[Environment Art] Modular Environment Creation + Texturing Process

flowpoly

Hello everyone! 

So I recently decided that I want to focus on Environment Art. I also found out about modular environment creation, but I am confused when it comes to texturing...

As far as modular environment creation goes, it seems to be a process to create lego-like models that you can reuse over and over again to speed up the environment creation process. 

In terms of texturing, I saw that people basically make 1 or a few maps that are basically used over and over again for each asset in the environment.

I looked at this thread and I was mind-blown: http://polycount.com/discussion/89682/an-exercise-in-modular-textures-scifi-lab-udk/p1 
"The goal is to make this entire scene using one 256*512 texture." That is all the artist used to texture the whole scene and I am honestly mind-blown and quite confused too.   

I am having trouble understanding how it all comes together. How does the unwrapping work? How does only one texture contain so much information about glossiness, metalness, emissive map, and even normals?

Is the artist just pushing himself to the limit by just using 1 texture map or is that a common practice? Is there an approximate of what dimensions textures should be and perhaps even a number?

Does anyone have any resources I can use about modular environment creation and most importantly texturing process? I have found a couple here and there, but nothing that explains the process in-depth.

Is there anything else I am missing out?

Have a nice day everyone and thanks in advance for the responses! 

Eric Chadwick

How does the unwrapping work?

He's using multiple UV channels. He explains it in the thread.

How does only one texture contain so much information about glossiness, metalness, emissive map, and even normals?

http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/ChannelPacking

Is the artist just pushing himself to the limit by just using 1 texture map or is that a common practice?

Snefer's process in that scifi lab is not used very often, at least not for a whole scene. The shaders necessary for this kind of approach are usually too slow. But the techniques themselves are actually used quite a lot in games. Just not the same texture for a whole level.

Is there an approximate of what dimensions textures should be and perhaps even a number?

Not really. Depends on each game. 1024x1024 or 2048x2048 are good sizes to start with.

Does anyone have any resources I can use about modular environment creation and most importantly texturing process?

Yep. I made a section on the wiki just for this topic.
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Modular_environments

Is there anything else I am missing out?

You'll learn through experience, through actually trying to make something. That's really the best way to learn these techniques. Read a lot, but make sure to actually DO a lot too.

flowpoly

@Eric Chadwick 
Hey thanks for answering so fast and dealing with the huge wall of text I posted haha!   

I went through the whole thread by Snefer once again. The fact that he has more than 1 UV set and using multiple channels had me confused. The link about Channel Packing helped understand a lot of it though!

So according to what you are saying, it would be correct to say that having the same set of textures for the walls, the roofs, the windows, and maybe doors of an environment would make sense. On the other hand, for other sort of assets in the environment it would be better to give them new maps but maybe a resolution 512x512 or smaller instead of 1024x1024 used for walls, roofs, windows, etc?

I guess in the end it is all about balancing between texture amount, texture size and assets to find a sweet spot in which the game runs nicely, but has enough detail that it remains interesting.

Thanks for the help Eric, I appreciate it.

Eric Chadwick

It all depends. Sorry, but it's true. Usually the artists are given a budget for memory use for a level, and have to fit within that. So you adjust your texture sizes accordingly. I'm working on mobile games, where the memory limits are very strict. So I have the equivalent of 5 or so 512x512 maps, divided up into 3 or so at that size, and a few smaller ones for different things.

flowpoly

@Eric Chadwick
That helped! A memory budget is a good way to think about it.  

avenali312

Eric Chadwick said:

You'll learn through experience, through actually trying to make something. That's really the best way to learn these techniques. Read a lot, but make sure to actually DO a lot too.

 Quoting this to emphasize. It really is the best advice for most things game dev related.

flowpoly

@avenali312
Yeah, that is why I am here...I tend to give less attention to theory