[WIP] Uni project environment - Dwarf Throne Room

Beleram

Hello, this is my first post on polycount. I'm a second year games art student and we have a project to make an Environment from a book, tv show or Movie. 

I'm going with making the Dwarven Throne Room of Zhufbar from a Warhammer Book so I don't have much info on how the actual thing looks and I don't have much done but will be continuing to work on it and posting more soon and hope to get some feedback.

Here's a Blockout of the Room



So far I haven't baked anything yet, just been working on the high poly and low polys that I can get done quick.

Door_HP_LP

Pillar_HP_LP


I've thrown them into Unreal just to see how they look.

Beleram

More assets modelled, retopped and adding to the engine just to see how they look

Just learnt today that instead of having basic chains, I could use a plane instead since it wont matter as they are being seen from far away so will redo that later.


The candle isn't great especially at the parts where the wax drops off but I am learning Zbrush from new.




The book does mention there being a hundred lanterns shining down so I wonder how that will look, plus do you think these are too high maybe or a fine height?


Modelling this then bought it into Zbrush to wear down the edges and used some custom brushed to create cracks and chips.


Dwarf heads to go into the Throne, again not as great I'd hope to have it turn out but new to Zbrush and didn't want to spend too long on it.






Need to create a couple more pieces then will start the UVs and baking, get AO with normals and then substance painter for texturing. Still new to this pipeline but i'm kind of getting the hang of this.

Beleram

Slowly starting to get some stuff baked when I have the time. Starting to get the hang of substance as well. Not too happy with the scratch style on the front, too many in a small space. May have to make my own Alphas for that as well as some dwarven design over the gold.

BucketOfNuggets

What is your reference? With your props, they need to tell a story, have the damage make sense. So with the shield, maybe an axe chipped an edge than dragged down to the centre leaving a single large scratch. Or maybe chips in the wood from where arrow heads were removed etc.

Are the door handles modeled in to the door?

What's up with these edges?  with the steps leading up to the throne, i'd wear down the centre more.

Beleram

I have to look at  other various Warhammer references since Zhufbar is only mentioned in books so there is no definitive design on what stuff looks like in there.

I shall try that with the shield then, thought there is no wood, since Dwarves don't really use it.

Yes the handles are modeled into the door, thought I separated the faces for baking.

The edges are finicky since I was new to Zbrush at the time and didn't know to use a mask on the face to stop it being affected, but the Headpiece that slotted into there would've covered it up, I've got to revisit the throne though.

Thank you for the advice

Beleram

I revisited the previous shield and toned down the gold, changed up the scratches as I felt there were just too many and added some on the front to give it a better battle damage look.  



With the first shield, I felt like it is a bit too bare and didn't belong in the Warhammer world as much, but that's because of time and my skill in Zbrush isn't great to create faces on the shield, so on this one, I added a design that's on one of the miniature shields as well managing to find the Zhufbar Icon to put onto it.

shabba

Pick the key compositions/camera angles you want to show/work on, and flesh out a block out with basic shapes for all these details and archtiecture you are planning. All this prop stuff wont matter if your base isnt solid. 

Go back to the beginning and do the entire blockout, do a rough first pass lighting, and then rough colour palette for materials and get a sense of how everything plays together. Refine/iterate/refine THEN consider props and proper materials.

Olingova

Hey, about those lights maybe making heighty variations could make them reaaaaally cool, and later add some nice light variations

Beleram

shabba said:

Pick the key compositions/camera angles you want to show/work on, and flesh out a block out with basic shapes for all these details and archtiecture you are planning. All this prop stuff wont matter if your base isnt solid. 

Go back to the beginning and do the entire blockout, do a rough first pass lighting, and then rough colour palette for materials and get a sense of how everything plays together. Refine/iterate/refine THEN consider props and proper materials.

That's a fair point, man. Thank you for a advice I will look back at that to give myself a stronger sense of the layout and what colours and textures I'll be using. 

Olingova said:

Hey, about those lights maybe making heighty variations could make them reaaaaally cool, and later add some nice light variations

That's a good idea. Will play with that, thank you.


Haven't posted on here in a while, Just a bit of progress on my scene though.


Here is the door I made, though I may change it or add more stuff because I feel it isn't Dwarven enough, probably will add some designs, or embossing on it to get more of that feel I'm looking for when I have time.




I created a head sculpt after whilst staying up all night, as something I can add onto some pieces, either the pillars or the door even, just something to give it more of a Dwarven feel.


ref:


Here is my attempt at making Basalt rock using substance designer for the first time, something I'll use for the walls and basalt formations in the room. I'll show that when i redo the blockout.

Larry

If you change the chains into cards, wpuld that look bad? The chains get so many polygons, I dont know if its worth it. But on the other hand for a portfolio piece you dont have any budgets

Beleram

Larry said:

If you change the chains into cards, wpuld that look bad? The chains get so many polygons, I dont know if its worth it. But on the other hand for a portfolio piece you dont have any budgets

I did have a discussion with a couple of my lecturers about that because I wasn't sure how to go about it, he thought cards wouldn't look as good even though in the final shots I wasn't going to have any close ups on them, plus I don't really have a limit on my scene. As well as having them as a model would be good for future pieces to use and portfolio pieces depending on how they turn out in the end. I think the only thing that'll be expensive will be the lighting on the lanterns. but I'll sort something out.

littleclaude

Might want to LOD the chains into cards as you have so many.

Great work, can we see an update  

Beleram

Ok taking earlier advice, I did another blockout of the scene to get an understanding of hat it'll look like and it did help since I now have an idea for how to walls will look like.



I also made the heads for the walls



Model ref:from the Zhufbar entrance