[WIP][Environment] Jibakurei Castle

zachagreg

Hey all starting a new post on this as a continuation of my last one located here: https://polycount.com/discussion/205682/need-some-help-with-modularity-layout-and-scale#latest

Didn't want to muddy up the Technical Talk forum with critique and what not, all aspects still very open to critique. Layout, kit, lighting the whole shebang. Below is the recent first lighting pass.

Link to Challenge Post: https://www.artstation.com/contests/feudal-japan/challenges/51/submissions/33266

zachagreg

From the ashes comes me after too damn long. Finally got back into this. Here are some updates. I've changed the lighting right now just to make it workable as while the prior lighting is nice and moody and I will definitely keep up the original concept it's just not bright enough honestly. I will be making a transition between at least sunset to nighttime. I don't know yet about full day. 



I've got a lot of work to do on the main kit, I'm redoing most of it as it was never finalized to begin and I didn't like how light everything was. I want a heavier chunkiness out of the architecture. Reworking how the tiling and roofs fit together currently hope to have that done soon. 



Did some texture shooting as well, I wanted to at the very least do the foliage as texture scans as I've picked up a camera and I'm quite enjoying the natural process of hunting for foliage. It provides a good balance for me to get out and search around. Below is the atlas for the Ivy which I'm am in the process of making various clumps and arrangements for.



Last is the wooden trim I've been developing, I'm going through and reworking the weird looking box portion and plan to replace it with something more interesting, also the top has some space for decals as well. 


I've got a lot to do as I'm reviving this thing and getting stuff reorganized or redone so it's scattered now. I am focusing on the kit for now so more focused posts coming in the future. Also please critique the hell out of this, any portion of it is appreciated. Cheers!

zachagreg

Update on the modular kit. Been getting my ass kicked by work so not as far as I'd like to be but mostly done with the big pieces. Doing sculpts and some variations right now on the main pieces. Decorative pieces after that. 

zachagreg

Pagoda Sciulpt

zachagreg

zachagreg

Not quite finished with this sculpt but almost done, final touches and texturing tomorrow.

CanberkYucekok

really nice work i like it man

Alex_J

Nice sculpting.

Do you use displacement maps to get the wood grain? Probably a combination of displacement and hand sculpting?

Looking forward to more

zachagreg

Hey Alex, I use a series of alphas for most of the wood grain that I made from my various bouts of texture shooting. Just a masked and desaturated old woods that I found. A lot of the damages is a mix of hand sculpting and some of Jonas Ronnegards alphas.

Thanks Canberk!

Ashervisalis

This is looking great! I feel your sculpted pagoda looks a bit soft, and could use more rigid/sharp details. Your last 2 wood sculpts look amazing!

zachagreg

Ashervisalis said:

This is looking great! I feel your sculpted pagoda looks a bit soft, and could use more rigid/sharp details. Your last 2 wood sculpts look amazing!

I definitely agree with you on that one, it's mainly due to the stone material that I'm going to be using is rather noisy when compared to the woods that I've made so far. So when I get into my material blending on the pagodas I'll see if I need to go back in and put in micro detail that the stone material doesn't offer. But thank you for the sharp eye!

zachagreg

More fleshed out progress render, working on lowpoly adjustments now, can't wait to get this thing into Substance

zachagreg

Pretty much done on this. Let me know what you think and crit openly as always!
Artstation Post: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/2x11NK

zachagreg

Lighting update and getting some materials in there and bamboo. Currently working on homogenizing my master materials and cleaning them for reuse later, I will see how that goes. Added in some pixel depth offset into the masters so that I can easily do a dither blend on the ground. You can see the effect on the flagstones under the Unreal Man. No material transfers or anything yet, but may incorporate wetness being applied.

zachagreg

Also made some moss.