The Bi-Monthly ENVIRONMENT ART Challenge | March - April (71)

alytlebird

Welcome, all! Time to get started on the second Monthly Environment & Prop Challenge for 2021!

Special thanks to @MrBFox and @icegodofhungary for their concept suggestions!

Remember if you don't finish in the time allotted, just keep plugging away and post when your work is finished. There's always some good progress that falls off the radar - we want to see your work! So keep going and finish those pieces!

Without further ado, here are our official options for Challenge 71:

- ENVIRONMENTS -

HARD SURFACE:


Artist: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9m6yZN

STYLIZED:

Artist: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/PmGrX4

- PROPS -

HARD SURFACE:

Artist: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zAPKJm

STYLIZED:


Artist: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Xn0NNw

- WILDCARD -

ANCIENT INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT:

Artist: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9mQkqW

Since we skipped the Wildcard category last time, I figured I'd add it in this time around. With two exterior environment concepts, an interior seemed appropriate, and this Roman bath house should prove a worthwhile challenge!

Please read all the rules before starting:

-Try to post one critique for every post that you make. This will make for a better learning environment and help us all grow as artists.

-Try your best and finish as much as you can in the time frame provided.

-Post what you are working on in this thread so that way it's a more centralized place for advice and critique. We don't need to have 1000 disjointed threads littering the forums. 

-It is recommended to use a game engine to present your work. Unreal Engine and CryEngine are very common engines that can be used but feel free to use any alternatives that you want. (Marmoset Toolbag is allowed as well)

-If you want to change up your chosen concept a bit, then feel free! Interpret these concepts to your liking, especially if your aim is to add storytelling elements.

And here are some recommendations:

-When you are just starting out making a scene, it can seem complicated or imposing, so take the time to break it down. 

-Think about how you can re-use assets, re-use textures, break it down as simple as possible and plan it out. A lot of people will break it down in their own way when they start out their challenge. Gather some reference images as well for different parts of the scene, maybe gather some refs and make it your own.

-Take your time planning and blocking out, it will set you up for success later on.

-We strongly encourage you to go and look at other games and see how they make their assets as well as get concept art to give it your own feel.

All that matters is that you learn while being able to effectively critique others, as well as accept critiques on your own work. Remember to have fun!

Good luck! 

MrBFox

here's a suggestion for the stylized prop category that looks neat.
ArtStation - Spyglass, Nesterovych Daria

miriuk

After the votes if this one win I definitely will take that one, I need to practice more sculpt stones I think this one is a great exercise

icegodofhungary

I'm not going to do this one so I can finish up the previous one. But if I may suggest something for hard surface:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9m6yZN

I picked this one because it's a full exterior rather than an interior to contrast with the previous entry. It has two major materials, wood and metal. But the metal has different texture variations to explore. Who doesn't like a good rusty metal or worn painted metal? The wood is worn too so that's a good opportunity for some weathering practice. The building has fairly simple angular shapes so it's not too rough on modeling except for the details within those larger shapes. There are a few props/small details but it's not overwhelming.

On the same scrapyard/reclaimed motif there are also these:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/AqZBdN

These are a little more visually interesting but are also more modeling and detail intensive. They're very big too. If you did a modular approach you could just make a kit and then reproduce several of these concepts. It would be a good exercise in thinking outside of the concept to be efficient and practical from a level design perspective while preserving the aesthetic and details of the concept. Though that may be a little too abstract for a 2-month challenge.

Agaton

Hey all.
Just gonna throw this one in as late suggestion for a hard surface env. I found this piece very interesting with its lighting, glass ceiling and blend of architectural styles.

Surendra Rajawat
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/48agAq

alytlebird

Hey everyone! I've reworked this thread to serve as our main challenge thread, all FIVE concepts are available up above! I decided to include the Wildcard category again, with an interior concept I think you'll like.

The challenge officially starts NOW, good luck everyone!

ellis_3d

I'm back for more! I'm going with this sweet looking environment. Can't wait to get started!!

Pinkfox

Man, @alytlebird, you don't make those wildcard ones easy, huh? :P

MrBFox

cool, think ill work with the concept I suggested, going for the stylised PBR look like the piece I did last month.

JossGeneral

My first challenge on Polycount will be this one.

MrBFox

Rough blockout/camera-match for the concept in Blender/Eevee, lit using a HDRI that was close to the concept and a sun light . I'm considering the background as a stretch goal as i want to focus primarily on the table elements.

ellis_3d

Here's a pretty rough block out. Still working on the fog and main lighting but its coming together.


@MrBFox off to a good start keep it up!!!

MrBFox

@ellis_3d Thanks, yours looks great as well.

Did another pass on the blockout, adding more elements to the telescope and blocking the materials on it. the Octopus Ornament is very rough as Im deciding on whether to flesh out that part a with poly modelling in the High poly pass before Zbrush or just sculpt that element from scratch there.

MrBFox

sub-d pass on the telescope, getting some creases and smoothed geo in place to add in the little dents and scratches in Zbrush.

JossGeneral

A rough blockout in Blender.

GUYPHILL

Hello guys, I hope everybody doing well. for this, challenge I will try the hard surface environment piece. Below is my block out


Update #2 [03-19-21]

yashar98

my block out

Orbit

My blockout so far , hard surface is out of my comfort zone so I hope this'll be really fun! 

@MrBFox Looks awesome! It seems like the octopus is a little chunkier in the concept, I don't think it warrants a high poly per se, but really getting the tentacles/head to look thick enough is the key I think.

MrBFox

got a bit side-tracked with some portfolio and other stuff recently, but this evening I got back to the telescope to add some dent and surface detail in ZB. redid the octopus element.

MrBFox

Decimated the Zbrush pass and brought it back into Blender, used an earlier version of the model with the sub-d removed (or applying ti to parts that may need a bit more geo) as a start on low poly, for now I've shrink-wrapped what will be the low poly geo onto the highpoly parts and will work on optimising it a bit before UVs.

JuanCh

It's my first challenge here and I'm going for the wildcard, it's not going to be an easy one, but I need it to learn vertex painting and blend textures in UE4.

I saw that the concept artist has another concept of the baths from inside in Artstation and it has an actual ceiling, so I decided to collect refs and model the ceiling. Still playing with it.

jpeele

Working on the block out. Need to get over my fear of material creation

MrBFox

Some texturing on the telescope, Iray render from Substance Painter

Eevee render from Blender.

MrBFox

I may have to leave this months challenge here for now. 
EDIT: have created a sketchfab of the model to view.
model

Pinkfox

Really like the detail you were able to capture, @MrBFox! I do think it's a bit too shiny overall given the amount of damage across the surface, but I think if you played a little with the roughness you could solve that pretty easily.

Orbit

@MrBFox Just echoing the roughness comment. The metal is a bit too reflective (considering the wear and tear) and turning down the specularity will help pop the colors out a lot I think. Its also something I had trouble with as well.

Almost there on my end, this time the texturing was a lot more complicated since I just wanted to stick with Painter for this one.

MrBFox

Thanks for the feedback guys, @Orbit your model and its textures look great. Think the thing that threw me off with the roughness was the studio environment map I was using in SP had an overall very soft lighting which gave model a rougher look than it inevitably did in Eevee and Sketchfab. The quick fix is layer on top of the stack with just the roughness channel enabled and a linear dodge so I can do an overall tweak of the values. Eevee render:

Orbit

Made some minor tweaks. Its a bit late after the month deadline, so I think I'll call this one done for now.

Nerdicon3000

@Orbit It's Bi-monthly dude. You got plenty of time

fdfxd2

There's no way a challenge that has concept art inspired by a qasr and I would miss it... and I hate myself for almost missing it.

Starting off a bit late but I blocked it in regardless.

fdfxd2

Blocked out the qasr, now for the hard part(i think)...

miriuk

@fdfxd2 look amazing mate, I’ve tried to meet this perspective but I’m not good to set the camera so I gave up this concept, I really need to learn more about 

alytlebird

Hey all, great work as usual

The concept voting thread for Challenge 72 is now live here: https://polycount.com/discussion/226262/the-bi-monthly-environment-art-challenge-concept-thread-may-june-72/

(Sorry for being a bit late with it this month, I'm currently winding down from a hectic production cycle and juggling a cross-country trip next week.)

ellis_3d

I know I'm late but I really wanted to finish this one. I pushed it as far as I can go.  Tired something new with the background using the landscape tool in ue4 not sure if I like it :P 

alytlebird

Hey everyone, Challenge #72 is now (finally!) live! Check it out here: https://polycount.com/discussion/226262/the-bi-monthly-environment-art-challenge-may-june-72/

erikoss

Hello this is my first attempt to chellenge.I just finished texturing.

JossGeneral

I know I'm late but here is my hard surface challenge, the service area with some important changes:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/KrxYPr