UE3 Environment Workflow

buddikaman

I got UT3 yesterday and was checking out the levels. I was surprised by the lack of static meshes compared to what i was expecting. It seems that for MOST of the level detail, it is just editor geometry applied with textures.

I was looking to create a Custom UE3 environment for my portfolio, but am still trying to learn which objects i should do as textures on brush geometry, or as actually static meshes. Im almost starting to think nearly all the actuall "level geometry" even some of the mid range architecurally detailed peices are infact, brushes created from within the editor, applied with textures. Ill have to get some pics together to show examples, im really curios how this is done. Thanks!

Also do you guys think most of the detail in a UE3 texture is modeled out, or just painted and normal mapped?

-Buddikaman-

Eric Chadwick

Check the sticky, especially the link to Kevin's post
http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=53002

Ryno

I've worked on Unreal Engine based games where 90%+ of the environmental content is static meshes, and don't think that is particularly uncommon.

Joshua Stubbles

Ryno wrote: »

I've worked on Unreal Engine based games where 90%+ of the environmental content is static meshes

Yuppers. That's very common from what I've seen as well.

buddikaman - I'd say most of the detail in UT3 is just normal mapped. The engine excels at shaders and that's what it uses quite a lot of. The development pictures we've all seen along the way are quite different than what the game released with. Even on the highest settings, the texture and polygonal detail isn't like the images released prior to launch.

As for the amount of static meshes, I think that really depends on the level designer. I've seen a ton of maps (as Ryno said) that are nearly all static meshes. I've also seen a few that are mainly brushes. It's all up to the designer I suppose. But to be honest, you will never get the fidelity with brushes that you can with meshes.

Sage

If you decided to buy the game without the dvd tutorials you just made your life a little harder. Check out Dekard's sticky as well.


http://boards.polycount.net/showthread.php?t=53002

What the tutorials suggest is to make a bsp shell of what your level is going to be. Once you have that you start adding structural meshes. Some people flesh out the entire level with bsp and then test the level to see how it plays before they replace most of it with static meshes. Once they flesh it out and have tested it they export the brushes as obj to use them as a template.

Alex

Ryno

Yeah, Alex summed up what we've done several times. The level designer will rough some stuff out in bsp with general routes, cover, etc. Then we give it a second pass using the bsp chunks as reference (export them as proxies). We use the scale and position of the proxies but completely build something new in their place. (BSP box becomes pile of rubble in Max or Maya) Then we export the new static mesh, bring it into the level and delete the old proxy.

Sometimes a little bsp stays in the level for some floors or walls, but often times it's nearly all deleted as it's replaced with static meshes.