[WIP][UE4] Forest Hut settlement

Ozz14

Hey everyone,

This is scene I've worked with on a 10 week schedule. I'm pretty happy with how its turning out so far, but have also gotten to the point where i've spent so much time in this scene I don't know which way is up especially with the lighting. Any crits appreciated. Have a good weekend!

Current build:

Concept (by sergey vasnev, very talented artist):

Ozz14

Completely scrapped my lighting and started from scratch - and very glad I did. I'm much happier with this scene now. I owe it to Josh Lynch for telling that this scene wasn't hitting its potential due to lighting. I didn't truly understand what DFAO, Lightmass, or Volumetric Lighting were or how they worked, so I watched all of the Unreal Lighting Academy videos by Tilmann MIlde (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grN5Yd55UIM) and they were incredibly useful for helping me understand what exactly all these different techniques were and how to use them in in tandem (and when not to). Also, for portfolio work, knowing how to optimize a scene with built lighting so you can iterate quickly was the other big take away I got. These all might seem like obvious things but being self taught I never really learned lighting for UE4. I just kept pushing buttons until I got something that looked ok.

This scene has been a lesson in developing my artistic eye for sure. I was so laser focused on perfectly replicating the concept art that I didn't realize  how much detail and value range I was sacrificing just so I could make an environment that looked similar to the concept. I'm still polishing and can't wait to add this to the portfolio. But I must not rush!

Carabiner

Wow, the reworked version is amazing! It's wild what a huge difference lighting can make.

Ozz14

Carabiner said:

Wow, the reworked version is amazing! It's wild what a huge difference lighting can make.

Thank you thank you!