[WIP] [UE4] [Environment] Shogun Japanese Style Castle

CactusFantastico

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Hey everyone!

I thought I should make a thread for the progress of my newest scene that is a continuation of the ArtStation Shogun challenge that I never got to finish (or even start really) It is generally based on this awesome concept by Edward Barons

So far this is my progress so far



Please let me know what you guys think, I'm eager for some feedback!

ArtStation Link

HixaLupa

I really like the patterns on the wall! The lighting's great too

CactusFantastico

HixaLupa said:

I really like the patterns on the wall! The lighting's great too

Thank you! I like to get a good fleshed out blockout first thing so I can try and work on the general lighting nice and early. Sometimes I don't even change it at the end haha I feel it helps motivate me more if it starts looking good as soon as really.

CactusFantastico

Hey Everyone!

So you may have noticed that it's been 2 weeks since my last update and the reason for that is got very sick this week unfortunately. On the plus side I am on the mend now and have got back to work!

Since the last update I have finished the stairs, messed around with the sky some more, as well as work and then rework the stone leading up to the walls. At first I went more for an organised brick layout but when i checked my references I noticed that these kind of castles typically have a more disorganised style to the brick so I went back and redid it. That's what you get for not checking references haha

Speaking of references I finally downloaded pureref so I could organise my references instead of just having folders and I am definitely happy I have done so. Here is a peek at my moodboard

ArtStation Link

CactusFantastico

Hey Everyone!

So this week I have worked on the roof for the main wall as well as start the front of the main castle.

I am pretty happy with the roof and how it's come out, I'm terrified of doing the major roof because of its weird forms but I am also looking forward to getting it done. I am very happy with the metal details on the front of the wood beams of the entrance, I feel it creates a nice contrast with the red wood . Also It is nice to make something that isn't just stone or snow at this point haha

Next up I will be doing the big doors and then working upwards until I finish all of the castle. I think prob by next week I feel like I will at least be up to the roof at least.

Well that's all for this week, Looking forward to working on more for next week already.

Let me know any comments or criticism that you have.

ArtStation Link

CactusFantastico

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the late post, I was pretty ill but I have had a lot of progress this week, so much so that I think I am fast approaching the end.

So as you can see I have made pretty much all of the main castle and I have started working on the second one. Mainly I need to finish of the second building roof as next priority. I have tried to make some kind of interior for second castle but I'm not so sure about it so I might go back on this. After this I want to make a couple of cherry blossom trees for behind the wall and then the mountains in the distance. After that I think its about done! 

I plan to create some extra camera angles at that point and an animation before calling it done. Might go back and improve on some stuff as well.

Well that's all for this week, stay tuned for next week as It might be the last!

let me know any comments or improvements to be made

ArtStation Link

Bedrock

The sky seems really bright compared to your ref and blends in with the main building too much. That's your focal point so you want it to stick out. Right now the light on the main building is giving me the impression that it's lit up by the little torches (which would be too weak for this), rather than sun light. The concept is very over the top on this but I would just embrace it.

If you want to keep that as it is I would really like to see the interior of the main building lit up like the little building especially the big doorway and the area under the roof. Seems like there's a lot of potential there with little highlights. Also I would get those little torches to work, they are barely visible right now (the one on the building).

CactusFantastico

Bedrock said:

The sky seems really bright compared to your ref and blends in with the main building too much. That's your focal point so you want it to stick out. Right now the light on the main building is giving me the impression that it's lit up by the little torches (which would be too weak for this), rather than sun light. The concept is very over the top on this but I would just embrace it.

If you want to keep that as it is I would really like to see the interior of the main building lit up like the little building especially the big doorway and the area under the roof. Seems like there's a lot of potential there with little highlights. Also I would get those little torches to work, they are barely visible right now (the one on the building).

Thank you for the great feedback! you're completely right, I have gone back now and done a quick new bake to address the problems you mentioned. Let me know if I'm on the right track!



I thought i would decrease the lantern brightness and angle the "sunlight" to be pointing higher up to make a clear distinction for the "sunlight" and lanterns. As well as this I darkened the sky obviously and boosted the lanterns on the balcony edge. I also increased the size of them to hopefully make them more visible. I will prob end up making an interior for the main castle and light it up if you think it would help too.

CactusFantastico

After a some more tweaking and another bake I am much much happier with the new lighting, thanks!

Alex_J

great progress here.

could you easily drop the silhouette of the mountains to just below the corners of the roof (on the left building)? I feel like that may give the place a more powerful or foreboding presence.

CactusFantastico

Hey Everyone!

Feel like a big update this time, finished off the second building  is finished. I changed the brightness of the sky that was too light as well as changing the lighting overall for the main castle. The main castle balcony lights are bigger and brighter, there is snow at the ends of roofs as well as on some of the wood beams as well as changing the snow distribution currently on some elements already done, added more grime to the plaster walls to make them less pure white.

One of the last main things I have done is added some cherry blossom trees. I have very very little experience making tree's so I am happy with how they came out but at the same time I am having problems with the leaves being way way too dark. I have boosted the brightness of the textures to brighten it as well as have a light pointing at them to try and help too boost them. I have SS material on the leaves as well as edited to the normals but it hasn't helped too much. I will have to play around with some stuff and figure it out.

I think with luck, next weeks update shall be my last! Mainly just need to do the mountains really though I have no real experience in that field either so It might take a bit to get it all right. From there it's just making some other camera angles and a animation I think. Last big push!

I hope you enjoyed my update, let me know what you think with any crits or problems

ArtStation Link

BIGTIMEMASTER said:

great progress here. 

could you easily drop the silhouette of the mountains to just below the corners of the roof (on the left building)? I feel like that may give the place a more powerful or foreboding presence. 

Ah yes I definitely agree actually, thank you for that. At the moment the mountains are just placeholders but I will make sure to keep that in mind as I move to completing them now