Question about Environment creation workflow
vertex
I'm getting into environment art, and I was wondering how professionals go about stitching a 3D level together, specially walls, floors and ceilings. I'm not looking for software specific solutions (although if you're using UE4 or Substance, it will help).
For example, do you you make a square wall tile and clone that along the level? How about texturing? If you tile your textures along the walls or the floor, what do you do when you want to create variation? Like a puddle in the floor, for example, or a particularly mossy area on the wall. Do you layer in materials for that?
I am sorry if this question is too vague. I will answer to any questions you have. Thank you.
For example, do you you make a square wall tile and clone that along the level? How about texturing? If you tile your textures along the walls or the floor, what do you do when you want to create variation? Like a puddle in the floor, for example, or a particularly mossy area on the wall. Do you layer in materials for that?
I am sorry if this question is too vague. I will answer to any questions you have. Thank you.
Replies
Start by reading the environment section of the wiki
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Environment
For more specific questions about modularity which seems to be something you're after there's a lot of good stuff here
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Modular_environments
There are many techniques for variation, I'm actually researching and compiling information on this topic for a paper of sorts right now, but it's not ready yet
Happy reading!
One thing that might help you answer your own question is to take your reference or concept image and draw over it with colored lines to highlight objects you perceive as modular or could be made modular. Look for things that appear they fit together or could be modified to work with each other.
It can get quite a bit more complicated from there since how you make a modular object can vary quite a bit (a baked high-poly object with unique UVs, effectively tiling materials across it, and more)
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/MultiTexture#Modulation_Blending