[UDK] Palazzo W.I.P
Hi
Recently I've been working on my first solo environment and I would like to share my progress and possibly get some critique on my work.
The whole idea is to create a square, a place for a swiss guard garrison.
This is my reference for the architecture I am trying to apply to my environment. Based mostly on Palazzo della Sapienza.
The main focus will be the middle of the square with an old fountain. This will be the main point of interest. I'll add some foliage to make a contrast between the architecture.
... and here are the modular assets used. Those are still a WIP, need to tweak them a bit and change some bits.
I have also started to create the first assets to populate the area a bit.
Leaveing them with a base AO before I go into the texturing process. Need to sort out my color palette
Now I need to do a few blockout assets, materials and do some paint overs to set up some mood. Will post some updates soon !
Crit very much apprecieated
Recently I've been working on my first solo environment and I would like to share my progress and possibly get some critique on my work.
The whole idea is to create a square, a place for a swiss guard garrison.
This is my reference for the architecture I am trying to apply to my environment. Based mostly on Palazzo della Sapienza.
The main focus will be the middle of the square with an old fountain. This will be the main point of interest. I'll add some foliage to make a contrast between the architecture.
... and here are the modular assets used. Those are still a WIP, need to tweak them a bit and change some bits.
I have also started to create the first assets to populate the area a bit.
Leaveing them with a base AO before I go into the texturing process. Need to sort out my color palette
Now I need to do a few blockout assets, materials and do some paint overs to set up some mood. Will post some updates soon !
Crit very much apprecieated
Replies
After some crit I have changed some stuff. Realized it might be too boring so I did a quick paintover to what I want to achieve.
The tree in the middle will push all floor stones and its vines will build up around pillars.
Gathered also some ref for the big old tree in the middle.
Also sculpted some materials :
just need to work on the textres of this one a bit.
Ye I was thinking about doing some vertex blending but first I need to read and learn a bit how to do that. Will propably do some this week.
Got a small update I did today. Took one pillar and sculpted some damage and vines on the lower part so that the modular vines that will go around it from the bottom will have some moss background.
Those pillars are only meant to be on the sides where there is less distance from the Tree.
If you wanted to take the extra step you could also do the same with the surrounding meshes.
Then you wouldn't necessarily be constrained by having to sculpt a pillar with vines, a wall with vines, bench with vines (you get the idea), and could just go and paint/add vines into any area you may need them.
There was nothing wrong with how you were going with this project. But you are now going into a direction I personally love. Just remember to always take crits with a grain of salt... I one time took someones crits and started changing stuff just to realize that my problem was something completely different.
Keep up the good work.
Ye I think I will give that a go. This way I will have more vatiation and can brake up the modular mesh rape. Also I think I would save alot of time with doing those simple modular foliage meshes instead of sculpting all seperetly.
@polygonfreak
Thanks ! After the crit I got, I realized that I was limiting myself to what I can do with this project. The way it went now its still a bit chellenging for me but I think I can slowly pull it off and learn alot of new stuff
Now time for sculpting the Trunk and roots couse this will indicate how my modular floor will look like and where the roots will cover the pillars.
How do you plan on texturing the tree?
Cheers
I'ts just a basemesh to see how it will fit inside the squre. Need to sculpt it first and then retopo if needed. I will post them as soon as I am done with it
Hmmm texturing the tree. Since its a hero asset I was thinking to put it on a 1 2048 on which will be the trunk, branches, foliage and all the other stuff that will be on the trunk. Or I could just use a 1024 tiling texture and a 512 for a the foliage and maby use some of that vertex paint to paint the moss. Will think more about it once I done the sculpt
@michealmilette
Thats why I need to do the tree with the roots first so I know how to fit it around the floor
Very nice !
ahh ok
@ sltrOlsson
Ye I will do it soon once I am done with the Tree and floor in the middle.
@ jeffro
Good call. Will do some changes to the mesh.
@ Minotaur0
Ye thats true. Nothing really much I can do with the architecture apart from brakeing and devastating some parts and adding some foliage and roots to brake down. I am open to any suggestions that you might have
Before I go on further with this I would like to get some feedback on the tree. I have nearly finished the sculpt (just minor alpha brush adds to the bark) and made a test bake after a whole day of retopoing.
At the moment the Tree is 5000 Tris. I know its a bit too much for the bark itself but I made it like this so It will bake better. Now I can reduce it to 3500 maximum I think but then I will spend that 1500 or even 2000 for the additional vines, branches, leaves etc. I'll post here some screenshots.
... and the uv's. You can see clearly that theres alot of polys to take down especially on the upper branches. Please leave me some feedback on the topology and how I have unwrapped it so I can adjust some changes. Cheers
I believe that you can make HUGE cut downs on the rest of the tree without any real difference to.
I was thinking of making one Tree out of 2 which are bound together and twisting into each other. Might need to spend on that asset a littlebit more time than I expected.
I mention this because your first tree just looks like an upside down root network, with no apparent fractal system, and it looks like a hand, less like a tree.
For example the latest tree pic you posted appears to split into two main trunks (with some irregular branches), where smaller branches sprout out of at semi-regular intervals.
@re.wind : Thanks for the tips. I took your advice on this and made a new one which I think will fit better. Just need to sculpt some trunk and branch details for the normals.
But I'm working on an Environment atm, I'll post pics when i get somewhere decent!
The only thing that bothers me about the scene is the roof should be a bit thicker
otherwise great work love the modular pieces and the work so far
cant wait to see the way the tree textured and really blended into the scene
Either way, I can't wait to see how you handle nature taking over your building.
@HughieDM : Cheers ! I might just add a shell modifier for the front of the tiles and make them a bit irregular in length.
@Mark.N : Thanks. I'll do what I can to devastate it more with roots than branches.
I've baked down what I've sculpted but I got nasty seams I need to get rid of (posted it in Technical Talk) also I've put the tree on a 2048 texture sheet. Tho when close to it I can see the pixels barely but still. First time I am building that kind of huge asset compared to the player and have a bit of a trouble handleing the texturing part on this one
As for texturing, sculptris is rather capable at 3D painting, i.e. like the following tree made in sculptris, including texture & normal. inspired by your tree btw.
Re.wind I've polypainted the bark as you recomended and then did the foliage. Now I am adding some finishing touches to the vines and some hanging moss.
With all the foliage vines and assets for that main asset I am at 9877 Triangles.
Here's a WIP screengrab from 3ds Max
It might be the wireframes making it a bit noisy, but I can't really see any definition in the bark. I would expect a tree like that to have some lovely looking cracks.
Or, if it is more of a smoothBark tree, perhaps some nice sharp creases etc.
e.g.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22522979@N02/3708246875/
Also, with regard to the moss, don't be afraid to put more of it higher up the tree, and thin out the moss by the roots. The 'saddle' area slightly above and to the right of the broken branch is an excellent place for moss, as are some of the more horizontal areas in the following branches. Well, at least on oak trees, or trees that have rough bark.
@Guy: Thanks. I will post it soon. Had to move with other stuff for the moment couse it was taking me too much time.
@re.wind: I've added a bit of more moss on the mid branches and it looks better. Especially on the broken branch. To be honest I think I will abandon the big vines and instead make some smaller alpha'd with Ivy on the lower bark + some vegetation between roots. Don't want this asset to go way over 8k Triangles. Also those Vines somehow do not fit and they distract a bit from the overall shape of the tree.
In the meanwhile I was preparing some materials for the stone floor in the middle so I can start learning some vertex painting. Did some tests and I think I will use the second one as a base to add vertex painted moss and dirt in the middle of the square.
This was just a practice:
I think I will use this one to blend: