INTRODUCTION
Hi, my name is Atilay Oznur and I’m a senior 3D artist from Turkey.
I have always wanted to make games since I was a child when I played my first game and so, I moved towards this goal. At first, I began learning coding because game graphics were not very advanced. However, I later realized that software development wasn’t the right fit for me. As game graphics continued to improve, I shifted my focus to learning graphic design in which I improved till university, and then I discovered the world of 3D. I enhanced myself in that field and came to the point where I am now.
INSPIRATION
The main reason why I started this project was that I thought there were not enough environment models in my portfolio, which led me to a search. After examining many environment concepts, I came across this one by Etienne’s concept, and it completely fascinated me. I’ve never done a scene this complex and full before and I thought this concept was exactly what I was looking for.
PROCESS
Tools
- Fspy
- Pureref
- Blender
- Maya
- Substance 3D Painter
- Unreal Engine 5
Fspy
Because the scene was so big, it was very important for this project that I could capture the concept perspective as accurately as possible. That’s why I matched the perspective with the help of Fspy.
Block-out
After that, I sent it into Blender and started creating simple shapes of structures in the scene. To make this stage easier and less confusing, I divided the scene into 3 parts: front area, midfield, and background.
Modeling
After the blockout process was completed, the general form of the scene was clear and by taking a backup of that version (to make my job easier while making the low polygon version of the final model later), I started to detail the low poly models.
Sculpt
The detailing process of the models was over and it was time for the sculpting process. Since the models would be stylized, Blender’s default brushes were enough for me in this project.
Texturing
I used Substance Painter for the textures. I uploaded the models with UVs turned on and separated them into material groups directly into Substance Painter as a whole scene and painted there.
Prepare and Export
Since the models were game elements and I will be uploading them into Unreal Engine, I moved their positions to zero, adjusted their pivots, exported them one by one, and loaded them into the game engine. Then, I put these models back into their proper places in the game engine scene.
The most important thing I cared about during the export phase was that the models should be in one piece as much as possible so that they would not create weight in the engine. However, I kept some repetitive objects that would be animated separate, such as bees. I uploaded them as a single model and duplicated them in the engine.
Animation
I got help from Maya for the animations of the cat and bee models. I prepared a simple rig system and animated them in Maya but since such a process was not required for the other objects, I made their animations in the game engine.
Lighting and Rendering
To ensure that this was a game project, I decided at the very beginning to make the renders using Unreal Engine. After placing the models in their places, I adjusted the lighting on the scene.
Plus, as in the concept, I created a fog towards the back so that the objects in the background did not tire the eyes, and then I finalized the project by giving a small animation to the camera.
RENDER: Medieval Fantasy Village
Thanks for reading!
About the Artist
Atilay Oznur is a senior 3D artist from Turkey, specialized in character and environment modeling, and working for gaming companies.
