Creating Game Art Environments: Planning a UE4 Environment - ArtStation Challenge | VLOG EP.001
TLDRIn this video, Tim, a self-taught game industry artist with a decade of experience, embarks on a journey to create a AAA-quality 3D environment inspired by feudal Japan. He shares his process of planning through mood boards and emphasizes the importance of using references to achieve authenticity and quality in design. Tim also discusses his past work on major game titles and offers advice for aspiring artists on staying motivated and focused during the creation process.
Takeaways
- 🎨 Tim, a self-taught game industry artist with 10 years of experience, is starting a vlog series documenting the creation of a AAA quality 3D environment inspired by feudal Japan.
- 🏆 Tim has worked at major studios like Ubisoft, EA Montreal, and Capcom Vancouver on games such as Far Cry 4 and Sleeping Dogs.
- 📚 The purpose of the documentation is to help other artists learn from the process and to build an audience for those interested in game development.
- 🌟 Mood boards are essential for planning 3D environments, providing a quick reference for design elements and keeping the project cohesive.
- 🔍 Tim emphasizes the importance of using references, such as Google Image Search, Google Streetview, ArtStation, and Pinterest, to create accurate and immersive environments.
- 🎨 The color palette for the project is inspired by the original concept art, with a focus on greens, grays, and a kick of orange or vermilion for accents.
- 🛠️ Tim plans to start blocking out the scene in Unreal Engine, focusing on the largest structural elements first to maintain momentum and prioritize work effectively.
- 🌿 Foliage creation presents a challenge for Tim, as he has more experience with placement and composition rather than asset creation.
- 🕒 Time management is a key challenge, as Tim balances creating the art with his daily work responsibilities.
- 📈 Tim suggests using quality benchmarks from modern games to maintain a high standard of detail and to compare and improve one's own work.
Q & A
What is the main goal of Tim's vlog series?
-The main goal of Tim's vlog series is to document the process of creating a full, triple-A quality 3D environment from start to end, providing insights and learning opportunities for others interested in game industry art.
How long has Tim been working as a game industry artist?
-Tim has been working as a game industry artist for about 10 years.
What was Tim's educational background before entering the game industry?
-Tim is self-taught; he only went to high school and then taught himself the rest of the 3D art process.
Which studios has Tim worked at in the past?
-Tim has worked at studios like Ubisoft, EA Montreal, Relic, United Front, Capcom Vancouver, and others.
What games has Tim contributed to?
-Tim has worked on games such as Far Cry 4, Watchdogs, Space Marine, Sleeping Dogs, and many other titles.
Why did Tim decide to document his creation process?
-Tim decided to document his creation process to help other self-taught artists learn from his experience, and to encourage others to start documenting their own creation process and build their audience.
What is the purpose of creating mood boards in 3D environment planning?
-Mood boards are used in 3D environment planning to immerse oneself in reference materials, compile them into one image for quick reference, and help remind the artist of the design elements and concepts they want to include in their environment.
What are some resources Tim uses for photo references?
-Tim uses Google Image Search, Google Street View, ArtStation, and Pinterest as resources for photo references.
What is the importance of using references in art creation?
-Using references is crucial for achieving accuracy and authenticity in art creation. It helps artists avoid common mistakes like creating things from an imperfect memory or without proper guidance, leading to results that feel not quite right.
What is the 'secret sauce' mood board Tim mentioned and why is it important?
-The 'secret sauce' mood board is a quality benchmark board consisting of references from the best-looking games or games similar to the one Tim is working on. It is important because it helps him maintain a high standard of quality and provides a clear goal to aim for in terms of detail, lighting, and overall visual appeal.
What advice does Tim give for blocking out scenes in 3D environment creation?
-Tim advises to always start with the largest elements first and work from largest to smallest forms. This approach ensures that the most visible and important parts of the scene are completed first, which helps manage time effectively and maintain momentum throughout the project.
What are some challenges Tim anticipates in this project?
-Tim anticipates challenges in creating high-quality foliage and managing the timeframe for producing all the art assets while balancing his daily work responsibilities.
Outlines
🎨 Introduction to the ArtStation Feudal Japan Challenge
The speaker, Tim, introduces himself as a self-taught game industry artist with 10 years of experience, having worked at major studios like Ubisoft and EA Montreal. He's embarking on the ArtStation Feudal Japan Challenge to document the creation of a AAA-quality 3D environment from start to finish. His motivation stems from his own struggle as a self-taught artist and a desire to help others by sharing his process. He also mentions the importance of building an audience and taking feedback from previous articles he's written.
🌲 Preparing for the 3D Environment: Mood Boards and References
Tim discusses the initial steps of preparing for the 3D environment creation, emphasizing the use of mood boards and reference images. He explains that mood boards help in immersing oneself in the project's context and provide quick visual references. Tim shares his sources of reference images, including Google Image Search, ArtStation, and Pinterest. He stresses the common mistake of not using enough reference, which can lead to inaccuracies in the artwork.
🖼️ Analyzing and Gathering Visual References
In this section, Tim dives deeper into the process of analyzing visual references. He describes creating specific mood boards for lighting, color palette, and secret references. Tim uses a concept image by Vincent Bose as his main inspiration and breaks down the color palette he plans to use. He also discusses the importance of using high-quality references to avoid common beginner mistakes and improve the final output.
🏆 Setting a Quality Benchmark with Modern Games
Tim talks about the importance of setting a quality benchmark for his work, using screenshots from modern games like 'Ghost of Tsushima' and 'God of War'. These references help him maintain a high standard for detail and lighting in his scene. He explains that comparing one's work to these benchmarks can provide clarity on areas needing improvement, such as foliage density or lighting values. Tim encourages both novice and experienced artists to use this method to elevate their work.
📈 Blocking Out the Scene and Addressing Challenges
Tim outlines his plan for the next steps, which involve blocking out the overall scene using simple geometry in Unreal Engine. He discusses choosing key camera angles and focusing on the most valuable elements for the final image. Tim shares advice on starting with the largest structural elements first to maintain momentum and manage time effectively. He identifies foliage creation and time management as the main challenges for the project and expresses excitement about the learning opportunities and sharing his journey with others.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Polygon Academy
💡AAA Quality 3D Environment
💡Self-taught Artist
💡Game Industry
💡Mood Boards
💡Reference Images
💡Lighting
💡Color Palette
💡Portfolio Pieces
💡Quality Benchmark
💡Blocking Out
Highlights
Tim, a self-taught game industry artist with 10 years of experience, shares his process of creating a AAA quality 3D environment.
The artist's background includes working at major studios like Ubisoft, EA Montreal, and Capcom Vancouver.
Tim's motivation for documenting this project is to help other self-taught artists and to build an audience for his work.
Creating mood boards is a common practice for planning 3D environments, allowing artists to immerse themselves in references.
Using references is crucial for accuracy and avoiding common beginner mistakes in art creation.
Google Image Search, ArtStation, and Pinterest are recommended resources for gathering photo references.
The importance of using a variety of references to ensure consistency and quality in the final product is emphasized.
Tim's chosen concept art for the challenge is a moody Japanese forest by Vincent Bose.
The artist breaks down the chosen concept's color palette and discusses its influence on his own work.
Key references for props, lighting, and environmental details are collected and discussed for their inspiration.
The use of a quality benchmark mood board is introduced as a tool for maintaining high standards in art creation.
Screenshots from games like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War are used as references for the quality benchmark.
The artist's approach to scene blocking involves starting with the largest elements and working down to smaller details.
Foliage creation and time management are identified as the main challenges for the project.
Documenting the process is expected to keep the artist motivated and provide valuable insights for other artists.
The artist invites viewers to comment with their interests or questions about game industry art processes and environment art.
The video aims to be engaging by focusing on interesting aspects like shaders and avoiding long, unedited modeling footage.