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It starts May 12, and ends Sept 12. Let's see what you got!
https://polycount.com/discussion/237047/the-brawl²-tournament
[WIP] Church Diorama
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Hi guys. I just started studying Video Game Art production and picked a project that I am trying to create a diorama for. I've done some blockouts for my art-bible and it is essentially a church, which is part of a monastery that was built inside a mountain, so the church is protruding out from the cliff side. I though I create a background story as it is a medieval church that was donated to monks, so I mix the gothic elements with some Taoist decoration and a traditional bell (bonsho) chamber. Here are the blockouts for the concept and later on I will post part of the actual modelled kits that I've got so far. I'm only posting this to get some feedback on my progression and some ideas and advises for the project. I have to finish the entire scene by the end of June.
Replies
You might want to separate out the large tiled textures, like the brick, into its own dedicated sheet texture, so you can reduce tiling artifacts. You could also add a second wall texture and mix it with the brick (using vertex color or noise) to reduce repetition.
The columns have a bit of this problem, but you could perhaps brighten the dark patch in the texture to hide the repetition better?
How did you create the white curves in the vaults? It's odd that the brick doesn't line up with these elements, since in real life the curves would be actual stone pieces, and the bricks would be hand-fitted into the spaces between the lines.
The white lime stone curves are kind of a separate mesh connected to the vault. I thought I would adjust the trim section of it to add a bit more dirt to the cavities and show more the edges of those stone bits, as it is too clear and white. Should I try to line the uv's up with the gaps in between the bricks?
This is how the vault and the curve decoration mesh looks like:
I had to do it brick by brick pretty much because I could not line up my uv strips because when i made my trim sheet I've tried to break up symmetry to sooth the eye by off-setting the bricks slightly and they are different sizes.
Do you think it is better like this despite the stretching?
Here's an example of a stonework vault:
The stones between the ribs don't just tile along under the ribs, they're integrated together.
Another approach could be to use plaster between the ribs, but it's maybe a bit plain looking.
My main reference was the Salisbury Cathedral in England, but I only used it for mainly the colour palette, the pillars and loosely for my arches. For the vaults I didn't use a particular reference, but I guess in my mind it was more like a plaster design combined with the one on the pictures bellow:
Austrian church 3d scan: https://code.playcanvas.com/sogs-church/index.html
I added my statue which I created using photogrammetry in a nearby cemetery and put it together in Reality Capture, then sculpted over it in ZBrush, and textured it nicely. Also added some props, like pews and candle stands, stone bench and a pedestal for my statue. I also introduced new key shot camera angles.
I haven't touched lighting yet, but I will leave that for last. My next thing is going to be vertex painting and adding decals. Any suggestion on what kind of decal to use and where would it fit?
On lighting I was thinking a night scene where the moon light outlines the statue's silhouette and soft candle light would fill the environment.
Thank you.
The first picture is only to show some of those decals and vertex paint in a lit scenario that is how much it changed since my last post as I added some built up smoke patches on the arches/ceiling added some additional geometry to some of my slabs, fixed some of my uv's and colours on the arches ect...
And here is the lighting that I currently have:
I'd suggest adding a soft skylight with AO, and toning that way down to get your dark areas. Color grading can help a lot here too.
For example, check out Sasha Honcharova's project. https://80.lv/articles/creating-the-abandoned-church-using-substance-3d-designer-and-unreal-engine
2 big things that I think are working against your right now:
1. The biggest contrast steals the focal point.
2. There are a lot of different types of contrast. In your case the relevant ones are Value (brightness) and Color. Currently neither of your dominant contrasts are supporting your focal point.
Check out this image of how Guillermo Del Toro does a shot similar to yours:
His color contrasts are creating a warm-toned guiding line from bottom right third to center with the statue. That is lighting with purpose and supporting the geometry of the scene. You need something similar - your values and color should lead the eye toward the focal point.
Another point is that if you want to justify having intense godrays here you will need to justify it by making the moon the brightest light possible. Movies fake it all the time by placing strong lights outside windows at night so the audience is generally used to it and expects it. You just need to be aware, that your internal light sources (like torches) can't appear brighter than the moon light. They'll need to be more subtle.
Let me know if you'd like to dig in more into any of this, but I believe you'll need to either commit to the godrays or the warm color contrast here. Each could be really cool 😎 Best of luck!
Best of luck and have fun with it 😊