Charlotte Taylor Futureworks @charlottetaylorfutureworks-blog - Tumblr Blog

Substance Painter Tests-Wood

Dirty/old wood

Using the polished wood I have done, I overlayed a darker tone and a cement texture from the materials in Substance Painter to create a dull, dark look to the wood.

Adjusting the roughness made the overlayed colour dull and matte , I then played with brushes such as dirt and dust to layer and create an old/dirty look to the wood.

The end result was created with the mold, (using the cement texture as the colour/texture), sandpaper and scratches brushes to layer on slight damage and

Damage

Scratches brush, using the artificial leather as the texture on the brush made the dame look 3D and more realistic than other brushes.

Testing brushes

After noticing certain textures/brush combinations looked better than others I went over the wood in different textures and one brush to test how each texture would act on the dull wood texture. This is so I have reference for future texturing to what textures looked like and which are more likely to work to what I would like.

I then used the same brush and the rust fine texture to create a coffee ring effect.

I tested this as it’s something I want in the office vs the clean, polished, spotless tables in the main bar.

#xb3992 #fwxb3992

Polished wood in Substance Painter

Substance has a default wood material (american cheery) and editing settings such as the roughness/metallic and the base colour can make a dull, dark wood, or a light polished/shiny wood very easily.

Making this specific tone of wood (almost red, a warmer tone for the main bar’s open, inviting environment) was done by layering on a shiny material over the wood and blending it with the overlay setting on the layer.

#xb3992 #fwxb3992

Test models-Block Out Update

I have made basic props as stand ins while I am planning out the rooms of the bar, this is to prepare for the design as well as giving me a reference for the size of the props as well as ironing out any faults I have come across in the block out/planning stage so I am not dealing with small problems when it comes to the placement in the final environment.

The main problem I have come across is the scaling of the props, using the third person character from Unreal while modelling my props but the scene is first person and the props are twice as big as they need to be. While using Maya’s grid as a reference results in the models being way too small.

I solved this by exporting a section of the block out as n FX and modelling inside the section for room, this meant I could place any props for tables onto the tables and make sure they are the exact size I need them to be as well as being able to model furniture pieces along side the placeholder versions.

I used a default black texture so I can keep track of the updated models vs the older and default models I have used and tested textures using the default Unreal textures.

#xb3992 #fwxb3992

Evaluation XB2001

What I did

For this unit I made a third person exploration game with collectibles and key pick-ups, the majority of the game was the level design and the environment assets and props, this was because I made the main room (the library) into an environment piece in another project which improved the look of the game greatly.

The game is set in house, the first and main room is a library, and this is what I based the whole level on. I created assets mainly for this first room and added in more rooms, corridors, passageways etc.

I then added in a hidden room with assets made purely for the living room.

I based the blueprints from tutorials online or help from people, I first added in matinees that open the doors, linked this to a key prop which is destroyed on overlap.

Added a pickup, a page prop that is destroyed on overlap and plays a sound and shows an emitter upon overlap, this is for feedback so the player knows the pick-up has successfully been picked up.

I added sounds on the picks ups at first to let me know the blueprint worked but kept it in the game as it makes sense and adds into the professional look of the game.

What I liked and what I didn’t like

I like the look of the game, the mechanics being simple made it so you have time to explore and search for the pick-ups.

I feel like I could have added some more complex mechanics but I spent a lot of time in the look of the game and the environment.

I didn’t like creating the blueprints as I find it hard for the information of how blueprints work to stick in my mind but I watched tutorials while taking notes and using my notes while making adding the blueprints into the game, this meant I didn’t have to keep going back and forth through tabs or wasting time re-searching for the videos I used.

This also means I can go back to the notes while making similar blueprints.

Issues and how I fixed them

My main issues have been involving Maya files that didn’t export the way I wanted, causing the objects in Unreal to have pivots far away from the objects itself.

I fixed this by going back to the Maya files and centring the pivots or rescaling the object.

Some mechanics didn’t work as well as I wanted which was solved by redoing the mechanics in Unreal.

What I would do over

If I had more time I would have invested it in creating more complex mechanics and adding in more detailed assets to improve the look of the environment. I also started working on a menu screen which eventually didn’t work due to broken blueprinting which I would go back to add in, this would have added to the level, making it look more like a professional game.

#XB2001

Low Poly Teapot Redo

This is my progress of my low poly assignment, I kept the main parts of the teapot separate to save time in the UV mapping process.

I mapped out the pieces separately, this split my time nicely and helped avoid any bad UV mapping.

I tried out a few different colours and materials on the teapot, choosing the orange texture for the pot as the pale blue, white and greys looked very boring.

Screenshot from SketchFab.

#xb2002

Level Design Updated

Setting a material as a brush meant I could import an image of my choosing into the widget.

My games main goal is to search and collect the ripped pages of a book, you search/explore the library and house for the pages.

Locked doors block the way and you are much smaller than the original third person character so you may not be able to reach every page with ease, however, the size means you can get through places you may not have been able to if you were the original size.

I added blocks to help to get to the harder to reach places, also used the blocks to lead the player to certain places, like in front of a locked door to intriguing them.

Behind the locked doors the player can see inside the room and see a floating key, this shows the player you can get into the room you’ll just need to find your own way in.

I added in a text render to give the player the overall instructions inside the tutorial room.

I also added a ‘Quit Game’ button, this was done with a widget blueprint

The end goal is to find the golden page.

Collecting this ends the game.

#XB2001

Research Blog 3 DD2000

Key Designers

Environment art in a big gaming company like Naughty Dog and Blizzard have multiple people contributing to the end product as there would be someone making props, another rigging and animating the props etc so finding one key designer was hard to do as the companies I have been looking at are big companies.

I would prefer to be working in a small company with few people but as I am not a great people person and would struggle with creating links in the company I think I would be better suited being one person in a larger company as I would be working with fewer people and only in charge of the role I specialise and therefore would have a lot less stress about learning other skills like blueprinting.

I have come to this conclusion by looking at multiple small companies like Greenfly Studios, I have noticed that a smaller group of people, each person would need to take up more responsibilities as a smaller company or a company that is just starting out wouldn't be able to afford one person per role.

This artist, Rogelio Olguin built a section in the game ‘The Last of Us’ for Naughty Dog.

She worked primarily along on the art/modeling assets and due to the large size of the team working on the game her role as environment artist was chiseled down to working on one section, a scene you explore in the game by water with boats etc around.

Images from; http://polycount.com/discussion/122359/the-last-of-us-art-dump-rogelio-olguin

This section of the game actually stood out to me while playing as it contrasted massively to all the other places you go in the game, it’s quiet and empty apart from the characters you’re with.

No dead bodies or clickers etc can be found in this area which was a nice change from the countless monsters that were found in the game's other areas.

Image from; https://houseofgeekery.com/2013/08/12/why-the-last-of-us-is-game-of-the-year-2013/

My route to industry

I am very passionate about environment design as it is the art side of game design which I have always loved.

I like telling stories and setting a scene which are both heavily involved in environment design especially in games which are heavily story oriented such as The Last of Us and Bioshock.

Being at uni, surrounded by people who are into the same hobbies and work as me is very helpful as you get friendly but helpful feedback and help.

Peer reviews can be helpful as a build up towards putting your name and work out on the internet, people you know can be overly nice though so I think having a mixture of peers and professionals looking at work and portfolios is a lot more helpful to you than just uploading online.

My roots will start in uni, getting tutors and peers to help improve work and practice more with working with people as that is something I don’t have much experience in.

Showing off work using sites like Artstation and using social networks will help a hell of a lot as my people skills aren’t the best.

Setting up a good first impression is very important as people who get a bad impression when they meet you will be less likely to come to you for help or with work etc.

Being remembered for work other than a stupid comment is also important in the game industry as everyone seems to know everyone, word will spread about you and your work so using social networks to make that word a good one even if your socialising skills aren’t great is a good idea.

Working on building the skills I would need for a job as well as actually being able to show off the work I do in uni or at home. I would like to try to get people’s opinions a lot more as that is something I shy away from.

I enjoy building on my skills and learning new things such as new ways of doing something or using a whole new piece of software as it builds up confident and my range of skills when it comes to getting a job I think this would push me to be a suitable candidate.

Building a portfolio that shows all the different variations of work to show off all the different skills I have, especially the ones that I will be needing in an environment art job such as level design, asset design, and creation etc.

Taking time out to practice with new and more complex software like ZBrush and Substance Painter so I would have to create assets, props, and characters using these.This is a good technique to use with all portfolios, I think, as it shows you put in time and effort to build on skills even if you don’t need them in your job, it shows dedication and passion for the subject.

http://logonoid.com/zbrush-logo/

#DD2000 #FWDD2000

Research Blog 2 DD2000

Networking

Using social media and websites to share work and having an online portfolio is very important to any job but in game design it is massively important as, no matter what job you do, you’ll be working side by side with people, whether it be a large company where you’ll be working with a large number of different people all the time or a small one where you will be closely linked the whole way through projects you will need to have a good name for yourself.

Being a friendly person won’t get you jobs though, showing you can work and showing what kind of work you’ve done to people you may or with or who may hire you is a key link into a lot of game design jobs.

Having examples on hand is a great way to go about spreading work as a lot of the time you can meet people in more casual environments like at a bar or a party so you won’t have the time or the equipment to show the work off a USB.

Instagram and other sites where images are the main focus would be handy to have as it can let people have sneak peaks and get a glimpse at any works in progress and it can show how much you work even if the projects never get released or if the project as a whole is a fail.

Using a social network such as Instagram to show off work in a more casual/relaxed environment is a better way to do it for people more nervous about showing work as you can choose who follows you and who sees what.

A lot of small companies, which is what I would like to be working in, are in a tightly knit community.

Social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, as well as places specially made for artists like Art station and Sketchfab are very useful in the games industry as people can check out your work as well as being able to get in touch instantly.

I think getting to know the person you’re interested in hiring is very important especially when you’re running or working in a small company as you will all be working together.Sharing work and your personality is very important and it’s not something you can do in a half an hour interview or show on a CV so social networks and having a personalised portfolio is very important.

However, it is easy to get a bad reputation on something like Twitter as people are easily fired up, especially when people are attacking work they’re passionate about.

I have seen many people get into arguments who wouldn’t have in real life and because they’re online, it stays around a lot longer than if it was a face to face debate and is seen by everyone, including family, employees, employers etc.

These tweets are public and for people looking without knowing the person in real life, they will see them as bad tempered and not someone you would want to work with at all.

This can be especially bad for people who have had Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc for a very long time, as a child you don;t think about what a boss would think of an embarrassing video or any mean comments you’ve sent to someone but when your social media is looked at every day by people you work with it can be a hindrance.

Portfolio

Showing off your work, the work you’re proud of and showing off the type of work you do to prospective employers is very important and having a portfolio on a site like Art Station can be very helpful in your workflow as you will get feedback from people in the same industry as yourself and off people who like your work.

https://www.artstation.com/artist/droarty

This is one of the online portfolios I found when I was looking into character art. The layout is a default ArtStation portfolio which works in his favour as it means he can spend less time on the layout and the presenation of his high-quality work. For some people, this would show he doesn’t put the time and effort in to show his work off correctly but for most people it shows he is using all types of online media to post his work onto such as Instagram, Facebook as well as the big art sites such as Art Station which, I think, works in his favour too.

I’ve noticed that having a good looking portfolio is just as important as having a portfolio filled with great projects.

Screenshot from artstation.com

A bad looking layout or website can distract from the work shown, even if the work is to a very high standard the layout can give a message to whoever is looking.

A good one which has clearly had a lot of effort put into it as well as the work the employee is showing shows the person is hard working and cares about who they are presented.

On the other hand, a layout that is badly put together and bad to navigate or one that looks bad gives the impression that the person who created it doesn’t care too much about presentation and how they are seen, it seems like they don’t put effort into the, seemingly, smaller things.

A bad portfolio or website can put people off looking at your work as well as make you rethink about you as a person.

For example, if a website is hard to navigate and seems like it’s not been thought out very well can not only frustrate people while they’re just trying to get easy access to your work, it can ruin the perception of you or make them leave the page before they’re seen any work

I also looked into CV’s, in an interview a portfolio shows what work you’ve done and how you’re work looks but a CV shows the skills you have, about your background and about you.

I think this helps fill in any gaps in what you say in an interview.

I saw some CV’s that were all text but being in the design/art side of the games industry I also looked into more artsy CV’s using images, graphic design to add to your CV, I made a template based on an image I found online.

Blogs about portfolios;

https://www.gamedesigning.org/career/game-design-portfolio/

https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/how-to-create-a-game-design-portfolio-that-stands-out/

Key designer;

http://polycount.com/profile/discussions/rogelio

http://polycount.com/discussion/119045/tomb-raider-environment-art-rogelio-olguin

#DD2000 #FWDD2000

Research Blog 1 - DD2000

Research

For this project, I will be looking into the role I want to gain in the game industry, after university.

I will first research the two fields I’m most interested in as I have not yet decided on one role I would like to explore yet. For my work I like to stick to the creative side, of the game making process, I like to map out the game’s story, mechanics, the way it will look as well as what it will be about. I am very passionate about art as well which I think will serve me well in the games industry even if my chosen role isn’t art based.

I have looked into a lot of different roles such as creative designer, art director, and game artist, all these roles intrigue me but none of them jumped out as something I will be really passionate about doing for my job.

Because I have not chosen the one role I would be interested in pursuing I have been working on building my skills in multiple areas such as prop making, texturing, concept art etc. which I also think would serve me well in any kind of job in the games industry, especially in a smaller team/company or a starting up company.

This is because I know I would have to take up more than one responsibility in a smaller group due to smaller budgets.

Even though a smaller team isn’t what I would be fully interested in working in I think it’s handy to have these skills and this knowledge because you tend to move from job to job in the games industry, more so than many other professions.

Game Artist

Games artist is described as the the person who will create the designs for characters, environments, etc for the game.

They will visually show the rest of the team how the game will work and look. The games artist will design the characters of the game as well as creating storyboards, concept art and usually 3D models to show the team how the game will be designed and what it will look like.

Art and the creative side of games is something I am passionate about and would love to delve into a lot more and build on the skills I have. Drawing from life and imagination is something I have been doing and enjoying for a long time. As a part of game art, I will also be doing character design.

Character design and creation has always been a passion of mine and would be the best part of game art for me. I have created 2D and 3D characters all varying in genre, look, styles etc and I am very proud of a lot of the work I have done in this field.

http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games/job_roles/330_games_artist

http://jobs.gamesindustry.biz/amiqus-games/uk-and-europe/character-artist-id89058

I feel like I would need to improve my 3D skills massively if I wanted a job as a game artist, as well as improving my 2D skills.

Character designers have to learn rigging, animation, texturing and a hundred other different varieties of things which I would love to learn and practice and will in the future as it is something I have always thought about working with.

Story and character design is something I thoroughly enjoy in games, you get attached to who you play as and the people around you add to emotion and the narrative in games like Beyond Two Souls which I’ve always found very interesting and designing the characters based on their story has always been a passion of mine.

https://sketchfab.com/models/25b5dfad18ce4ef29efc4b8846f32c42

https://sketchfab.com/models/fa57b2f15497463fa991df28d4ff965d

Environment Design

I have been doing environment design in Maya and Unreal for my other uni projects and have been getting more and more passionate about the subject, I have always liked the art side of the game design process and think environment design would suit me better in a job as I love modeling, and making a scene.

The environment is very important as it tells a story which I've also been very passionate about, telling a story using images, assets and the places in a game is very interesting and I have found it a lot more enjoyable to learn about than the jobs with a heavy use of blueprinting.

Environments, to me, mean a lot to the story as it helps with immersion, storytelling, enjoyment in games is found in different parts to different people but |I think everyone playing any kind of game finds some enjoyment in secret passages, the places looking pretty etc.

You don’t need to be a game designer or an artist to appreciate the design and the good looks of a game.

I feel like environment design mixes in my favorite parts of games design as well as linking up the game as a whole.

http://blog.ubi.com/watch-dogs-2-reveal-ctos-invades-san-francisco-bay-area-heres-need-know/

http://thenerdstash.com/watch-dogs-2-dlc-coming-tomorrow/

#DD2000 #FWDD2000

Blueprinting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7T8Pi3J1OE

Scripting pick ups, I had a 3D model of a page in the engine. in the mesh editor I made the mesh collision to overlap all and in the event graph I added in a ‘being event on overlap’ to not just destroy actor, but to play a sound at the location, these sounds have been downloaded from Soundbible and converted by CloudConverter to Wav files.

I added a visual for the trigger boxes that open doors as I noticed, if you don’t they are there you can walk past them as the spot light blended in with the rest of the lighting in the room.

I modeled a simple key in Maya, added a chrome texture from Unreal and added a ‘even begin on overlap’ to ‘destroy actor’ on it as well as adding a door opening sound so you also have audio feedback to say that a door has opened.

In the character mesh window I could simply resize the body of the character to create the shrunken look to the play I wanted throughout the game.

This is the content browser with the wav. files I downloaded from SoundBible.com I used these sounds as audio feedback for opening doors, and collecting pick ups

#XB2001

Props for Environment

Here are some screenshots of the props I am making for the environment.

This is a table piece, my environment will be filled with tables each with a lamp, light and a prop such as a book or a mug on it.

I will be dressing each table and chair a little different as I would like to give the illusion of the library/home being lived in.

I chose a home library as the environment instead of a typical library as there isn’t much to a library, books, shelves and chairs would be the only assets I would need to make as food/drink is banned in libraries and they also have constant clean ups to keep it tidy and spotless.

I made 2 styles of books and lay them out in a disorderly fashion, this way of doing it was a bad idea as it bumped up the poly count even though it doesn’t need to be high for the books as they will only have to suggested.

They don’t have to detailed unless they’re out on a desk or table.

I will creating a higher poly book with detailed textures for the decorative books, the ones on the shelves however will only be simple shapes/textures.

#XB2002

Level Design - Environment

The environment for this project is mainly made up as my own assets, props and textures I have made for an environment project, I reused/coloured some stuff like the chair to ‘’recycle’ the assets to use it as something else, in this case it was a chair to a couch.

Using the assets form the environment unit made me spend less time on the look of the level and more in the blueprinting of the level. I kept the blueprinting simple but researched more ways of doing things this time.

As I am using my own assets and textures I didn’t want to use the textures from Unreal as they didn’t fit the look of the assets but I did play around with different ways to mix in more realistic textures as well as my own simple, bold colours for textures.

I personally didn’t like that look of the Unreal textures in this level so I stuck with my own which kept the level from having colliding textures/props which I liked as it gave the game a more stylised look.

#XB2001

After I made the circular room I added in my assets into the scene then worked on lighting, I wanted the room to be dark and the main sources of light to be the lamps on the desks, however this proved difficult as the lighting on the lamps wasn’t strong enough/or was too strong in places to light up what I needed so I tried a few ways to improve the quality of the lighting.

#XB2002

Environment Project

For this assignment I am taking a room from my current level design unit and improving it to a higher standard as my environment project.

I chose to do just a section of the level as the other rooms in the game I am creating wouldn’t be very interesting to create into an environment as it is just a bedroom, living, study level.

I chose the most interesting aspect of the level, the library to use in this assignment.

This is the library in the level I am creating, for the environment however I will be creating low poly props such as chairs, bookshelves, tables etc as well as creating a large circular room for the environment.

These are the screenshots of the level design in it’s first blocking out stages.

I chose to change the room up as a rectangle room seemed too dull to dress up for this environment piece.

Making the props

These are just a few of the props I started out with.

Some screenshots of the museum after editing the lighting after the spot lights started making the props and the assets blurry/too bright

#FWXB2178 #xb2178

Making the museum environment.

After I made the props such as cabinets and glass casings for the props to be in inside the room I added all the props into the engine and lay them out in character order, I had all the props for each character and a portrait of the character all together and spread them out onto the walls, a most museums are pretty much large empty rooms with items and descriptions lining the walls I followed this trend with my environment.

I also took inspiration from the traditional kids superhero meeting room, a simple room with a circle or a logo on the floor in the middle.

I used a box shape and two cylinders for the center of my room, I added a texture to the flooring, a logo that represents the ‘Star Industries’ using a simple deign of a star and and ‘I’.

I think this simple addition gave the room and the environment in general a more thought out look to it, I didn’t like the plain room as it didn’t look finished and it made it look like all I did was drag in the props.

The lighting was difficult to manage as the rooms lights were mainly spot lights for the props but this made the rest of the room very dark which was the opposite of the effect I wanted as good lighting was very important in showcasing the props which was my only use of this environment.

#FWXB2178 #xb2178

Thumbnails

These are the designs for the 3D assets each character would have in the game.

Initial designs for the 3 D props I will be creating; Laser gun, a heroes goggles, and a grapple gun.

These are the thumbnails I have created, plans for the finished concept pieces for the game screens.

Character selection, menu screen, pause screen and a title screen.

Character design pages I will be handing in, these are the layout I will be using to help with presenting my work at the end of the project.

My research has been to watch tutorials on the different ways to create the assets I will be designing for this project.

#xb2178

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