UE4: Warhammer 40K "City of Death" environment [FINISHED]

BootScoot

Hi Polycounters, I've been working away on this scene for far too long now and am looking for some feedback and critique as I finish it off.
I've built an environment that is based upon Games Workshops' "Cities of Death" model kit in UE4 I initially intended to build just one of the buildings, but it has grown into a scene. I've tried to make something that's representaive of that over the top claustraphobic/steampunk gothic style. There are a few lttle errors that have to be ironed out (a few screwy normal maps) but anyways here are a few shots. I've posted some more detailed breakdowns of the highpoly/lowpoly meshes on my artstaion page (check my signature), so feel free to check that out and let me know what you think!

Thanks

BootScoot

Well, I've got a few new screenshots for you all. The most notable change is the lighting. I knocked back the lights from the lamps, reduced the effect of the volumetric fog and tweaked the post processing color grading. I also changed the directional light back to stationary. I had this previously set to static. There is now a lot more color in the scene.

I've also gotten around to reworking most of the stone textures as I wasn't happy them. They looked a bit like mush. Fixing the main tiling stone blocks made a big improvement. The roughness may need to be increased, but I still think it looks a lot better. Here is a shot of highpoly and the game mesh.



I've also made the tile mesh and textures that will sit around the shrine/monument area. This sits to the right of the adminustratum building - where the 4 giant aquilas are. Here are some shots of the highpoly and game mesh.



There are now also some textured and modeled large Industrial pipes that sit in the scene, as well as some reworked/rebaked older assets whose normal maps and lightmass UVs were a bit screwed. I'm currently in the stages of reworking the plinths that the giant aquilas sit on as I'm not happy with the current design.

Feedback is welcome!

Check my artstation page in my signature for more. Cheers.

WilliamB_Art

The project is awesome mate! Some things i would point out:
- I like the floor maps, but I think they look too clean, you know? I think some dirt would contibute a lot to their quality
- And i think adding a minor flair on the red light areas would be awesome too.

I don't think i have mutch more to say, besides that you're killing it!
Hope to have helped you with my pointings, and hope to see this one finished!

BootScoot

Hi William, thanks for your suggestions. I agree that the floors are a bit too clean at the moment. I was planning on adding some decals of some dirt to break up the surface a bit and adding a few vents to make it all a bit more interesting. The flare is also a good idea. Presently I'm just focusing on getting the big features sorted out, before doing some finessing. Cheers!

BootScoot

Hi Polycount, I've a smallish update to share. These are a couple of decorative elements that will be used around the giant aquilas. I've yet to start doing the low poly of the lamp - I'll move on to that later today.

I hope to have a more substantial update in a week or so.

Feedback is again welcome!

BootScoot

Hello polycount, I've a bit of a bigger update to share. I've textured the lamp for the monument/shrine area and now have that hooked up and in UE4. The plinths have been reworked and I'm a lot happier with the result. I'm not sure what direction to take the rest of the monument area in, so I plan to head back to that area and resolve it.

Presently I'm in the process of adding some pieces to break up the scene a bit.  I've had a few assets that have been sitting unused on my PC that I'd built for this project and have started work on the low poly of an interface that will be fixed to the industrial pillar. Here are a few shots.

Let me know your thoughts.

adrxzero

Super digging this project! keep at it

BootScoot

Thanks adrxzero!

X3KJ

Good scene
To get more of the spirit of 40k into the scene, i think it could be beneficial to have a more "grim dark" in the background. Environmental pollution is very common for example. A few high rise industrial silluettes in the background could add to that - spewing out nasty stuff into the air. This stuff in the atmosphere settles on objects over time, so that might be an idea for additional dirt. If you would like some visual inspiration for pollution, you could look for videos/images of Norilsk, a city in russia. For siluettes you could look for blast furnacesses (betlehem steel in US, or duisburg in germany) for example.

What is most noticeable is that the brass is too 'pure' and even i think. Such metals will not keep their shiny surface for long. Brass will dull out ("tarnish") and will eventually oxidate when its exposed to rain (esp. acidic rain^^)


Btw - if it interests you, we are looking for volunteer artists for our 40k mod project

BootScoot

Hi X3KJ, thanks for your input. I've seen those images of Bethlehem steel works - quite impressive. I've got some shots of some of those 40K industrial city scape miniatures and have thought about adding these to the scene, for the purpose of breaking up the skyline behind the wall.

Regarding the brass it may be a bit uniform. It was darker and more tarnished earlier on, but I reworked it. I may yet retouch but I am a bit hesitant to do so as there is something like 20 odd meshes that have their own unique brass texture. I am happy with how it contrasts with the surrounding materials - I guess I was thinking of something like Bioshock as a stylist touch stone.

These suggestions will have to go on the back burner as I'm currently adding some smaller elements to break up the scene. Yet again, thanks for your suggestions!

 Anyway, I've completed the interface from the previous post. Here are a few updated shots.

BootScoot

Hi all, just a few more updated shots. I've started to bring through a few smaller props to break up the scene a bit, as well as having (yet again) played with fog and auto-exposure settings in UE4. The props mainly consist of vents, smaller pipes and valves and large industrial chimneys. I'm not sure how much further I can really push the scene: I think it may be soon time to wind it up.

Let me know what you think. Cheers.

BootScoot

Hi, just thought I'd post these breakdowns of new meshes that I added. In regards to the copper pipe pieces, I used small modular pieces that could snap into place via the use of sockets. This allowed for very quick blueprint assemblage in UE4.

Crits welcome!

Bostvic

Looks really cool! Great to see some WH40K environment stuff

BootScoot

Thanks Bostvic! I think there are quite a few fans of the 40K aesthetic around: it's pretty iconic.

BootScoot

Hi Polycount, I'm calling this project complete. I've spent the last week or so re-rendering some of the main highpoly and lowpoly elements that make up the Basilica Administratum building - the main focal point and catalyst for this scene. I wasn't happy with how I'd present them on my artstation page.

I've also re-lit the scene as it was, I felt, too dark and added some particle effects as means of adding a bit more depth. Some are Epic's such as the steam, smoke and dust effects, but the rest are mine. Ideally I would have to love to have built these myself, but it would have taken a bit too long to have taught myself.

I've learnt a hell of a lot doing this project. A big thanks to WilliamB_Art, adrxzero, X3KJ, and Bostvic for commenting and offering encouragement, along with those out there that liked my work.

Here are the new update scene shots, which I'm currently in the process of adding to my artstation page:

BootScoot

These screens are of the highpoly and lowpoly models that I used to construct the doors and doorway of the Basilica Administratum building. I made pretty heavy use of sockets and blueprints inside of UE4 throughout this scene.  This allowed me to reuse and reconfigure elements, although no where nearly as extensively as what I initially intended. Given that some of these meshes were exploded and then reassembled as blueprints, It also made the handling of Lightmass UVs a bit easier.

Lighting was also handled via blueprints. For example, the bulkhead lights that are used a lot in this scene and appear here on the door mesh, were a blueprint that contained both the bulkhead mesh actor as well as a spot light actor. Amongst other parameters, I was able to both control the albedo of the light mesh and the color of the light, all through one linear color parameter. This meant that it was very quick to change the look of the lighting very quickly in the scene.

BootScoot

And one last breakdown of the Basilica Administratum: the windows. Yet again sockets where used. The leadlight and glass were treated as 2 separate material functions that were then combined as a layered material. Given that I used material instances a lot, I could quickly control the color of the glass, its opacity, its roughness and the strength of its highlights.

I think that's enough posting for one night. If anyone wants to see anymore breakdowns, let me know. Yet again thanks for looking and thanks to those who offered their input. Cheers!

adrxzero

This is some outstanding work dude! You nailed so much of it! I very much look forward to seeing this piece completed. 

BootScoot

Hey adrexzero, thanks for the compliment!

I would really have liked to have done more work for this scene, but I'm going to call it quits - at least for now. I think the 40K aesthetic is really excessive (in a good way!) and I really could have kept adding to it, but I think it's time to move on.

The last 2 post where more about showing how I approached building the main focal point of the scene - the Administratum building. This was initially all I intended to build, but the project ballooned into something a bit bigger.

The post prior to that was of the completed project.

Sorry for reposting this image, but the below image is the most representative as to what I had hoped and set out to achieve.

Anyways, thanks again for your encouragement!

Syrtax

Amazing work man! Really captures the feel and mood of 40k! 
Takes me back to when I first brought a building piece and admired all those details you perfectly captured!

BootScoot

Thanks Sytrax! Yeah, there is a bit of detail in 40K.

BootScoot

Well it seems that I called this project complete a bit prematurely! After receiving some encouragement and some suggestions to tweak the lighting I've taken another shot at relighting this. A mate was kind enough to provide me with a paint over. I'm happier with the results - the elements read a lot better and the scene has more vibrancy. Prior to the re-lighting it was a bit too dark.

Anyways, here are the shots and thanks for your time!

WilliamB_Art

This is out of this world, mate! Great modeling and texturing, and the mood with the new lights is incredible. I'm really happy to see you finishing up this project, and I'm glad to say that it turned out awesome!

BootScoot

Thank you very much WilliamB_Art! There was a lot more I had hoped to add to this scene, but real life did get in the way. Given that I was working on a large wide-screen monitor and building an outdoor scene it did become a bit of a monster. I would love to have added some more mid and background elements to give the scene more depth. Retrospectively the use of trimsheets may have been useful, as I high poly modelled and then baked down to low poly almost all of the assets in the scene. Anyway you live and learn, right?

I'm happy enough with the result and it is complete enough (I think) to move on. Cheers!

Bletzkarn

lots of really amazing work.

BootScoot

Thank you, Bletzkarn.

BootScoot

Hey Polycount, for those of you that are interested I recently did a piece for 80 Level about how I approached building this scene.

https://80.lv/articles/recreating-warhammer-40k-style/

adrxzero

Great work on your article! really enjoyed reading it

BootScoot

@adrxzero Thanks - glad you enjoyed it!