[WIP] [UE4] Swamp Environment

MexInTex

I am working on my Capstone for my last semester in school and am open to all critiques. My greatest inspiration has been Crytek's Hunt: Showdown. Their recreation of the Louisiana Bayou is incredible and this is my first attempt at something similar. My aim was to create an abandoned cabin in the heart of a swamp. I have been using Maya, Zbrush, Substance Suite, Unreal Engine, and Photoshop.

Ashervisalis

I think you need to work on your materials a bit. Did you apply a tiling texture to the trees in engine? It looks like they've got their own separate texture maps.

MexInTex

The trees have an independant texture, I work on them in Substance Painter. Could you elaborate on what you mean?

shadacer

Thanks for posting!
First thing that sticks out is the lighting, it's very flat and there's no directionality/shadows anywhere. Try a DominantDirectional light to get a start on this.
I second the notion of the materials, they don't appear to have much response - having a strong light as mentioned above will help with that, but be sure to use real-world reference as well.
Your bayou cabin's structure is a little odd/flimsy -without a strong wooden framework those planks would fall apart. There needs to be vertical planks at the edges, windows and doorframes to support and border the building.

I'm attaching some reference below on real-world cabins to show you what I mean:

This has potential, just don't pass up the feedback and keep plugging away. I would also try and find a focal point of the image (say, the cabin), and focus on making that look as good as it can.

MexInTex

Thanks for critique. Lighting is definitely my weakest subject. Here is my reference (the reason it looks so flimsy). I will keep all of this in mind and keep plugging away! 

Ashervisalis

If your trees are going to be a massive mesh in the game, I feel they need a tiling texture, with vertex painting in engine. If you texture a large mesh in Substance Painter, when the mesh is huge in game, the texture will look low resolution.

MexInTex

Its been a while! I've been plugging away, did some major lighting passes. Still working on some props, the thatch roof, the background. Feedback welcome. Right now I'm really nitpicking.

shadacer

Ah, i see what you're going for now!

Judging by that concept, you're gonna need to have a lot more wood, thinner and painted. Right now your wood is a little doughy and stylised-looking - try and get sharper edges and thinner shapes.
Regarding the construction of the shack, I'd suggest in that case that you change the vertical boards on the sides of the building and keep them horizontal, as per the concept.
Also the original concept had a lot less saturation on the colours, which helps it capture that gritty feel. I would encourage desaturating the textures to match the concept, having thinner, more sparse grass and more mud buildup.

If it's too much and you're struggling, focus on a single area of the scene, or even a simple prop/texture, and get that to the quality you're aiming for - then, base your art around that.

MexInTex

Thanks very much for the critique! I'll keep plugging away and try to keep the thread updated.

MexInTex

I've been neglecting this lantern for a while now. Had some fun in substance painter.

Ashervisalis

That lantern looks like it's 200 years old. I think there is too much grunge on it. Maybe lessen the damage and rust a bit?