[WIP] [UE4] Medieval Interior Environment [Image Heavy]

BrandenJoven

Hello Polycount,

So I am currently a student attempting my first 3D environment scene. Since I am fairly new to environment modeling I will be studying and using a modular workflow for my scene. I won't be texturing my scene yet, but I want to have my scene fully modeled out and put together in Unreal Engine 4 with some good lighting, since I'll also be learning how to light in Unreal as well. 

 I will keep up to date with my progress for this project.

Any feedback will always be welcomed!

Thanks,
Branden

BrandenJoven

I was inspired by this photo I came across while searching for references for this project and I want to create something similar to this. 

BrandenJoven

Here are some of the models I am currently working with. At the moment I am reworking with the some of the models to better capture that medieval look.

Michael Rosa

Awesome stuff.

The one thing that catches my eye is the hard edges. My eye picks up on too many hard edges. I would look at your props more and see what can be done between the geometry or the textures to break those hard edges up. 

BrandenJoven

Thanks Michael for the feedback!
 It is also a thing I noticed with my models and is something I am working on to adjust.

BrandenJoven

(test lighting) So I put some point lights for the candles and a directional light through the window just to get a feel for the lighting.

BrandenJoven

Some slow progress with lighting. Now to get the moonlight through the windows right

Benvox2

Looks like a solid start! Really good choice of reference too.

BrandenJoven

Starting to add props into scene. Lighting still needs a lot more work still, but just posting a progress shot! 

blastfaizu2

wow nice work !

[HP]

Solid start so far. If I may offer some advice is that you're getting ahead of yourself in some areas. 

Don't pay too much attention to lighting in this early stages, or making the scene look good when all you have is a few pieces. There'll be a time for that, first you need to focus on building the skeleton of your scene. 

Do a quick lighting pass that is as neutral as possible, so you can work while being able to see what you're doing and to be able to see your materials.

Then flesh out the space with your modular pieces, if you're missing pieces just use a few cubes to fill out gaps or temporarily fill big spaces, remember to stay on the grid so they'll easily translate to new modular pieces later. 

Think of environmental art as baking a cake, so far I see you putting frosting already when that should be left for last.

BrandenJoven

Hello Polycount,

I am back with some updates after a short break after my school quarter. This project is still a work in progress and I hope to further progress with this project. I am at a point where I will need help with the direction of my project and where to start next or what needs to be worked on some more.

Again all feedback is welcomed!

Thanks,
Branden 

BrandenJoven

My lighting still needs some work and I used a Post Process Volume to get a closer color match to the reference. (UVmaps still need to be done)

 The red box in this image will be the area I want to focus on from now on since I want to condense the project to a smaller scale so I can spend more time with less models and detail them more.

BrandenJoven

I have decided that this is the size of the scene I want to work with.

BrandenJoven

I am also liking this scene with a lower ceiling, it helps get rid of some of the negative space to work with. 

BrandenJoven

Some progress on the scene. I'm jumping around everywhere on this scene trying to figure out whether the adjustments I add fit or not but I feel like this breaks up the emptiness with the walls. Slowly adding in some last minute  props to help populate the scene a bit.

Again all feedback is welcomed and it helps a lot. 
Cheers!

BrandenJoven

update:

JLeeD

Hey, this is looking pretty good! So at the moment, you're project has adapted into something fairly different than what you started with, so I think taking a step back and getting some new reference and inspiration would keep up the strength in your project. I'm getting very Amnesia vibes with this, however, and this is probably completely random, your scene really reminded me of Frankenstein's lab, I think it was the table with the guy on it 


Whatever direction you go with it, keep using reference and inspiration! Check out dark souls as well and see how they dealt with dark and cramped medieval rooms. Onto some other notes, the ceiling would be wooden, not brick so I would change the texture for that and also you seem to be having some trouble with the consistency of your texture sizes. I would check out this article on textel density and how to consistently set up an environment, https://80.lv/articles/textel-density-tutorial/ and theres also a lot of stuff on the polycount wikia http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Category:TextureTechnique Specifically texture atlas I think may help you.  Also make sure to check the scale of the scene with the dude, and what kind of room you want it to feel like. If you do want to make it quite cramped, making the door smaller may help with that. Hope that helps, keep it up!  

BrandenJoven

JLeeD said:

Hey, this is looking pretty good! So at the moment, you're project has adapted into something fairly different than what you started with, so I think taking a step back and getting some new reference and inspiration would keep up the strength in your project. I'm getting very Amnesia vibes with this, however, and this is probably completely random, your scene really reminded me of Frankenstein's lab, I think it was the table with the guy on it 


Whatever direction you go with it, keep using reference and inspiration! Check out dark souls as well and see how they dealt with dark and cramped medieval rooms. Onto some other notes, the ceiling would be wooden, not brick so I would change the texture for that and also you seem to be having some trouble with the consistency of your texture sizes. I would check out this article on textel density and how to consistently set up an environment, https://80.lv/articles/textel-density-tutorial/ and theres also a lot of stuff on the polycount wikia http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Category:TextureTechnique Specifically texture atlas I think may help you.  Also make sure to check the scale of the scene with the dude, and what kind of room you want it to feel like. If you do want to make it quite cramped, making the door smaller may help with that. Hope that helps, keep it up!  

Thanks JLeed,
I appreciate the comment you have left, It will really help me with my process on this project. I am on a mission to find newer concepts and references to help me build out this scene. As the references you have provided, I have had some people tell me similar things that it reminds them of a Frankenstein scene. With the textures I have for my scene like the brick texture, I just through it on the walls so it wouldn't look so plain but I will rework those to make them a lot better than they do now. Also thanks for the texture tips, ill probably be needing them soon when the time comes!

BrandenJoven

Update: Okay I am in the process of finding reference for my new approach to the scene I will be working on, so you can discard the very first reference idea. Finding reference for this scene is a bit harder than I expected but it's all apart of the learning process. I am going more for a witch doctor laboratory who experiments on test subjects to better his medicine. I want to keep that dark medieval mood in a cramped room, but ill be working with this new reference I will post for the layout of the room. I wont be modeling exactly everything in the reference, I want fill it with the models I have now and use other reference I find to help populate the environment.

As always, any help with the development of this scene is always appreciated.

-Branden
  

BrandenJoven

Update: I started to reshape the room and blocked out the scene a bit, i'll continue to finish blocking out the whole room and work with the lighting some more.

BrandenJoven

Update: Still playing with the lighting and finishing up the last block outs.

BrandenJoven

Update: 

Cordell Felix

Smaller scale was the right choice. The smaller blockout with temp lighting is going in the right direction!
Keep knocking out the blockout and get to the modular assets
Materials and lighting will make this environment look awesome.

BrandenJoven

Update: Blockout is coming to its final stage