Building a Stylized Environment, Volume 1&2

In this series, Martin Teichmann, Environment Modeler at Naughty Dog, takes you through his complete production workflow to build a stylized game ready environment; a process that requires not only technical and artistic knowledge, but also insight into the mechanics of game play in order to deliver the best experience for the player.

In first volume Martin guides you through his ideation process, reference gathering and the initial stages of development for a large environment. He creates a meaningful block mesh in 3dsMax which can then be turned into modules to split the environment creation process into small tasks. Using the example of an arch module, Martin demonstrates the asset’s creation through low-poly modeling and texturing in 3dsMax, hi-poly sculpting in ZBrush and texture generation in Substance Designer. Basic software knowledge is required as the workshop primarily focuses on workflow and the development of a unique art style. At the end, students will have a thorough understanding of the layout and early production process for game environments, and be ready for volume two where Martin moves on to the terrain, rocks and foliage.

In second volume, Martin guides you through the creation of the rock and vegetation assets needed for a detailed game environment based off the references and block meshes created in Volume One. He covers the modeling process for high-poly rocks in ZBrush, how to create the low-poly using 3dsMax, then creates the rock textures using Substance Designer. Assets are imported into Unreal where material creation is addressed as well as Rock LODs. Martin creates the stylized trees in Photoshop and 3dsMax, imports them into Unreal and demonstrates the technical setup for animated foliage using vertex animation. At the end of this volume, you should have a good understanding of organic asset creation.

Home Page - https://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/tutorials/building-a-stylized-environment-volume-1