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GA3313: Designing 3d Environments Most levels of popular games are designed as building interiors and contain characteristics common to interior design layouts. This is also true of the film world. This course provides the opportunity for students to create architectural interiors representing houses, buildings, and entire worlds contained under a roof, in which to place their characters.

Week 8: Critique of Project 2

Assigned Homework for the week:

Project 3-A Full Environment (TEAM PROJECT):

The final project will consist of 2-4 person teams building out a more expansive space which may be an exterior or interior, based on a core thematic element and location (similar to projects 1 and 2). Elements from Projects 1 and 2 could, and SHOULD be smartly adapted into this final project where applicable. Models and textures should be reused and instanced where possible. The provided theme from Project 1 will carry into this project.

Emphasis will be placed on students creating spaces that evoke mood, provide for player interaction, and consider elements of foreground, mid-ground, and background.

Deliverables:

-1 Maya scene file with assembled environment
-1 collage showing all textures at actual resolution
-5 or so hardware 2.0 renders of the lit environment at 1280x1024
Grade Breakdown:
TECHNICAL POINTS:
3pts-Stays under Poly Limit, models are optimized where possible
2pts-Maximize use of UV layouts
1pt-Stays within Texture Budget
2pts-Clear usage of High Poly or Zbrush baking for normal maps
1pts-Softening/Hardening of normals is appropriate for surface
2pts-Proper grouping and naming, deleted history, and other scene cleanup particulars that are expected at an advanced level.
1pt-Creating Instances for duplication and maintaining an "instances" display layer to easily check which items can ignore the poly limit.
1pts-World build to grid sizes and using human template as measurement.

TEAMWORK POINTS:
5pts-Assessed by instructor from observing team member contribution as percentage of project and quality of work.

SCOPE POINTS:
3pts-Assessed by instructor based on scale and scope of attempted project. Projects with lesser complexity or smaller scope will receive a lower grade, however, larger projects which do not match the scale that is approved (or are scaled down while in production) will also be graded downward. Essentially, shoot for the maximum of what you know you can complete within the time allotted. Points will consider completion of foreground, mid-ground, and background elements.

ARTISTIC POINTS:
2pts-quality and detail of presented concepts, maps, and or planning material.
2pts-assembling texture sheet for deliverables
10pts-quality of all textures (color, alpha, spec, normal, emissive?) as assessed by instructor. Emphasis on detail and texel density.
5pts-quality of lighting and shadows as assessed by instructor

Continue working with your group to formulate your environment. Blocking of your space, and paint-overs of the blocking as concept art are due in week 9.

Class today will primarily be critique of Project 2 before we get started with Project 3.

Please come to class with:
-1 Maya scene file with all foliage assets assembled into environment on ground terrain
-1 Maya scene file with all foliage spread side by side
-1 collage showing all textures at actual resolution
-5 or so hardware 2.0 renders of the assets at 1280x1024

Your setting should be a patch of forest, not just one tree...

Examples of Good Student Work For Project 2 (click for larger views):

Image by Chris Magno:

Image by Ryan Johnson:

Image by Nick Conn:

Image by Josh Tyler:

Image by James Demonco:

Image by Zach Peterson:

Image by Roy Havens:

Image by Jan Wyss:

Image by Michael Nguyen:

Image by Matt Williams:

Image by Alejandro Anguiano: