Environment art help
polycounter lvl 12
Hey,
So I am making a new environment, but I need some help with my ideas.
Simply put, how do I make an environment tell a story? I want the viewer to look at my environment, and know exactly what it was built for. I do not wish to make something destroyed/pillaged. I want to make some sort of shrine, but making it as gorgeous as possible, and somehow telling a story just by looking at it. How would one do that? Do any of you have any good examples of excellent environments that make you feel like you are in the scene?
Sorry if I am unclear, I can repeat myself if necessary.
Thanks!
So I am making a new environment, but I need some help with my ideas.
Simply put, how do I make an environment tell a story? I want the viewer to look at my environment, and know exactly what it was built for. I do not wish to make something destroyed/pillaged. I want to make some sort of shrine, but making it as gorgeous as possible, and somehow telling a story just by looking at it. How would one do that? Do any of you have any good examples of excellent environments that make you feel like you are in the scene?
Sorry if I am unclear, I can repeat myself if necessary.
Thanks!
Replies
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_visual_metaphor
and all that
but beyond the pretentiousness of that, just think of a backstory and think what things are for. Do research, and it should come.
ImSlightlyBored pretty much nailed it with the links so I don't have much to add :P
Edit: Just thought of a great example
In Fallout 3, when you have to go into the vault where you meet that Super Mutant that ends up helping you. That vault looks just like the rest in the beginning, but as soon as you hit that area thats flooded with red light, you know something bad happened there :P
@Allert: This is for an in-engine render for my demoreel. I plan to make this scene kickass, so I need the advice of as many people as possible.
Once again, thanks alot!
What was it built for? What surrounds it? What lives there? What do the occupents do throughout their daily routine? If abandoned, considers those questions in past tense.
For example, if you're building a medieval peasent house that's been in the family for generations. Maybe it's near a river so the owns regularly fishes, chops wood for heat, and so on. This would lead to a rickety old house with all sorts of trickets and decorations around it.
For example in fantasy worlds it should be easy to tell the difference between Elven and Dwarven architecture, they reflect the race. Elven architecture is expected to be delicate and swooshy while Dwarven stuff is sturdy and heavy looking.
I have another question however. Currently, 50% of the people I have talked to told me to render my scene (for my demoreel) in Unreal (either UDK or UE3). They say the results I can achieve will be much better compared to a render in 3ds Max. Also, it will be a plus since it shows that I can use a game engine. However, the other 50% tell me that if I render my demoreel in 3ds Max will grant me far greater results (visually speaking).
Honestly, I am stumped. I understand the pros and cons of both Unreal and 3ds Max. However, isn't the whole point of a demoreel to make the environment look as good as possible? (Note: I know how to use unreal, so there wouldn't be any wasted time learning it).
Help is appreciated!
The point of a demo reel or images is to demonstrate that you can do the job of making game art. In the workplace you will be using a game engine and not 3ds max.
EDIT: As Sprunghunt mentioned, the most important thing is to show "what" you can, as opposed to "how" you want to show it. Most game-companies either use proprietary engine software, which you will learn to use along the way, and maya/max to build your assets.
That scene looks almost real, and yet is in the UDK. That says to employers that he knows what he's doing, and he can make awesome looking stuff. I'd say the fact that it's in the UDK is far more impressive than if he were to render it out in Max/Maya
That's an interesting point. If most game companies use an in-house engine, won't something done in unreal *not* impress them since they aren't using unreal at all?
EDIT: Oh and also, once you're ready to bring in your assets, think about lighting, which should also bring out your materials better. Wrong lighting can really break a scene apart (talking from experience here
Going with the shrine theme have you thought about trying to do something different but on the same theme. Maybe instead of a religious shrine it could be an obsessed persons flat where they have turned it into a shrine of someone they are stalking. Or Just make the focus of the dedications be something original or unusual?
As there is a lot of fantasy style stuff like this about.
Also one of my favorite bits in mirrors edge is where you go into the janitors office after seeing a handwritten sign outside which said something is out of order. And on their desk are loads of draft versions where they worded it differently and spelled it wrong etc.
Like everyone else said, getting things into a game engine is definitely a plus. There's also a ton of studios using the Unreal Engine.
http://wiki.polycount.net/CategoryEnvironment
So I had a discussion with my teachers and a few lead art directors.
Here is the deal. In about a month (I am in a game design school right now), we will have a team project to work on. I will be the environment artist for my team. The goal is to make a playable map in Unreal Editor from scratch (need to make environment, characters, everything).
I would be putting the props and environment that I will be making for the project in my portfolio. However, they say my main personal project (My demoreel) should be rendered in max. Therefore, my portfolio will include max renders, and in-engine realtime renders, showing I know how to use both programs.
I'm honestly stumped. These guys aren't fools, they know their stuff, but then again, most of the people I've talked to tell me it is better to make everything in realtime...
Could it be because this won't be a simple reel where there are props on a turntable? I plan to have particle effects, sound, animated trees in a medium sized environment. And I will be bringing this in After Effects/ Combustion for compositing.
So which would it be? Unreal or Max for final demoreel render?
If I was a recruiter or art lead at a games company looking though your reel, I'd rather see that you are able to make something look good in a game like manner than make it look good with fancy offline render features which might not correspond with how games work.
Did you ask your teachers how they reason? I'm curious to know
What programs you use, for any end of the process, is not nearly as important as your general artistic skill. That's about 90% of the deal-breaker right there.
I don't think I'm wrong in saying most devs don't give a shit about your reel. Give them some nice looking stills that convey your environment in a few succinct pictures, saving your own, and their time.
So I went to talk to my teacher regarding why Max was recommended. And
their point of view makes sense. Simply put, there will be a portion
of my reel that will contain pieces rendered realtime in unreal,
showing that I know how to use Unreal.
The scene that will contain the
fly-through of my main environment would be done in max to show that I
know how to use Max's rendering tools/Mental ray/Vray. The reason? I'm
not limiting myself strictly to the game industry. I am opening myself
to the 3D industry as a whole. Giving me more chances at landing a job
if, say, a company that makes game cinematics wants to hire me because
of my exceptional use of mental ray and Max Particle effects (this is just an example).
Also, once I graduate, I will make another
reel with the same scene but done entirely in unreal. Therefore, I
will have a reel that is game-oriented and another that is
film-oriented. In my online portfolio, when I take screenshots of
environment stills, I will ensure that those stills are rendered
realtime.
P.S. The whole reason I am making a demoreel is because of the school I am attending. It is part of the final project. My school has a partnership with many game companies in the country, and sends off their best demoreels directly to the company dev, with backup ensuring that the school knows that the demoreels they send are top knotch.
Does this answer some questions as to why I am making a reel?
Here 50% of the PC members would use just the 3ds max to build their portfolio and the rest would use 3ds max and UDK. There isnt any right answer to "which one will be better for me" but learning UDK along with 3ds max and perhaps a little coding in C++ or C# (.25% of the pc population uses code) is a plus.
I do plan on using UDK, since I am already very familiar with Unreal. However, for my demoreel, I will follow the advice I was given here in school. But for everything else, unreal will be used for the stills and props. The advice I was given here on Polycount has been an invaluable asset. Thank you so much everyone!
I'd say whatever and wherever your shots come out looking good, do it there and for the most part focus on stills if you're an environment artist. There's really no need for a reel although it helps in some cases but not all. Just make some good work, show that you have a knack for materials, modelling and lighting and it's all gravy from there I'd say.