Home 3D Art Showcase & Critiques

The Bi-Monthly Environment Art Challenge | November - December (93)

ngon master
Offline / Send Message
Pinkfox ngon master
Hey everyone! Welcome to the 93rd edition of the Bi-Monthly Environment Art Challenge for the months of November and December!

This challenge is a way for real-time 3D artists to test their skills and create a piece of work based on concepts provided. It's open to those of all skill levels and we do our best to provide meaningful feedback along the way so everyone can come away from the challenge with actionable points on which they can improve their craft!

Anyone is welcome in this challenge no matter your skill level! It's a test of your own ability not a competition between members. We're all here to improve as artists and learn from each other.

- ENVIRONMENTS -

HARD SURFACE ENVIRONMENT:
// Work and Live there // by Marius Villard


STYLIZED ENVIRONMENT:
corner50% by ZC WANG


- PROPS -

HARD SURFACE PROP:
Star Wars Outlaws | Sabacc Tables by Adrien Girod


STYLIZED PROP:
Moonlight Peaks - Prop Designs by Daphne Fontijn


- RULES -

Please read all the rules before starting:
  • Try to post at least 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 to finish as much as you can in the time frame provided, but remember even if you don't finish by the end of the challenge we encourage you to keep pushing and finish your piece!
  • Post what you are working on in this thread so that way it's a more centralized place for advice and critique. Please avoid creating a new thread as we don't want to spam out the forums.
  • It is recommended to use a game engine to present your work. Unreal Engine, Unity, and Godot are very common engines that can be used but feel free to use any alternatives that you want. (Marmoset Toolbag for example.)
  • Feel free to change up your chosen concept a bit if you want! Interpret these concepts to your liking, especially if your aim is to add storytelling elements.
  • If you finish your project and decide to post it to something like Artstation, make sure you give credit to the concept artist in the form of a link to their profile. Additionally, it is recommended to ask a concept artist for their permission to post a 3D piece based on their work before doing so.

- RECOMMENDATIONS -

  • When you are just starting out making a scene, it can seem complicated or imposing. Take your time planning and blocking out, it will set you up for success later on.
  • 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, don't be afraid to make it your own.
  • 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.
  • The goal is to learn and grow both artistically and in your ability to both give and receive critique, but don't stress about it and remember to have fun!
Good luck everyone!

Replies

  • LeoNexus6
    Offline / Send Message
    LeoNexus6 triangle
    Hello, everyone! First time to be here. Nice to meet you, guys.

    I am Leo, an Environment Artist from Shanghai. I decide to join in STYLIZED ENVIRONMENT part of this challenge and I want to recreate the concept: corner50% by ZC WANG https://www.artstation.com/artwork/aoQnqL. I can't resist the cuteness and beautiful color from the concept. 

    I have made a blockout in UE5. I will do lowpoly modeling next. In this project, I want to practice handpainting as much as possible. The car modeling will be a big challenge for me. So, finger crossed!  ;)


  • GroovyDaft0
    Offline / Send Message
    GroovyDaft0 polycounter lvl 2

    Hey everyone, nice to meet you all! First post on the forum here. I’ve been wanting to dive into one of these challenges for a while now. I wanted to make a sci-fi environment piece for my portfolio, so this month's hard surface environment theme, "Work and Live There" by Marius Villard, was a perfect fit. Concept gave me low-key Deus ex vibes, which drew me in even more.

    I've started with a blockout in blender, then imported them to Unreal Engine 5 to set up the scale and proportions, and I’ll be making a few minor tweaks to get everything just right. Next, I’m planning a second pass to add more detail to the meshes. The goal is to finish the environment by the end of the challenge.

     

  • Scullder
    Offline / Send Message
    Scullder polycounter lvl 5
    Hi everybody!! 
    Long time lurker, first time participating. 
    Decided for this concept mainly because I want to become better in hard surface modeling, plus a little environment practice doesn't hurt.

    Goals behind this challenge:
    • finish the challenge
    • learn more of Unreal Engine 5
    • become better in hard surface modeling
    • become better in environment art
    • learn new tips and tricks
    As GroovyDaft0 I have also done my blockout in Blender and then switched to UE5 to fix the scale etc. Good luck everyone and I am looking forward to seeing all your artworks and interpretations of given concepts.

  • Paxwort
    Offline / Send Message
    Paxwort polygon
    Quick blockout of the stylized environment. Not 100% sure whether I'm going to commit to this one
  • cheesechen12
    Offline / Send Message
    cheesechen12 polycounter lvl 6
    Decide to participating Challenge for the first time as a long time lurker, cause I wanna practice some hard surface model and enviroment art.

    I have blockout the base layout in Blender and export to UE5, haven't change the lighting to fit the concept setting yet, but I'll do it in the next update.




  • IDCrisis0
    Offline / Send Message
    IDCrisis0 polycounter lvl 11
    Interesting looking environment. Hope I have time to complete it. Here's a start on the blockout in UE5.


  • Logoded
    Offline / Send Message
    Logoded polycounter lvl 4
    Hey everyone, first time entering a challenge. Here is the blockout. I'll probably be taking creative liberty with this one, but I liked the idea and style of it. 

  • Ong_Jian_Wei
    Hello! I am Dylan Ong.
    Nice to meet you all! This is my first time joining an online challenge~~

    I decide to go with the stylised prop (Moonlight Peaks - Prop Designs by Daphne Fontijn) because I have not create any stylised 3D model before, and I wanted to try something new.

    The UV mapping isn't complete yet; only some parts of the model have been unwrapped.


  • Paxwort
    Offline / Send Message
    Paxwort polygon
    Initial high poly of the truck. Needs work still, but I'm okay with how the shape in general is looking. Hopefully I can bring back some of the squashy dynamism with a bit of deformation after-the-fact, but for ease of modeling I'm keeping things symmetrical and regular for now.
  • DaFluke
    Offline / Send Message
    DaFluke triangle
    Note: Sorry if this post is somewhat duplicated, for some reason it didn't post and disappeared! Not sure if the original post will reappear in the future.

    Hi all! This is my 2nd attempt at doing as art challenge, and I'll be creating a 3D environment in Unreal Engine 5 based on Marius Villard's "Work and Live There //" https://www.artstation.com/artwork/04g0wK

    I first started with creating a quick build of the scene in Blender, to allow me to get my scaling correct, and get the basic form of the main objects in the scene. Most assets have been modeled and UV Unwrapped during my workflow, however there are a few small areas such as the carpet where I am aware I can further optimize the topology by reducing unnecessary edge loops:


    I then imported these assets into Unreal Engine 5 with basic world lighting:

    My future tasks are:
    • Create the remaining main assets within the scene, such as the desk monitors, books and boxes that litter the floor and shelves.
    • Improve the lighting in the scene, modifying the current lighting, and adding new light sources into the scene to give a night light impression. (This requires the monitors to be modeled so that I can provide the glow in the corner).
    • Begin texturing the main objects in the scene.

    Any and all feedback is appreciated! :)


  • LeoNexus6
    Offline / Send Message
    LeoNexus6 triangle
    Hello, artists! How's your week? Hope all is well!

    Everyone is doing excellent job here! I can't wait to see more and more.
    As for me, I did some lowpoly modeling in Maya these days. I added some extra edge loop cuts on props to have a bit stylized look. The tris is under 1k for each prop. Pickup's tris is about 15k, crane is included. Then imported the meshes to UE5 and assembled them where they should be. I did lighting and post process setup for the first pass. It looks pretty well for me now.

    ps: I am really happy I did pickup modeling, I was struggled a lot. But thanks god it looks decent now. I am so excited about the next steps. 

    Have a nice weekend, everybody!
    ;) 

  • Paxwort
    Offline / Send Message
    Paxwort polygon
    LeoNexus6 said:
    Hello, artists! How's your week? Hope all is well!

    Everyone is doing excellent job here! I can't wait to see more and more.
    As for me, I did some lowpoly modeling in Maya these days. I added some extra edge loop cuts on props to have a bit stylized look. The tris is under 1k for each prop. Pickup's tris is about 15k, crane is included. Then imported the meshes to UE5 and assembled them where they should be. I did lighting and post process setup for the first pass. It looks pretty well for me now.

    ps: I am really happy I did pickup modeling, I was struggled a lot. But thanks god it looks decent now. I am so excited about the next steps. 

    Have a nice weekend, everybody!
    ;) 


    Looks great! Scale and composition of the scene look correct to me.
    I think in future you might like to spend longer on an initial blockout to match to the concept more closely. The truck is complicated, getting to grips with those shapes is going to take more than a few cubes.
    Otherwise, good job on a pretty technically challenging model!
  • Paxwort
    Offline / Send Message
    Paxwort polygon

    Painting the truck. I found that I needed to add a little more weathering, where it's feels implicit in the concept. It's a little off, though, and I'm not quite sure why. Might need some grading?
  • Forbidden
    Hi everyone! This is my first post here!  
    I’ve decided to overcome my fear and try creating an environment for the first time. So far, I’ve made a blockout in Maya and visualized it in UE5. The next step is to break it down into high-poly and modular assets.  
    I’ll do my best not to abandon it and to finish it to the end.  
    I’d also really appreciate any feedback! 😊  
  • LeoNexus6
    Offline / Send Message
    LeoNexus6 triangle
    Hello, everyone. How are you doing?

    I have textured the pickup by using substance painter. I added some handpainted details, like rust parts and graffiti which I enjoyed a lot. I have always loved graffiti since in university. For the main prop, I gave it a 2k texture map generously as well as polycount over 10K. Some parts are mirrored such as rear mirror, wheel and the arch above wheel. I would appreciate a lot if anyone gives feedback of optimising polycounts! I have start working on the other props. The more I do on this project, the more joy I get. 

    Have a good weekend! Talented artists!


  • LeoNexus6
    Offline / Send Message
    LeoNexus6 triangle
    Paxwort said:
    LeoNexus6 said:
    Hello, artists! How's your week? Hope all is well!

    Everyone is doing excellent job here! I can't wait to see more and more.
    As for me, I did some lowpoly modeling in Maya these days. I added some extra edge loop cuts on props to have a bit stylized look. The tris is under 1k for each prop. Pickup's tris is about 15k, crane is included. Then imported the meshes to UE5 and assembled them where they should be. I did lighting and post process setup for the first pass. It looks pretty well for me now.

    ps: I am really happy I did pickup modeling, I was struggled a lot. But thanks god it looks decent now. I am so excited about the next steps. 

    Have a nice weekend, everybody! ;) 


    Looks great! Scale and composition of the scene look correct to me.
    I think in future you might like to spend longer on an initial blockout to match to the concept more closely. The truck is complicated, getting to grips with those shapes is going to take more than a few cubes.
    Otherwise, good job on a pretty technically challenging model!
    Hello! Thank you so much! I am so happy it came out correctly. Your highpoly helped me a lot. I have checked it so many times. You did great job on car modeling! I absolutely agree with you about blockout. I should've spend more time on that.  My initial idea about the blockout was simply to get a basic understanding of camera position, scale of scene and the layout. And that is not enough for car modeling. Thanks for your feedback!
  • GroovyDaft0
    Offline / Send Message
    GroovyDaft0 polycounter lvl 2
    Hello! How's everyone? Glad to see the entries and progress everyone else has made. It’s been quite a while since my last update, school kept me busy. After finalizing the scale, proportions, and overall look of the scene, I’ve started refining the mesh details. While I’m not entirely satisfied with how the meshes look yet—they still feel a bit blocky—I’m hopeful that this will improve once I add detailed materials and decals. My plan is to finish the remaining detailed meshes, then focus on refining the master material, incorporating decals, and experimenting with shaders. After that, I’ll move on to lighting and post-processing. Fingers crossed, aiming to wrap all up by the end of the month!
Sign In or Register to comment.