Sci-Fi Atrium Environment – WIP (UE5)

Vastra

Hey everyone!  
Starting a new environment project and aiming to raise the bar with a structured and methodical workflow. I’m putting extra focus on planning, modularity, and building a strong sense of vertical space and composition.

This scene will be a large sci-fi courtyard / atrium inspired by elements of Halo Infinite, The Expanse, Prey (Talos 1), and Mass Effect’s Presidium. I want to focus on verticality, layered walkways, open structures, and a strong sense of scale and light.

I’ve put together a detailed PureRef board with references, notes, and highlighted elements I want to draw inspiration from.

Right now I’m in the early blockout phase, defining large shapes, scale, walkways, platforms, and key sightlines before moving into modular pieces.

Main goals for this project:

• Build a larger, more complex environment with clear vertical + horizontal composition.

• Develop a modular kit and maintain consistent scale throughout the scene.

• Push lighting and composition in a bright, open environment

• Create a strong portfolio piece that shows structure, ambition, and visual storytelling.

• Push composition and readability from multiple angles and elevations.

I’ll keep posting updates as the blockout evolves and I begin shaping modular assets and detail work.
Feedback and critique are always welcome!

Emace

Love how clearly you’ve framed the goals upfront - you’re already thinking in terms of pipeline and not just “pretty shot”, which is perfect for a big atrium like this.

From a level / environment artist who spends a lot of time on modular kits: at this stage I’d pick 2-3 “test shots” from player height (ground + one higher balcony) and lock the blockout so each shot has one main leading line and one clear focal point. Only then I’d start adding extra walkways and platforms - it’s very easy to over-stack vertical layers in spaces like this.

Second thing: for this kind of scale, deliberately leaving bigger pockets of empty space between levels / bridges helps a ton with readability. Let the light do half of the work before you even touch the detailed asset pass.

I’d be really curious to see a pure graybox update with no materials - that’s usually the cheapest moment to move whole modules around.

Vastra

Update time!   
Thanks again for the feedback earlier, especially the note about establishing clear player-height shots and locking in a few main compositions before pushing the vertical layering further. That helped, so here are those POV angles as requested.

I have continued refining the blockout, focusing on:

• Player-scale readability (added mannequins + first-person camera tests)

• Floor spacing and elevator alignment

• Bridge placement & step proportions

• Opening up the atrium based on feedback

Nothing here is meant to be final. The goal right now is just to stress-test scale, leading lines, and how the space actually feels from the ground.

Here are some of the new test shots:

Player POV1:

Player POV2:

Player POV3:

Next steps:

• Establish 2–3 “hero shot” angles and lock the major shapes to support those compositions.

• Begin experimenting with modular wall kit ideas before doing any high-poly work.

As always, critique is welcome. 
This is still early blockout, so it’s the perfect time to make big structural changes if needed.

Vastra

End-of-year update 

Small update to wrap up the year. Over the past weeks I’ve been pushing this scene out of early blockout and into a final graybox / art blockout stage.

The overall layout and vertical flow are now largely locked, and I’ve started replacing primitives with my own modular meshes from Blender to properly validate scale, repetition, and rhythm in-engine. At this stage the focus has been on structure, navigation, and readability rather than surface detail, making sure the space works from multiple elevations before committing to materials.

I’m now nearing the point where the environment is ready for a first material pass, with a clear modular kit, established paths, and defined focal areas. Next steps will be refining key assets, introducing master materials, and beginning an early lighting pass.

This is by far my largest project to date, my most ambitious as well. Drawing on everything I’ve learned to make it as strong as possible.

As always, feedback is very welcome. See you in the new year. Happy New Year! 

First three images are player/NPC point of view.

Environment shots:



Updated Mood/Reference Board.

Vastra

Lighting & Materials Progress Update

Hello again, quick update after a productive stretch. 

Recently I’ve been focusing on setting up a first lighting pass across the scene, aiming to establish the overall mood, scale, and readability before pushing anything too dramatic. Most of the primary lights are now in place, which gives me a solid base to iterate on and refine.

At the same time, I’ve started properly implementing materials using master materials and instances, moving away from placeholders. This has helped define the material language of the environment and keep things consistent across large structural elements, while still allowing for variation. I’m currently fine-tuning material scale and roughness to avoid everything feeling too clean at this stage.

The scene is now moving out of pure layout and into early look-dev, with lighting and materials being developed together.

Next steps will be adding decals and foliage for breakup and grounding, followed by polishing key areas. The water under the bridges will be handled as a final VFX pass.

As always, feedback is very welcome. 

Player point of view:

Lighting Only:



Lit Mode:

Vastra

Hey everyone.  

 
Final WIP update before final renders, closing in on the finish line!

The scene is now in its polish phase. I’ve refined the layout, filled out the spaces with props, tightened up materials, and brought the lighting close to its final pass. I’ve also been texturing several key assets in Substance Painter.

I’ve started working more with decals to better ground the environment and add wear and visual storytelling.

What’s left is mainly fine-tuning: lighting balance and mood, material consistency, a few remaining structural details (ceiling, water VFX), color accents, and setting up the final cinematic shots.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and any feedback on the project. 

Eric Chadwick

This is coming along nicely. But I think your lighting needs adjustment to get closer to your reference. It helps to place your renders side-by-side with your reference, so you can directly compare them. Also, are you thinking about adding more foliage?

Vastra

@Eric Chadwick
Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it. 

I agree that the lighting still needs adjustment to better match the reference, and doing a proper side-by-side comparison is a great suggestion. I’ve been refining the lighting continuously, but that’s definitely something I can be more systematic about to get closer to the intended mood and balance.

Regarding the foliage, yes, I’ve started adding more and I plan to push that further. It’s something I want to build up gradually so it integrates well with the environment and doesn’t feel rushed or out of place. I also don’t want to add too much and have the foliage become overpowering, so I’m being careful with the balance.

Thanks again for the thoughtful input, it’s very helpful at this stage of the project.