Final Major Project - Unreal Engine

     Whenever I start modelling, I like to have both 3Ds Max and Unreal Engine open on my two screens because I tend to go back and forth a lot. Sometimes, for example, I will find some unnecessary topology because when I put the assets in Unreal, I would notice that a chamfered edge here or there doesn't really add much. That's something that I've started fixing in order to make my environments a lot more optimised.

    On the other hand, I use my block out all time as a reference because it helps me so much when it comes to building the layout in my scene. This is another reason I would always encourage people to spend a little bit more time on their block outs, if they asked me - it helps not only with getting the correct size, but also deciding early on exactly what will you be doing so that you can divide your time appropriately.

    Also.. collisions. 

    For me personally, often times collisions will go horribly wrong in Unreal Engine and that's something that I will always have to fix in 3Ds Max. Especially when it comes to things like staircases and having multiple floors in one environment. 

Building Scene in Unreal Engine - Early Stages

    In addition to that, I've learnt to start naming things properly from the very beginning, rather than renaming everything and sorting things out towards the end of every project. That's how I used to name things before.. 

DO NOT name things like this, YOU WILL suffer.

        This is how I name things now.. 

    Naming things properly from the get go is something that has saved me tons of time, and I've also avoided issues such as saving wrong files, exporting and reimporting wrong files, etc. I've really been enjoying my Final Major Project so far because I feel like this year I've learned so much, from the most basic things to more complicated things, that have just made my whole experience with developing 3D environments so much more enjoyable. 

Final Major Project - 3D Modelling (Part One)

     As usual, once I had the layout of my 3D environment somewhat planned out, I just started modelling in 3Ds Max. What I tend to do in order to make that process more efficient is first, I export the block out and put it in Unreal Engine in order to make sure that the sizing is correct. Then, I tend to model the low poly using the block out, and the high poly (if necessary) using the low poly. 

    Sometimes.. unfortunate things will happen. 

 But that's okay. It's Max. We've all been a little mean when we've had a bad day, Max has also had a bad day.

    On a good day though, Max does tend to do what I want them to do. In my previous projects, I used a lot of topology that was quite unnecessary, and that's something that the ProOptimizer modifier has helped me stop doing because it tends to connect edges in an efficient way without leaving ngons. I only learned how to use it recently and it has been in a lot of help because you can manually select the amount of edges you want to have, therefore if you don't want any triangles, you can just make it connect edges and have four sided surfaces.

Vertex Paint

    Another thing that I've started doing a lot more efficiently in my Final Major Project is creating modular assets. Before, I used to model pretty much everything separately, which often times took too long because I would constantly have to go back and forth from 3Ds Max to Unreal Engine, because the size would become incorrect as soon as I would change something - however, with modular assets, I just have to model one and then build it in Engine. 

    The only thing that you sometimes have to do differently when it comes to modular kits is using Vertex Paint. Vertex Paint is one way of assigning different materials to one object so that when you start texturing it, you will both be able to use different materials for each asset (if they're unwrapped on the same UV) AND make sure that all of your assets have been unwrapped on the same unwrap sheet. 

    Technically, you can also use another method in 3Ds Max for that which is just assigning different materials - however, the reason I don't do it this way is because it sometimes creates an issue in which when I unwrap my assets and open them in Substance Painter in order to texture them, they would all appear on multiple UVs because I've assigned them different materials. 

Modular Assets

Here's an example..

    Making walls and panels like that, I've realised, are much easier and way more efficient when they're done as a part of a modular kit. The reason for that is because often times, when your 3D environment is still at a very early stage, things will be resized and changed quite often, therefore building walls using modular assets allows you to do that without having to go back to 3Ds Max in order to change the size of the entire wall every single time (I've made some mistakes from the past.. but we learn). In addition to that, it's also a lot easier to texture modular assets because the of the topology and the texel density, and.. generally, smaller assets will have better resolution, unless you want to use 4k texture sheets which is okay if the assets are massive, but using too many isn't always ideal - I do want my game to run at least 60fps. 

Bookshelves

 Tables

 Ceiling Panels

Final Major Project - Blocking Out (Update)

Block Out - Finished

This week, I managed to finish my block out and I also managed to do enough research and gather enough references to be able to start building things in Unreal Engine. 

Basically, room number one is going to be the library. Because it’s mostly going to be a research and study area, I intend to have tables and shelves filled with books about things like history, biology, chemistry, alchemy, ritual magic, etc. It’s going to have a fairly generic layout. The reason for that is because when the player enters the level, I wouldn’t want them to immediately know what this grim place is being used for – instead, I would like them to get the eerie vibe but still have to investigate and go to the upper floors in order to figure out what’s going on. I don’t plan on having intense lighting in the library, or in any of the other rooms in fact, because I intend to build a cold, moody atmosphere, not a warm one.

Room number two is going to be the laboratory. In the past, the laboratory had been used for practical seminars delivered to medical students. Hence why there’s going to be lab equipment, a lecturer’s desk and a charcoal board, tables, anatomical posters, etc. In present day, the vampires are using the space and the equipment in the laboratory for their own research and experimentations that usually involve mixing different types of blood, for example, or experiments that will help them find a way to take the supernatural merits and flaws of other vampires from different clans away. 

Room number three is going to be the smallest room. In the past, it had been used as a storage area for the laboratory. In the present day, the vampires are using it as a space to perform their ritual magic. The reason I chose this particular room to be the one for rituals is because often times, the rituals get messy and that area is more closeted than the others. The windows are going to be covered with cloths and the main source of light is going to be candles placed on the ground and in a circle around a large symbol, hinting that’s probably where the majority of rituals happen. There is also going to be a medical bed to the side, because in order to get the blood they need, they do tend use other people/ vampires. 

''Vampyr,'' video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment

    In terms of visual effects, I intend to have dust particles because the space isn’t going to be tidied often. On the other hand, I also intend like to have audio and I would like the audio to be some sort of an ambient sound in the background, perhaps the sound of ravens croaking somewhere outside the building, or doors squeaking. Also, other than animating the doors to close and open, I intend to have some flickering lights.

I’m going to be making an environment that has realistic proportions and I’m going to be texturing it using PBR materials – however, although it is going to be more on the realistic side, I would still like to have a slight stylisation to it. The video game called ‘’Vampyr’’ developed by Dontnod Entertainment is a very big inspiration of mine, and something that I will be using as a reference throughout my project. The framerate that I'm aiming for is 60fps.

 In addition to that, my goal is to show good modeling and texturing skills when it comes to 3D, as well as the ability to build both dynamic lighting and dynamic atmosphere in Engine. On the other side, my goal is to show that I can do research and work from reference when it comes to my blog, as well as think critically and problem solve. 

                    Summary:

·         My FMP is inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade (World of Darkness), which will be credited.

·         I’m making an abandoned medical school that is currently being used by vampires as a hideout.

·         Interior, consists of three rooms (one large library and a staircase, one laboratory and one common room/ ritual room).

·         Cold, moody atmosphere. The main light source is going to be the moonlight, backed up by dim lights inside of the interior. Overall, I’m planning to have a fairly dark atmosphere.

·         ‘’Vampyr,’’ developed by Dontnod Entertainment is a very big reference that I will be using throughout my project.

·         Realistic proportions.

·         PBR textures.

·         Dynamic lighting, (and atmosphere).

·         Slight stylisation.

·         Platform – PC and PlayStation.

Final Major Project - Blocking Out

     Once I was somewhat satisfied with the research and the references I had managed to gather, I started blocking my scene out in 3Ds Max. For my Final Major Project,  I intend to create a 3D environment. What I want to do is the interior of an abandoned medical school that is now being used by vampires as a hideout. The concept of my Final Major Project is very heavily inspired by the World of Darkness, and Vampire: The Masquerade more specifically, which I will be fully crediting throughout it's development. 

   Early Sketches

Early Block Out

    The early sketches and the early block out.. were both scrapped because I realised that if I keep this layout, the space on the second floor is going to be very limited. So instead, I’m going to have three rooms in my environment – a library, a laboratory and a common room which has been turned into a room used for ritual magic. The library is going to be on the first floor, a large staircase is going to be connecting it to the second floor where the first room is going to be the laboratory and the second room is going to be the common room/ the ritual room. The reason I chose this particular layout is because the player will spawn at the entrance of the library where things will look fairly normal at first glance, however the more the player progresses through the level, the darker and darker the settings inside the rooms will become. 

 Block Out in Development

Step One

Step Two

    On the side, I’m planning to animate the doors that connect each room so that they would open and close when the player interacts with them, as well as make some simple visual effect such as particles, for example, in order to enhance the scene and make it more interactive. 

    In terms of lighting, my goal is to establish a mood that’s dark, cold and very uncanny. It will be nighttime outside; therefore, I am mostly going to rely on the moonlight coming from the outside and through the windows, the lights inside and candles who are going to be placed around primarily in the common room/ ritual room on the second floor.

Final Major Project - Research and References

     For my Final Major Project, before starting anything else, I took some time to do some research in order to gather some references and develop a better idea of what sort of an environment I would like to go for. I already had somewhat of a theme going on in my head - I knew that I would like to make an interior and I knew that I would like to make something heavily inspired by Vampire: The Masquerade, which is a branch of video games, of tabletop games, of books and of so many other medias that are part of the World of Darkness. The reason for that is because I've always wanted to work on something Vampire: The Masquerade related - this is the game that got me into gaming in the first place when I was little, into role play too and into so many other things such as writing, for example. 

    One of my biggest references is this trailer: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2: Clan Introduction: Tremere | PS4 - YouTube. This trailer is from the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade - Boodlines 2 game that is currently in development. What I am planning to do is to try getting in touch with the official World of Darkness team in order to ask them if it is going to be okay to take this concept and implement it into my 3D environment. Clan Tremere is one of the clans that I would often choose to play as. 

    Other Inspirations

Abandoned Mansion by Krystian Zem

ArtStation - Abandoned Mansion

Victorian Library by Jeff Kleinzweig

ArtStation - Victorian Library, Jeff Kleinzweig

    In addition to that, I would also like to credit this website: Obsidian Urbex Photography | Urban Exploration | Abandoned Locations. Obsidian Urbex Photography is a page that I will be using as a reference throughout my project. It is a page dedicated to urban exploration and contains images of beautiful environments from various angles. 

    One of the things that I really love about this page is that it shows places that are in a state of decay and that's something that I would like to have a little bit of in my environment. Not entirely, because although it is technically going to be the interior of an abandoned medical school, it is still going to be used, just for different purposes. 

    In addition to that, the video game ''Vampyr' developed by Dontnod Entertainment is another inspiration of mine, as well as these two pieces:

Autopsy by Vladysava Hladkova

Rite of Rebirth by Elizabeth Yun 

Captain's Table Project - Final Touches

 Summative Submission

    One of the main things that I really needed to fix about my Captain's Table environment project was the foliage. Basically, I made grass in Substance Painter. However, because I made the grass as a simple material, I put it in Substance Designer, placed it on a plane and enabled the opacity channel in order to be able to export it and place it in Unreal Engine. Because of that, my foliage looked very two dimensional and it wasn't really believable. 

    At first, the way I fixed that was by using multiple planes with foliage and rotating them in order to get a more three dimensional shape - that's how I submitted it for my formative. However, upon receiving my feedback, I did realise that my foliage was way too dense. So the way I fixed this was going back into Unreal Engine, deleting the previous foliage and creating a new one by still merging a lot of planes together, although this time I didn't just make them as dense everywhere and I ended up leaving larger parts with less foliage in front of the doors for example, where people would walk more often. 

Before

After

    In addition to that, I managed to figure out what had been affecting my foliage and making the green colour look very strange - the decals. I had been trying to resolve this issue by messing around with the foliage itself and the texture on it, however I didn't stop to thing that something else might be affecting it. 

    There is box that can be ticked off in the properties of every asset which just says ''Receives Decals''. By clicking this option off, the decals stop being able to affect these assets. 

Beauty Shots

    Overall, I'm very satisfied with the progress that I've made this year during my first semester because I've learned a lot more about modeling, texturing, and even tech art - I have been enjoying making effects very much, which I never would have thought would happen because I remember how much I struggled with the more technical aspects of 3D. Also, I've learned how to work a lot more efficiently, therefore I feel a lot more prepared to start working on my FMP.