[WIP] Cyro Game Environment

Neeraz

Hi,
I have been working on this environment and I seek critique and would appreciate feedback from all.
Hope its likable. 
Thank you.

teodar23

Looks cool but:
- the second shot is really close to a pipe or something and the texture resolution is not good. Either increase the res or dont show pics from that type of angle (close to an object).
- the walls are very repetitive and although modularity is great, do some unique meshes that break repetition. Same thing for the cables/chord on each side.
- the absolute symmetry of the scene also creates repetition. You could at least try to rotate some assets instead of mirroring them.
- it is obvious that the scene lighting doesnt come from the various light sources in the scene (which are probably meshes with emissive materials) but from fill lights placed some distance away from the actual thing that should produce light. Try to avoid this.
- material definition looks like its non-PBR which is ok if you want to target mobile devices.

icegodofhungary

The tank needs some frosty glass and perhaps some light fog coming off of it to sell the cold/cryo concept. Maybe you can do some kind of positional frost where the bottom and top of the tank are nearly opaque with frost, but it's just clear enough in the middle to show the creature within.

Also the lights along the walkway seem a bit bright and they're drawing focus away from the cryochamber. If the creature is the focal point, try having that be the brightest part of the scene. It's okay to have some darkness in your scene, it adds contrast and therefore visual interest. Dim down the red lights and the emissive lights a bit. Increase your contributions to bounce lighting so you don't get those pitch black corners. It looks like you don't have any GI or radiosity.

Ashervisalis

I feel like the thick wires that loop through the sides of the path, it could be broken on one side, even if it's just a mechanism interrupting the flow. That's just an artistic idea for me though, the scene looks super dope man.

Benjammin

Hey man, great to see you posting work!
youve got some really good feedback, and I echo what others have said, particularly the symmetry of the scene; I think the symmetry of the big modular forms is fine, you just maybe want to break it with some disorder- those cables along the side could be a little more random and not mirrored across both sides.
The lighting is a big one- you definitely want more of it coming from the scene. 

Think about the story of the scene: why is there an alien in a tank? Is it being studied? Think about little props and small touches you can add to tell the story.
Looking good overall, keep at it! 🙂

Neeraz

That was great, thank you all for your feedback.
I will work on that  and get back.

Hi, teodar23 
I used substance painter for surfacing and I even used PBR Validate.
Plus, I  also checked my Base color in UE4  using GBuffer Hints and Metallic alone.
(It could be as in last shot some of the objects asking for more work on texture as they look unfinished)
If  I am missing something, your help would be great. 
again thank you. 

teodar23

Then my eyes are deceaving me
Keep it up!

Neeraz

Hello again,
So, I have made some changes. And I would call it finish for now. Time for breakdown. 



Thank you all.

teodar23

I think a polish phase will help you more than doing a breakdown. Breakdowns are for juniors to show that they are familiar with the tools and procesess or for more experienced people, to show a different process from the ones that are established. And its clear that you are proficient with the tools and know the procesess needed to create a 3d scene.
Theres lots of little things that can be done to improve the scene:
1. Materials look a bit dull like they have the same default roughness - you could add edge wear on more assets or some metal parts here and there. Scratches, rust, dents, grime and dirt - there are plenty of things to do to a material in order to make it more realistic.
2. You could make the scene more interesting by doing a large drop beneath the catwalk. There is some vast emptiness visible in some of the pics but it could be brought to the next level by adding some walls some lights and some fog. That will give the impression of depth and a greater scale to the whole scene.
3. The lighting is not very good in some places, like the circular vents which have large speculars from some light but no shadow or AO. The foreground has red colored lighting but the scene has no red lights as far as i can tell.
4. Postprocessing is there but no color correction. I would play around with lowering the overall contrast and maybe use a LUT. A bit of bloom would help to sell those lightsources.
5. I havent mentioned the main piece (cryo chamber) because it gets overshadowed by the rest of the scene. Its ok for the most part but it bugs me that the thing that is inside is not covered in frost as well. After all it is cryogenized. Some vapours filling the chamber would sell the idea better. As it is now it looks like a toy in a jar.

The polish phase is part of the process and its like a layer of real polish on a car, hence the name. It makes a huge difference.
Its a relief to call something done and move on to the next thing, thinking that you will come back to it some day, but chances are you won't. And i think its better to show something as finished as possible instead of a quick finish with the asterix that maybe you will really finish it sometime in the future.

Neeraz

Hi teodar23, thank you. 
1. That empty space beneath the pathway has been bugging me as well.  I tried to add some fog there. But It didn't look good to me. I have detailed panels there and pipes, I hate that I can't make them visible. 
2. I have considered to add animation to the toy. If makes any scene. 

Thanks again. 

Benjammin

Looking good, dude. Teodar has given you a huge list of things to work on.
Just one point, when you say you tried to achieve an effect but couldn’t- problem solving is a huge part of the job. If something doesn’t work, you need to investigate why, and if necessary approach it from a different angle. “I tried but it didn’t work” will not fly with your lead/art director 😄
Keep going, you’ve got a great portfolio piece in the making!

Neeraz

Hello again,
Here are some changes I made over last week based on the feedback.

Benjammin

Hey, 
I think your desire to show off all your hard work means the lighting doesn’t feel right. Everything seems quite evenly lit, which means the focal point gets lost. 

I think there’s too much red light. You’re making a cold environment but it doesn’t feel cold.

Needs some more mesh clutter or details. Things hanging from the ceiling/walls will break up the shape of the space.

Overall, I think it needs more narrative/story. You’ve done good work on the individual models and materials, but I don’t get a feel for what this place is.