some JJ Abrahms lens flare in there.
lens flare up the wazoo....
Thanks for the advice,
Do you think more polys everywhere - or just specific parts?
If anybody has any UDK lighting advice I'd be interested to hear it.
I'm currently using point lights under the white roof and floor lights
Yell at me if im wrong Robeomega, but i think poly's could be added primarily to the roof portion, its really visible there a bit to low poly in the first shot.
My main critiques now
I think you need to vary up your material types quite a bit, right now everythings coming across as the same material. Id say the tan parts could be a different material, perhaps a rubber like material with alot less spec as the main white metal you have everywhere currently. I think mostly all your pieces that have different colors should differ from the main metal material in some way as well.
If this is in UDK, id also suggest playing with some bloom effects, and you really could use some color differences in the lighting. Some sort of complimentary scehemes that sell a focal point, perhaps YellowWhite/Blue.
I think your floor grates look nice but there not grate-like in depth currently. Perhaps try a normal map on there to make them pop in, might be good enough with the black you have in the holes, And last but not least! Foreground Elements! Get some crates, sci-equipment in there, the room is way to empty!
Keep it coming!!
I've made some changes below, light colours, tried to separate the materials a bit more in the spec values. Sharpened up the diffuse a bit. Re-did the floor tiles normal map and reflection. Not sure how much of this is noticeable.
Also going to get on and do some foreground props.
Nice work overall. I like that you did a lot of the hp's in Zbrush, haven't used ZB to do hard surface yet.
I still think you could push the Specular differences in the materials further still however, also id try and push the floor Normals even deeper.
Glad to hear your doing some foreground stuff, that will help with the framing and the lighting looks alot better as well.
Cheers man!
The progress is coming along great. What I see as an opportunity is much like what has already been mentioned. More Polygons and push the spec. You are really relying on the Normal map to convey the light information and currently its doing an okay job of that, but Nmaps can't work alone. I took a section from one of the images to help illustrate what I am talking about.
First lets talk geometry. The part that I highlighted is only one example but the same will apply is much of the environment. The panel on the pillars are very flat due to no geometry there. Sure it looks like there is some light info from the NMap, but whats happening is that you are not letting the light source further define that section (shadows, highlights, etc) so it actually brings less interest to an area that you are trying to bring more interest to. At least my eye is going to gloss over that section instead of stopping there and wondering what the story is behind that panel. This is something that I have recently struggled with my NMaps and geometry, so I know first hand that it doesn't take much to really bring this up to the next level. I would just make a shallow cube and attach it to original geometry and rebake the NMap, it will bring out the definition.
Next up is pushing the specular of the materials. Now I will admit that I am not an authority on this as I am still honing my craft as well. What sticks out for me is that the light source that is right next to the pillar as well as the 2 lights in the pillar seem to be picking up no specular information. Even dull metal will have a blurry and wide specular, it may be faint, but it is there. None of the edges are picking up any light information, which again is making it appear very flat and on the boring side.
I hope that helps narrow down where the opportunity is. These 2 things can be applied to most of the assets that you have. The extra work will be worth it and really take the piece up a notch.
I look forward to seeing the progress. :poly136:
I'm coming back to this after some other projects called me away.
Definitely taking on board the lighting and Geo tips.
In the meantime I modelled up a space crate.
Texture is WIP, still needs some detail, reflection etc.
For this I did the high poly in Max, the whole process took longer but I think there was more control over the normal map.
A bit more geometry on some of the modular roof pieces and the corner piece beside the door.