Need some technical advice regarding textures.

FritchoffArts

I have blocked out a cave for our "stylized" game - inspired by the legend of zelda - wind waker. But I still struggle with the "how" in "how to make this scene look beautiful and not blocky". 

It is indeed a low-poly game, but low poly can still look beautiful and that is what I want to prove with this. 

I have tried multiple things such as hand-drawn seamless textures - stretching uvs like they did in wind waker, watched tutorials online of how to use shaders, downloaded quixel mixer (which doesn't look right in low-poly style). 



HOW do I make it look great? I have no problem creating objects and assets - applying my hand-drawn textures to them. The work flow for bigger stuff like environments is just not there. Please help. And if you could advice me over a discord-call that would be even better.

I thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely
Fred

Axi5

One word: Lighting

It focuses attention, it creates mood and atmosphere and it gives depth. Go to town on lighting and see what works for you!

sprunghunt

Making an environment like this is not much different than making a realistic environment. Make ground textures, architecture, and props and apply them the same way you would for a realistic environment. Just make them with a stylized shape language.

http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/TexturingTutorials#Painting_Stylistic_Textures

The biggest difference is that it's more about having good art fundamentals. If you're not good at creating color schemes, or organizing a harmonious composition, it will be much more obvious with stylized work than with realistic work. 

gnoop

Axi5 said:

One word: Lighting

I am second to this advice.     Start just with  flat color fill .  Bake a proper static lighting with GI and  bounces (assuming it's not something for U5 and more like mobile game)    Ad  a few fx effects and it could look great even without actual textures  .   Once it look ok without textures   you can start to care about them .

   

FritchoffArts

gnoop said:

Axi5 said:

One word: Lighting

I am second to this advice.     Start just with  flat color fill .  Bake a proper static lighting with GI and  bounces (assuming it's not something for U5 and more like mobile game)    Ad  a few fx effects and it could look great even without actual textures  .   Once it look ok without textures   you can start to care about them .

   

Me and a co-developer are n the process of learning how to make a stylized 3D game close to the realms of remakes of Zelda wind waker and Spyro. Other art references comes from crash bandicoot and sky. I just don't know what the next step is from block-out level to actual design in terms of workflow. It has been bothering me for 2 weeks now, continously looking for videos to aid me - but there is no real answer out there. I am insecure about the polycount too and is why we went with low-poly game, as we have yet to learn limits and stuff.

Going back to the question at hand "how to make the environment look good", I would very much know how I would go about it? Does anyone of you have any videos to recommend that has worked past the blockout face? I would much appreciate anything as I am desperate to get to the next level of my journey and make this scene come really come to life.