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The Bi-Monthly ENVIRONMENT ART Challenge | July - August (73)

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Pinkfox sublime tool

Hey everyone, I'm excited to bring you the Bi-Monthly Environment Art Challenge for the months of July and August!

The challenge is open to anyone interested and at any skill level. Remember if you don't finish in the time allotted, just keep plugging away and post when your work is finished. We want to see your work! So keep going and finish those pieces!

Before we begin, one last thank you to @alytlebird for hosting these challenges for the past year and a half! The time you dedicated to hosting these challenges across those many months is most appreciated.

With everything out of the way it's onto the challenge!


- ENVIRONMENTS -

HARD SURFACE:
AI prog by Paul Trochu
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ELo3Xe


STYLIZED:
The Cursed Bard Environment by Bryan van der Linden (Thank you to @Orbit for the suggestion!)
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/68o6Rw (Close-up of chair available in link)

- PROPS -

HARD SURFACE:
Invisibility Device mark 2 by Vasiliy Ivanov
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/EL5R68


STYLIZED:
Lumberyard Demo Stylized Props by Brian Yam
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4Egq8



Please read all the rules before starting:
  • Try to post at least one critique for every post that you make. This will make for a better learning environment and help us all grow as artists.
  • Try your best to finish as much as you can in the time frame provided, but remember even if you don't finish by the end of the challenge we encourage you to keep pushing and finish your piece!
  • Post what you are working on in this thread so that way it's a more centralized place for advice and critique. Please avoid creating a new thread as we don't want to spam out the forums.
  • It is recommended to use a game engine to present your work. Unreal Engine, Unity, and CryEngine are very common engines that can be used but feel free to use any alternatives that you want. (Marmoset Toolbag is allowed as well)
  • Feel free to change up your chosen concept a bit if you want! Interpret these concepts to your liking, especially if your aim is to add storytelling elements.
  • If you finish your project and decide to post it to Artstation, make sure you give credit to the concept artist in the form of a link to their profile. Additionally, it is recommended to ask a concept artist for their permission to post a 3D piece based on their work before doing so.

Recommendations:

  • When you are just starting out making a scene, it can seem complicated or imposing. Take your time planning and blocking out, it will set you up for success later on. 
  • Think about how you can re-use assets, re-use textures, break it down as simple as possible and plan it out. A lot of people will break it down in their own way when they start out their challenge. Gather some reference images as well for different parts of the scene, don't be afraid to make it your own.
  • We strongly encourage you to go and look at other games and see how they make their assets as well as get concept art to give it your own feel.
The goal is to learn and grow both artistically and in your ability to both give and receive critique, but don't stress about it and remember to have fun!

Good luck!

Replies

  • alytlebird
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    alytlebird interpolator
    Really nice selection of concepts here! Best of luck to everyone who decides to participate, and thanks for carrying on the tradition of this Challenge. :)
  • Astronaut
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    Astronaut triangle
    Omg ! , i am nervous , so i am in for this challenge , and i like the  "cursed bard environment ". so lets go and good luck to everyone in this challenge ..
  • _Alexander_
    I'm excited to see everyone's work as this is my first time joining the forum. Best of luck :) 
  • Commiesaur
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    Commiesaur triangle
    Been powering through various Maya modeling tutorials and figured this competition is a good chance to dive into my first more complex independent project. The invisibility device mark 2 is really intimidating but I can also see how it all breaks down to a lot of what´s been practiced. Here´s my weekends progress towards a basic blockout. Focusing on the core sphere and the side pieces. Putting off the pipes and cables for last.

    Worried even with the fairly heavy sphere I don't have enough geometry for the smaller circle details, but maybe I just take those up in texturing?

  • Marshkin
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    Marshkin polycounter lvl 9
    Been powering through various Maya modeling tutorials and figured this competition is a good chance to dive into my first more complex independent project. The invisibility device mark 2 is really intimidating but I can also see how it all breaks down to a lot of what´s been practiced. Here´s my weekends progress towards a basic blockout. Focusing on the core sphere and the side pieces. Putting off the pipes and cables for last.

    Worried even with the fairly heavy sphere I don't have enough geometry for the smaller circle details, but maybe I just take those up in texturing?

    Lovely start! For the smaller circular details - what is the scale of the asset? Is it meant to be used in a first person or third person game? Those tend to drive a lot of the decision making for me. 
  • Orbit
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    Orbit polygon
    @Commiesaur I'll second the comment about the scale - it seems like from the concept art's references its about the size of a person, or at least waist/shoulder height so having a figure for scale might help a lot visually.

    I chose the 'Cursed Bard', since I'd hoped it'd be in :). Here's my blockout so far, not sure on the width of the room really.


  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    To understand the scale I am primarily looking at the welds and wires, those are usually human sized.

    Tons of forms on this one, here is my progress screenshot.


  • Astronaut
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    Astronaut triangle
    Orbit said:
    @Commiesaur I'll second the comment about the scale - it seems like from the concept art's references its about the size of a person, or at least waist/shoulder height so having a figure for scale might help a lot visually.

    I chose the 'Cursed Bard', since I'd hoped it'd be in :). Here's my blockout so far, not sure on the width of the room really.



    Hay , nice progress  , i am also in blockout faze , i think you should use carpet on floor to measure the width , it will help you to get a proper space ..

     seeing you guys work gives me motivation, lets goo .. =)
  • Astronaut
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    Astronaut triangle
      here is my blockout of bard environment , i feel confident for the challenge now ,lol,..

    i think door side is too noisy and feels weird ,idk , if any one can suggest something would be great ... :3
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    Awesome to see so much progress so early into the challenge!

    @Astronaut I think it feels great so far! I think any noisy feelings on that side will be balanced by the right when you get the windows and anvil in place near the chair. The door and the chair are the two focal points so having them a bit more noisy with the middle ground being the area of rest isn't necessarily a bad thing.
  • kateblacks
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    kateblacks polycounter lvl 4
    What a beautiful selection of concepts...I hope I can find some time to try the stylized environment out.
  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    Progress update 1.

  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    Made some more progress.


  • elfennani
    Hi, this is my first time joining the challenge, I just finished some of the blockout and as I'm not familiar with long project, what do you think is the best workflow to achieve a good result?

  • kateblacks
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    kateblacks polycounter lvl 4
    Started on my blockout last night in Maya. Still have a lot of proportions to work out and a lot to add that'll inform better proportions. Was fun to have some murder mysteries in the background with this kind of scene.


  • kateblacks
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    kateblacks polycounter lvl 4
    @reedcsy nice wiring you got there! the setup of it looks so effortless.

    @elfennani i'd suggest try making as many things modular as you can, that'll speed up your time, but also making a really thorough blockout will help you in the long run so you have a good base to work from :smile:

  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    Update:


    Debating on if I should do the rear side, or just move into materials. The concept art is super low-res for the back. Only thing I can make out is what looks like a DJ turntable with turbine fans and some more wires.



  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    Decided to put in the back details.

    I think I am done with geo at this point, need to take a few days to think about how I am going to texture this.

    Anyone else got any updates?


  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    This is my first time playing with Volumetric lighting, so much to learn.

    @particleman1010 Looking good!, Textures should be kinda fun in Substance.
     - I discovered that scaling down the diameter of my cables really makes the scale of the scene better. Maybe consider making the cables finer, and more of them, to really make the rest of the objects look larger and more solid.




  • Lights
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    Lights polycounter lvl 3
    Hey guys, another first-timer here. I think this is such an incredible idea and a great way to learn from peers.

    I'm just starting the hard surface prompt, Ivanov's Invisibility Device. I've always run from concepts with this amount of detail but I want to try to break out of my comfort zone and really challenge myself. Hopefully, with your guy's support, I'll be able to produce a great final result.

    @particleman1010 your model is looking amazing! Quick question, any particular methods you used for matching the part sizes of the concepts? Only having a perspective view always gives me a tough time. 
  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    Lights said:
    @Quick question, any particular methods you used for matching the part sizes of the concepts? Only having a perspective view always gives me a tough time. 
    Primary technique is to rough in some basic forms and just visually go back and forth. Any time something major is getting modeled just checking your work constantly helps a lot.

    I use a lot of thought experiment tests, like if this object is this size than these things would be true, etc... Helps to constantly keep the perspective viewport moving so you don't get locked into a static screenspace and unintentionally introduce z-axis anomalies. 

    Excited to see what you make, be sure to post some progress shots.
  • Commiesaur
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    Commiesaur triangle
    @particleman1010 Wow incredible work there on the modeling side. I've been getting bogged down with some of the panel breaks and proportions.
  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    Hey, thanks for saying that. For someone who on their first complex project you are already making some great headway. Just remember this is a challenge, not a competition. The purpose is to push yourself, learn and grow as an artist.

    I have already learned a ton about improving my scene management techniques, and am using this exercise to learn how to use trim sheets correctly. I honestly don't know what I am doing with them. I am also trying a hybrid texture/material workflow for the first time that uses some bake-downs, but other objects that are just low-poly-baked, and others that are just trim-sheet materials.

    I am hoping I can do all of that and have it work without the materials looking terrible, so stay tuned. Materials and lighting are not strong areas for me as an artist, so I am hoping to make some strides there as well. 

    Don't be afraid to put those screenshots up so we can see how you are progressing, this is about community.
  • StykaSmith
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    StykaSmith polycounter lvl 3
    First time doing one of these. Loved the first environment and had to take a crack at it. Wanted to spend time getting a good blockout done so the proportions where all accurate. Trying to establish a good base so i dont get overwhelmed by the end



  • wirrexx
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    wirrexx ngon master
    I'll be joining this slowly. Still trying to wrap my head on what to do next. Did a blockout in Blender and threw it into UE4, and trying to match cameras. Not there yet.  adding to my stuff. I've never used blender, this is a challenge for me as I am primary a 3Ds max user who's migrating.
  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    Hi! I'm happy to join the challenge, and I really like the ship. Here is my low poly base. From this I'm planning to create high poly parts and bake base textures, as modular as possible. I'm not sure about the sails position and logic, but I chose to follow the reference as close as possible.

    I'll be happy to give some feedback for other participants, but right now I feel it is too early to do that, as many things will be subject to change anyway. It will be cool to observe other people's progress, everybody are having a good start!


  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    This chair logo...yea or naw?
  • Orbit
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    Orbit polygon
    @reedcsy Big yea  :). Your scene is looking slick! 

    I don't know if you're planning to do it anyway, but it might be good to play around with the colors of the monitor readouts/desktops. Right now its very monotone across all of them so making them have some variety, or even variety in the larger monitors (like in the concept) with blues/reds should make each individual screen pop a bit more.
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    @Tnnv Excited to see someone doing the ship in the bottle! Was worried no one would try to tackle that one.

    I'd actually say you should deviate from the concept to fix the sails, rigging, etc. In the concept it's easy to overlook since it can only be seen from a single angle but since you're translating it into 3D those problems are going to be compounded. Don't be afraid to try something different from the concept if it's going to result in a better end product! :D
  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    @reedcsy Cool logo, this shield element make it look like some military research division for me.

    @Pinkfox Thank you for the advice! I'm also thinking about it because if everything will go well I'm planning to make a short video or mini game in Unreal, so sails should be functional.
  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    @Orbit -hey thank you, Working on it. I am going to separate the RBG channels so I can quickly/easily make instances of the materials with different sets of colors. IE: 3 channels X 4 Material Instances = 12 unique colors.
     -Can't go crazy though, I want to keep a limited color pallet for mood.

    @Tnnv - I think your're right, but I'm not going for military. I think I'll change it to something a little more "punk".

    Also found this link highly inspirationalhttps://80.lv/articles/designing-a-realistic-coding-desk/
  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    @reedcsy Cool logo ) Shield symbol make it look like some military research division for me )
  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    @reedcsy Cool logo! This shield element make it look like some military research division for me.

    @Pinkfox Thank you for the advice! I'm also thinking about this because if everything will go well I'm planning to make a short video or mini game in Unreal, so sails should be functional.
  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
  • Commiesaur
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    Commiesaur triangle
    So this where I'm at currently. Quite happy with some of the the details I've added to the inner part and will expand on with some other pieces (also trying to think of what exactly I'll want in the center, where the concept art provides no guide. Both in quad focused subd, so I will likely have some thinking to do later on in terms of optimizing for game engines.


    The part that's the main blocker for me right now is this one


    Specifically how to best get in those curved details:


    From what I can see I can either add divisions and do it manually, or try to boolean with cylinders. Worried about bad topology from a boolean approach, and worried about non-uniformity from a manual one (as well as the difficulty of manually really getting those curved parts right, esepcially on both the inner and outer sides.
  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    @Commiesaur - Model it straight along one axis, and then use a "Bend Deformer" ( in Maya) . Or Bend Modifier (Max), depending the software. Perfect Curvature.
  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    @Commiesaur About the curved part - I think a good way is to start with circle or sphere with more dense topology, detach the part you need, add thikness, and then start splitting it into different blocks. So in general you need to establish the curvature first, and for this you need even, reasonably dense topology.
  • squeaklin
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    squeaklin polycounter lvl 8

    Started today, here is my blockout. @reedcsy fancy showing us some of your props?
  • MikeKhine
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    MikeKhine greentooth
    Hello everyone! I'm thrilled to participate in this challenge because Bryan made an amazing concept that is a big pleasure to work with. Just finished the blockout (it's a little far for just a blockout, but still), and want to share with you my WIP, guys. The most valuable feedback I got on this - "exaggerate the shapes because everything is too uniform". I will do it in ZBrush phase, where I'm planning to create the majority of my normal info and go crazy with shapes as I'm planning to retopo later in 3DCoat. 
    Btw, I got a lot of modular pieces to save time: walls, pillars, windows, stairs.


  • kateblacks
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    kateblacks polycounter lvl 4
    Hi all! I brought mine into Unreal the other day, wanted to show off my ab chair for a nice chuckle....lol. Just blocking out rough shapes that I plan on either modeling better later or sculpting, depending on the importance of it. Ab chair is in the sculpt column haha.

    Color helps me block out shapes better, still a good amount of adjustments to do in terms of silhouette of each prop, but that seems to always be a thing that improves as you go. And some things are straight up missing, but hoping to get more in this weekend. Pretty tired this week.

  • Tnnv
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    Tnnv triangle
    High poly and low poly are mostly done, now is the time for some cleanup and for materials. I am planning to use separate material for sails and ropes and reuse the same UV for wooden masts and beams.
    I also think it is a great chance to work with Unreal water and volumetric clouds.


  • MikeKhine
  • MikeKhine
  • reedcsy
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    reedcsy polycounter lvl 10
    @squeaklin - These are the ones I have custom textured, maybe I'll post some Substance materials later.
    The props workflow is Maya > Zbrush > Substance Painter
    I dont mess with SubDs at all, I just smooth / detail hardsurfaces in Zbrush.


  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
    UVs almost done, just need to clean up the boolean geometry on the sphere, then UV that as well.


  • Cheeky_Pickle
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    Cheeky_Pickle polycounter lvl 9
    Hey everyone! Decided to jump on the challenge this month. In the past i've always started but never finished. This challenge my goal is to simply to finish a piece!

    @particleman1010 looks great, really detailed I'm looking forward to seeing how you texture it!

    @reedcsy You move fast! Looks great, really atmospheric. 




  • squeaklin
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    squeaklin polycounter lvl 8
    @reedcsy Wow, fast progress. Thanks for the prop layout /steal-steal yes-yes! Thanks for the tips:)
  • Lights
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    Lights polycounter lvl 3
    Sup guy, everyone's work is looking amazing! 

    Thank you for the tips @particleman1010 I've applied them while trying to get this blockout finished up. I find one of my biggest struggles is overthinking and second-guessing myself during this stage. I think this is where I waste the most time in the pipeline so I trying to work on that. 

    Here's the current progress after last night's work. Hoping to get a lot more done during the weekend!

    Critiques are welcomed!


  • PhantomString
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    PhantomString polycounter lvl 3


    Finally done with the blockout and composition of the scene. Decided to take inspiration from multiple different concept arts. Critiques are super welcome. Thanks!
  • particleman1010
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    particleman1010 polycounter lvl 8
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