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The Bi-Monthly Environment Art Challenge | November - December (75)

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Pinkfox sublime tool
Hey everyone! Welcome to the 75th iteration of the Bi-Monthly Environment Art Challenge for the months of November and December 2021!

The challenge is a way for real-time 3D artists to test their skills and create a piece of work based on concepts provided. It's open to those of all skill levels and we do our best to provide meaningful feedback along the way so everyone can come away from the challenge with actionable points on which they can improve their craft!

Anyone is welcome in this challenge no matter your skill level! It's a test of your own ability not a competition between members. We're all here to improve as artists and learn from each other.

- ENVIRONMENTS -

HARD SURFACE ENVIRONMENT:
Dead Space 2 & 3 concept art by Joseph Cross (Thanks for the suggestion in a previous voting thread @Łukasz )
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/28zWba


STYLIZED ENVIRONMENT:
Zephyrus - Boss Environment Concept by Adam "Forange" TΓΆrn
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xJg6LY


- PROPS -

HARD SURFACE PROP:
Prop design/searchlight by tryo
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/zO8rl6


STYLIZED PROP:


- RULES -

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 for example.)
  • 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.Β 
  • 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

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    Went ahead and converted this thread to the challenge thread as there wasn't any activity in voting this go around. Excited to see what comes out of the community this go around! The last cycle was pretty exciting. :D
  • efwfew16
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    efwfew16 polycounter lvl 3
    Am I the first one ? :) I've beenΒ  blocking out the scene on my free time, still trying to figure out the shape/scale/placement of objects. Right now the two 'throne' like mesh are probably too small and not wide enough :c good thing is that most objects seems to be symmetrical, so only have to model once! I had problem figuring out some of the shape so I took some liberty with the design. btw when does the challenge 'end'?Β  is there a date ?
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    @efwfew16 Glad to have you on board! The challenge ends December 31st, so feel free to take your time on it.

    Something that might help at least with the width of certain things is the sketches at the bottom of the ArtStation post showing a side view of the concept. Might be worth checking out if you wanted to avoid having to eye ball some parts of it too much. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xJg6LY
  • Steen
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    Steen polycounter lvl 16
    Looking great so far @efwfew16! Really liking all of the inset details you've got in there. I'm totally feeling your pain on those thronelike sections. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out the scale and proportion of things and have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of places where I just have to make decisions about how I want it to look. There's a lot of good concept there to work with, but it doesn't all quite add up when you try to put it together in 3d space. The cool thing about that is that we're going to have our own different takes on things. Looking forward to seeing more!




  • efwfew16
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    efwfew16 polycounter lvl 3
    Pinkfox said:
    @efwfew16 Glad to have you on board! The challenge ends December 31st, so feel free to take your time on it.

    Something that might help at least with the width of certain things is the sketches at the bottom of the ArtStation post showing a side view of the concept. Might be worth checking out if you wanted to avoid having to eye ball some parts of it too much. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xJg6LY

    For some reason I thought it ended at the start of December so I started pretty fast and I didn't even check the artstation posts with the other shots. That was a stupid move on my part, but well live and learn. Right now i'm working on the floor,not sure if the floor width get smaller after the two bird statues, (on some image it does look like it's smaller but i'm not sure,Β  I think i'm gonna have to guess and choose.) Also with the pillars; not really sure of their placement numbers, or if it's the vegetation on bottom right/perspective that's hiding/confusing me. Like are they at the edge ? because on the bottom pic it looks like it's in the middle, but at the same time on the other side it looks like it's at the edgeΒ  :'(:anguished: Β  i'm not that good at analysing those stuffs lol
    Steen said:
    Looking great so far @efwfew16! Really liking all of the inset details you've got in there. I'm totally feeling your pain on those thronelike sections. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out the scale and proportion of things and have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of places where I just have to make decisions about how I want it to look. There's a lot of good concept there to work with, but it doesn't all quite add up when you try to put it together in 3d space. The cool thing about that is that we're going to have our own different takes on things. Looking forward to seeing more!




    Thanks and nice! cool to have someone else. Yes at first when I saw the concept I thought that since it was symmetrical it was gonna be a walk in the park but actually the blockout is not that easy haha, especially the floor


  • Skrupps
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    Skrupps polycounter lvl 4
    First time doing one of these challenges but I want to take a stab at this one. I love the design and I feel like it has a lot of opportunities for sculpting practice. Looking at the Artstation post I noticed that its a lot smaller than it looks from the concept, I initially thought it'd tower over an average male model but its just under. For the most part I'm noticing that I can probably work on the scale and proportion of the face pieces. Really looking forward to how this project will go and to see others projects!




  • yashar98
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    yashar98 polycounter lvl 9
    i finished the blockout

  • Steen
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    Steen polycounter lvl 16
    Looking solid @yashar98. I'm curious about how you're going to approach sculpting. Are you going to try to join all of those parts together beforehand or sculpt on individual pieces? Are you sculpting in Blender?
  • yashar98
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    yashar98 polycounter lvl 9
    Steen said:
    Looking solid @yashar98. I'm curious about how you're going to approach sculpting. Are you going to try to join all of those parts together beforehand or sculpt on individual pieces? Are you sculpting in Blender?
    thank you my friend. i think not needed to join all of them. some parts like tooth is better to be separated.
    for sculpting i always use zbrush.
  • Steen
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    Steen polycounter lvl 16
    I'm making progress! Getting this whole scene done by the end of the year feels like a lot, but I'll be happy if I can get some of the major parts all the way through the pipe.


  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    Have some free time so like Skrupps I'm going to get some sculpting practice with the brazier. Thinking that I'll do a stylized and a realistic sculpt of it to get practice on both. For now though I've got the blockout done so I'm ready to sculpt tomorrow. :D


  • PuuroMan
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    PuuroMan polygon
    So my first post in this thread. I chose to create my enviroment from dead space concept art. This is easily the most complicated 3d enviroment i created. So much to do. First thing to learn was trimsheets. Not sure if im doing right. My material is very simple and ive seen people use much more sophisticated materials with trimsheets. I hope i can finish this enviroment to completion until deadline. But this is very fun!Β 

    so this is the main prop in the scene and i decided to finish that one first. Still some pipes to do for it. Next i will move to floor etc.
    bit empty still :D
  • atunnard
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    atunnard polycounter lvl 5
    Will be joining on the prop challenge. Block out done.
    httpsiimgurcomuDNJdZFpng

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    Finally was able to finish up the two sculpts. Got the realistic one on the left and the stylized one on the right.


    Definitely think there are things I could have done better on both sculpts but I think they came out well and were definitely good practice. Happy to hear thoughts and critique from others, too! :D
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    @PuuroMan Realized I forgot to mention this. Really like what you've got so far and I think you're nailing it with trim sheets so I wouldn't worry about doing them perfectly. Getting a solid foundation you can build on is way more important.

    I am a bit concerned with the scale of your scene though. It might just be because there isn't a mannequin reference to judge from, but the railing just looks extremely small from the side view when compared to the stairs next to it.
  • Snackwacko
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    Snackwacko triangle
    First timer here. Going to do the searchlight prop. Here is what I've got so far.

  • vlad515
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    vlad515 polycounter lvl 2
    Hi everybody. For the first time here. I tried to optimize as much as possible. I will be glad to receive feedback.model
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool
    @vlad515 Glad to have you on board! Awesome work, you really nailed all the shapes of the spotlight and the optimization is well handled! You also lit the prop really well in your renders, I struggle with that something fierce but you killed it.

    Some things to consider for the next prop you tackle:
    • Your materials are fairly basic. I'd love to see some consideration to maybe what sort of environment the light would live in. If it's outside then maybe some rust in places and hard water streaks running down the sides. For the glass perhaps some streaks where a person has cleaned the lens. You've got some of it but none of it feels directed more just evenly applied.
    • You used mirrored UVs in some places that are a little obvious, in particular the side of the arm facing outward. Not sure that was necessary when you're also mirroring the arm itself to the other side.
    • The High Voltage sign on the back is awkwardly floating over the vents. Even though the concept has it that way don't be afraid to make changes that will make it feel better!
    • You're missing the bar connecting the side arm supports to the light itself so right now it's floating. (Looks like this was fixed or I was hallucinating when I wrote this. :P)
    Seriously though, excellent work and would love to see you join in for challenges in the future!
  • Fabi_G
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    Fabi_G insane polycounter
    @vlad515 Hey :)Β 

    I think the poly count is still quite high for a game asset. Instead of beveling all edges, you can have the bevels in theΒ normal map. Details that are not relevant for silhouette (screws/bolts, panel gaps) can also be baked into the texture - this requires sufficient texelΒ density. You can put the geometry saved into a more detailed silhouette (e.g. rounded corners on handles).

    I recommend using different types of bolts/screws for the different sizes (maybe 3 types? The large bolts at the stand having spax insets gives a weird sense of scale).



    I agree with Pinkfox that the material can use some imprint from the environment.

    Keep it up :+1:
  • demigodssw
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    demigodssw greentooth
    @vlad515 looks decent at the moment, It definitelyΒ can use some weathering like what Pinkfox mentioned. Some more bolts and screws on the body will look cool as well, they are pretty easy to do in painter.
    I found a prop which you can use for reference here https://www.boysichterman.com/projects/58nYWW

  • Steen
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    Steen polycounter lvl 16
    Wow, lots of good stuff showing up in here!
    I've been continuing to slowly chip away at the high poly of this section.

  • Fabi_G
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    Fabi_G insane polycounter
    Tried out baking of blenders bevel shader with the searchlight prop

    model

    Split up the mesh into several pieces to get interior beveled edges and used some additional geometry for baking which would then get removed on export via a mask modifier.Β 

    Baked most parts on a 2k set leaving some space for details like bolts and plates, so that they can have a higher resolution.Β 

    Prop is missing finish, maybe I find some time next week to go over it once more.
    I'm sure there are more efficient ways to use this method and to get better results - have to continue experiments :)
  • blankz
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    blankz triangle
    Hi! First time joining in for a challenge. Finished the blockout for the sculpt. Any feedback is appreciated :)

  • Yahska
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    Yahska polycounter lvl 2

    Hey! @blankz

    Even I'm here for the challenge for the first time, wondering if I'm too late.

    Regarding your stylized prop blockout : I feel like the proportions are a bit off as compared to the reference. You can make minor tweaks to get the same proportions of some parts as the concept and it will make the prop more appealing. This is just my opinion, if you've chosen to interpret it a bit differently then go ahead with the highpoly details and texturing.

  • blankz
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    blankz triangle

    Hey @Yahska

    Imo it's better late than never so you should definitely join.

    And yes I did realize after taking a break that the proportions need to be tweaked. I will try to match it better. Thanks for mentioning it .

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @Yahska I agree with @blankz on this, you should join! Though I may be a bit biased. :P

    Seriously though, it's not a race and it's not uncommon for people to finish after the challenge has wrapped up. Would rather see people finish late than never even try!

  • atunnard
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    atunnard polycounter lvl 5

    @Fabi_G Hope you get time to add the finishing touches. Some high contrast colour additions will go a long way.

  • atunnard
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    atunnard polycounter lvl 5

    Been having trouble with my bakes in Substance Painter for a while. My normal bake is casting shadows onto close objects like AO and I haven't worked out or found guides on how to avoid it. Any advice would be extremely helpful.


    Thinking I might have to explode all the meshes to bake and import them into a new substance project file?

  • Snackwacko
  • Snackwacko
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    Snackwacko triangle

    This is my Searchlight prop so far . Need to join together the textures somehow as I ended up with 20+ textures after exporting each piece from substance.

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @Snackwacko Sounds like you've got a bunch of texture sets which would come from having multiple materials on the mesh. If you reimported the mesh with less materials, a single material for instance if you're hoping for one texture, you should get less textures output from Painter.

  • trimurthy
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    trimurthy triangle

    This is my textured Search light so far.

    This is first time I am participating in the challenge. feel free to comment and to improve my 3d skills.

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @trimurthy Looks really solid overall! I especially like the different roughness values you've got even along simple panels, makes the light dance over it in a much more interesting fashion. :D

    I do think you could do a bit more with the textures in certain places. For instance, the electric box on the side of the light body has some great drippy streaks and it would be awesome to see that sort of detail around things like the bolts, handles, etc.

    The only other thing I noticed is that the "Caution: High Voltage" sign on the back of the light looks like it's underneath the little hatch there. Might be good to move the caution sign over a bit so they don't overlap.

  • GhostDetector
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    GhostDetector polycounter lvl 10

    @trimurthy Looks well done the only thing don't quite like is that it feels clean and dirty at the same time. Like the age is shwoing in the rough/damage but there's either too much damage for its damage level or too little. I think you'll need to reduce the edge wear so its not applied throughout the mesh.


    I figured I had some time to do the tiki prop. Any feedback on texture/presentation would be appreciated.

  • trimurthy
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    trimurthy triangle

    Thanks for the feed back I will do it when I done with Second prop.

  • trimurthy
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    trimurthy triangle

    this is my second prop...render


  • demigodssw
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    demigodssw greentooth

    @GhostDetector Hi dude! The light setup is a bit too dark, so It's a bit difficult to see the textures. The metal on the top feels really nice though!

    I don't have much experience with stylized texturing, but I made some edits in photoshop, which might make the scene better. I adjusted the brightness of the textures, modified the color of moss and added it on a few more areas.


  • PuuroMan
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    PuuroMan polygon

    Here is my incomplete enviroment for this challenge. It was too difficult as a challenge to create so i ran out of motivation to complete it. I did try to fix proportions tho. And i learned that hardsurface scifi is very difficult to create :D Maybe i should choose a prop for next challenge.

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    Hey everyone, hope you all had a wonderful time over the holidays! It's been great to see the fantastic work throughout this challenge and seeing everyone push themselves in their own ways!

    With the new year comes a new challenge and I'm happy to announce the 76th challenge is ready to go. I do apologize for the lack of a concept thread this go around. Holiday times were crazy and in a turbulent end to the year some things just fell a bit to the wayside. The concept thread will be back in March so if there are any concepts you're thinking about definitely hold onto them until then. :D

    https://polycount.com/discussion/228981/the-bi-monthly-environment-art-challenge-january-february-76


    @PuuroMan Don't stress about it too much! You made excellent progress in this challenge and you're right that scifi is extreme difficult to do. Just remember that time you spent wasn't wasted and the next project you tackle you'll be able to apply those skills to it. If you're looking to continue to hone the scifi skill the hard surface prop in the new challenge is definitely worth a look, but don't shy away from tackling another environment just because there were some stumbling blocks in this one.

  • atunnard
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    atunnard polycounter lvl 5

    Rushed a bit towards the end and I think I need to focus more on keeping everything stylized. Hopefully learnt some things to take on to the new challenge.

    @demigodssw nice job! I really like the fire you added, is it a 2d asset?

  • demigodssw
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    demigodssw greentooth

    @atunnard Hi dude! That prop is from @GhostDetector that image is his render which I edited to include my feedbacks.

    Your prop is looking great! The edges are looking a bit it sharp though.

  • Rmakarov
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    Rmakarov polycounter lvl 2

    Hey,

    Sorry I'm late. Towards the very end of 2021 I decided to get involved into the world of challenges and contests. I thought, "It will take me maybe a couple of days. Eeeezzzyyy". I... was wrong. Starting on Dec 25th until Jan 4th I spent 36 hours total.

    I would love to hear what you guys think.

    Happy belated New Year.

    (not sure why everything looks significantly darker)

  • Rmakarov
  • Rmakarov
  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @Rmakarov Great work on the searchlight! Love the extra bits you put into it to make it unique. :D

    Make sure to consider how impactful an area will be to the silhouette of the object when deciding how many polys to give it. Cylindrical objects especially need more edges to avoid that jagged look when they get big. You could bump up the number of edges on the bottom platform, tires, and the searchlight itself without much worry and it would help the silhouette a ton. Wouldn't need to go over board just get it to a "smooth enough" point.

    As an example, this Dishonored 2 spot light uses 40 edges for the main light body from what I can tell. It's not overkill, just enough to get a smooth look. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/WQkk2

    Just something to consider for whatever you tackle next. :D

  • Rmakarov
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    Rmakarov polycounter lvl 2


    Hey, @Pinkfox, thank you for your feedback! Yeah, it does seem I "overkilled" the optimization part. I was worried it is going to become too heavy to use for video games.

    I will apply your feedback later!

    I wonder at what point the thread becomes "dead". Because I probably can't polishing a single asset forever... Can I?

    Thanks again!

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @Rmakarov It's ultimately up to you to decide when you feel you've gotten what you can out of what you're working on and to move on. In your case, I don't think I would go back to your current prop. Instead just take what you learned and apply it to your next project.

  • blankz
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    blankz triangle

    I am a tad bit late but finally got the sculpt done. What do you guys think?

  • Pinkfox
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    Pinkfox sublime tool

    @blankz I think you killed it with the sculpt! It's got excellent damage but it's not too heavy and allows the major shapes to shine even more.

    A couple of minor notes I'd have is there are a few places where it seems like the damage should continue onto front pieces but it doesn't and the bowl at the top is missing. I just doodled some quick arrows to point out the areas I mean.

  • efwfew16
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    efwfew16 polycounter lvl 3

    Hi everyone, I was away in December and could only get a few days work. I didn't want to throw this project out because of the dead line so I still decided to finish it:

    https://www.artstation.com/trevorgallois a few more pics here

    Overall i'm happy wth it, I think my color are a bit too much, especially the white, and the bloom is too much aswell (which I realised after rendering), but I saved a different file on top of the original file like an idiot 😭 I kinda had to do with the render I had, and tried to do with the mood I wanted in Photoshop. Also scale arent perfect compared to the original art, but I was spending way too much time on it lol ( as you can see on my first few post above ) Oh well! 🀭

    I only wished I had done a better job for the vegetation and not use megascans, I really need to start doing it as I dont think i've done it manually before

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