Advanced Texturing and Lighting with Andrew Klein

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

Finalize work with your teammates on this project and prepare a presentation of your work for the week 11 final critique. All listed deliverables due at the beginning of class in week 11.

Creating your Expansive Environment:

Weeks 9 and 10 will primarily be open lab time for you to check in with your teamates and work on your expansive group project.
This project should bring together assets you have created from the first, and maybe even the second projects into one finalized whole.

In creating your space, there are three main elements that I would like you think about.

First... What is the purpose of the environment you are creating?

Is it a Boss Chamber?
An area where you expect lots of gun fighting?
An area where a character might need stealth and thus a lot of cover?
Is the area designed around platforming or jumping puzzles?
Should the game play though this area feel more horizontal, or more vertical?
Is this an area where vehicles might be needed to traverse the terrain?
Is this area enclosed in a way that would allow an easier "tower defense"?
Is this area open in a way to encourage more mobility or engagement?

These are decisions, which, while central to a Level Design course are a little less integral to what we are covering here. Nonetheless, it is something that I want you and your teamates thinking about.

Second... What sort of Mood are you hoping to convey?

Environment artists are tasked with creating spaces that evoke a certain feeling. The mood of the space can be generated through the usage of tonal contrast through lighting, color schemes employed in both lighting and textures, and placement of objects to control foreground, midground, and background space (more on that in a momment).

I want you and your team to think about this mood, and have a clear goal in mind. Then, I will come and meet with you discuss ways to achieve your goal.

Third... How are you going to control Foreground, Midground, and Background Space?

Environments are made of 3 primary regions (sometimes a 4th... Deep Background Space may be present as well). When judging your layout and composition of the elements in your scene, you need to be aware of what you are placing, why you are placing it there, and what techincal constraints may be needed with those decisions.

For example, Elements that are part of a background area can certainly have lower polygon counts and simpler textures. Trees may be flattened into flat alpha planes:

Skies, and skydomes generally make up a Deep Background unless there is enough haze of environment effects to blend them into the foreground. Environment artists will use Aerial Perpsective and Linear Perspective to help convey these idea.

Lets take a look at some examples from some Triple A titles that take these ideas into account:

Here is an Example from Halo Reach where you can see the foreground, midground and background elements.
Aerial Perspective is used by the artists here, everything in the background has low contrast and is tinted blue to push it back.
In the midground, objects are lit with more contrast to lead the eye into the center of the screen, while in the foreground, elements have lower contrast.

In an example from L.A. Noire, the foreground makes up elements the player can walk on or interact with.
The Midground is anything behind that is at eye level, This area will contain a higher level of visual interest than the background which is higher on the screen.
Deep Background is present here in the skybox, and allows a gradient of sunset towards the horizon.
Linear Perspective is used heavily.

In this shot from Portal 2, the foreground and midground reach all the way to the top of the frame.
This can create a claustrophobic feel.

In this image from Uncharted 3, the foreground retains a higher contrast, and reaches to the top of the frame.
The midground fogs out the space past a certain distance, clamping the true background to just that open window.
By limiting any background space, you can easy create a more "trapped feeling".

This image from InFamous 2 is pretty much all Foreground and Background.
The lack of midground makes the image a bit boring (in my opinion), but also serves to focus us on the main action.
This can also have a claustrophobic effect.

This image from DragonAge does something pretty interesting in my opinion to break up the space.
The Foreground and Midground really are one area, clamping the background to that just "out the window" little bit.
But unlike, say, the image from Portal 2 above, here the midground is distinguished via lighting. This area is warmer and brigher
than the foreground. It draws the player into the space. If the shot had not been lit this way (if the foreground was brighter
or if the midground was darker), there would really only be two regions here, Foreground and that tiny background area.
....and THAT would be boring to experience.

In another shot from Halo Reach, you can see a similar application to the image from above, where the
midground is differentiated almost entirely by lighting.

Here is another space that does the breakup pretty well in my opinion. Mostly this is through Aerial Perspective,
but also, general control over levels creates this breakup. This shot is from God of War 3, and the Foreground
can be considered area where the player can interact with, while the mid "walls" off this central chamber.
The background is fully inaccesable.

This is another image from Halo Reach showing perhaps the most clear counterpoint to the image above.
Where the God of War image breaks up the space with pockets of deeper and progessively deeper space,
giving the screenspace a more chaotic feel (exactly what you'd want for the underworld), The Halo Reach
space is extermely orderly by comparison. Each depth-plane is continous in screen space, making it easier
for the player to read and diagnose.

In gameplay, spaces like this become advantageous for distance based combat (read: Sniping)
as the player(s) can pick up movement against a different depth of field easier as this will provide more
contrast. Imagine trying to play Halo as a sniper in the cave above. The irregularity of the environment
will help hide players as they try and evade.

Here is another space with a relatively orderly breakup from Portal 2. This being an interior for comparison.

And another that is broken up using a very extreme depth of field on the camera, as seen in Uncharted 3.

In summary, this is art that you are creating. Despite the fact that is meant to be interacted with, you need to take control over the same tools that artists have employed for centuries to generate the best compositions you possibly can. As a project, bringing together assets from earlier in the quarter while making new ones, these are the sorts of things that I want you thinking about. This is where I want you to challenge yourself. And it is through successful application of these ideas that you will strenghten your portfolios and hopefully find employment though them.

Creating Skyboxes:

Moving Models into UDK:

Ctrl+LMB Add to a selection
Ctrl+R Toggle Real Time mode in viewport
Alt + X Toggle full screen
F4 Open Actor Properties
F11 Toggle Full screen mode
Home Zooms all viewports to a selection
End Drops a Static Mesh actor to the surface beneath
Alt+1-9 Toggles teh various viewport modes between wireframe, lit, texture density, etc.
Alt+F Use Perspective Viewport
Alt+G Use Top Viewport
Alt+H Use Front Viewport
Alt+J Use Side Viewport

C Toggle viewport option to show/hide Object Collision
E Toggle viewport option to show/hide Decals
F Toggle viewport option to show/hide Fog
G Toggle Game View mode in viewport
H Toggle viewport option to show/hide everything except brushes (BSP)
I Toggle viewport option to show/hide Level Coloration
K Toggle viewport option to show/hide Unreal Kismet References
L + LMB in viewport Create a Light
M Make the level of the selected actor the current streaming submap
N Toggle viewport option to show/hide Navigation Nodes
O Toggle viewport option to show/hide Volumes
P Toggle viewport option to show/hide Paths
R Toggle viewport option to show/hide Light Radius
S+LMB in viewport Place selected static mesh
T Toggle viewport option to show/hide Terrain
U_L/R/orM MB Alternative navigation through Maya-style mouse interactions. Also see L-key for more Maya-style navigation.
W Toggle viewport option to show/hide Static Meshes

Jump to a Specific Week:
week 1	week 2	week 3	week 4	week 5	week 6	week 7	week 8	week 9 +10	week 11

Jump to a Specific Week:
week 1	week 2	week 3	week 4	week 5	week 6	week 7	week 8	week 9 +10	week 11

Jump to a Specific Week:

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

week 5

week 6

week 7

week 8

week 9 +10

week 11

Weeks 9 and 10: Into UDK

Assigned Homework for the week:

Project 3-A Full Environment (TEAM PROJECT):