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 Environment Asset Production

While being in the process of learning Marvellous Designer 7 (which I'll need to add clothing to our Specimen character), I've made a start on producing assets for our environment.

Entry 1 - Creepy Skeletons & Worn Furniture
19th February 2019
Locker & Anatomy Picture

The first asset I worked on was the locker, which was simple enough to model as all I needed to do was create a cube primitive and extrude it twice so the locker has an interior. The door was created with the same cube primitive, but this time, I had to make it thinner (by reducing the Z scale) as well as add holes so the player can see through them (which was done by deleting a couple faces on both sides then appending the polygons to cover up the backfaces), and then afterwards, I used cylinder primitives to create the door handle and hinges.

After unwrapping the model, I decided to export the interior and door separately which means that they will be textured separately; it's just to make the door modular and give our creative lead the option to open or close it when importing the entire asset into the level, while also giving me the option to add a trigger where the door will open when the player interacts with it. When adding in all the details, I exported the high poly assets into ZBrush and added in tiny bumps (rust) and scratches to both objects, while also sculpting smaller details such as screw holes for the door handle. I then exported the low poly assets into Substance Painter, where I would bake the high definition details into a normal map (along with AO and curvature). For both objects, I applied a metal smart material specifically made for lockers while also painting in blood spatter using a blood material as a brush (the latter of which was done on a separate layer so it can easily be removed if I need to re-export the textures without the blood spatter).

 

I was originally tasked with creating a model skeleton (with all the bones accurately modelled), however, me and the team leader agreed that it wasn't feasible to spend a long time modelling an asset this complex when the deadline is a few months away, so to increase productivity and output, I decided to create a picture frame showing off the full skeleton anatomy (which will be placed in Dr Bram's Office in place of the model skeleton). I started modelling a picture frame by creating a pipe primitive, reducing the subdivision axis to four (so it has four sides) and increasing the Y scaling, and then I created two plane objects for the front and back of the picture. The latter was textured using Photoshop where I added a skeleton anatomy picture [1] for the front plane and a board texture [2] for the back, while the former had a gold metallic material applied. With both the locker and anatomy picture done, it was also requested that I add a plane to the back of the locker, which would have an alpha texture of a skeleton to startle the player when he/she opens the locker door. So I went a step further and found an image of a rotting skeleton [3] to show that whoever was in the locker had been dead for a while.

Leather Chair

I then decided to move on to the leather chair, one of the more complex assets. I was unfamiliar with producing this kind of asset, so I looked for inspirations and found a rather unusual 60s chair [4] which I decided to model from (as it has that twisted luxury look to it, perfectly suitable for a lead surgeon like Dr Bram). While doing so, I decided to change the layout of the legs (by modelling them in all four corners instead of having them point different directions), while the team lead suggested to not model the top part as it seemed very out of place compared to everything else.

Texturing was a relatively simple process as I immediately knew which details to add and which materials to apply; the sections that have a leather material applied have creases and leather skin bumps, while the parts that were wooden had chips and scratches all over. Both materials complemented each other really well, especially since the leather material I applied had an assortment of wear and tear sliders.

Window

The window asset is an important one as this is where the player will catch a glimpse of the Specimen monster upon awakening. Before production, I looked at a reference image showing a window in an old surgery room [5], just so I could get an idea on the window proportions compared to everything else. I also worked closely with the creative lead to get the right measurements as he is working on the walls as well; we agreed that the window will be 105 cm in height, while the width was left up to me to decide (provided I still kept it reasonable). With the measurements done, I took another reference showing a window close up [6] to get a better idea on how to model one.

I modelled the window the same way I modelled the anatomy picture, and that is through creating a pipe primitive with 4 subdivision axes for the window frame as well as two plane objects for the glass. And for the texture, I used a worn plastic material for the frame (which has a lot of scratches and bits of plastic appearing to be hanging off), as well as a worn glass material for the window itself; the best part is the latter already works with the opacity channel for the transparency effect, and has many different options when it comes to rust and scratches; considering that the surgery room is old and abandoned, it made sense to use them. Finally, I added a separate layer so I could paint on minus height cracks using a particle brush. Feedback for the window was positive as it really suits the environment and setting we're going for, with the only suggestion being to reduce the amount of rust and blood as the amount I added wasn't necessary, which I'm okay with as applying this feedback will add a bit more visual space and allow the player to see through the window a little bit better.

References

  1. Watson, K. Vintage Anatomy Skeleton Images. The Graphics Fairy. Available at: https://thegraphicsfairy.com/vintage-anatomy-skeleton-images/ [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

  2. Free Pinboard Stock Photo. Free Images. Available at: https://www.freeimages.com/photo/pinboard-1165373 [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

  3. Rotted Corpse Torso Prop. Costume Castle. Available at: https://thecostumecastle.com/Rotted-Corpse-Torso-Prop-FON68352BN-101325/ [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

  4. VTG LEATHER CHESTERFIELD CAPTAINS SWIVEL CHAIR RING MEKANIKK NORWAY FOR REPAIR. Ebay. Available at: https://www.ebay.ie/itm/VTG-LEATHER-CHESTERFIELD-CAPTAINS-SWIVEL-CHAIR-RING-MEKANIKK-NORWAY-FOR-REPAIR-/291797163336 [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

  5. Dr Anna's House and Medical Surgery, Germany. Behind Closed Doors - Urban Exploration. Available at: https://www.bcd-urbex.com/dr-annas-house-medical-surgery-germany/ [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

  6. Glass Windows. IndiaMart. Available at: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/glass-windows-5366685497.html [Access Date - 20th February 2019]

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Entry 2 - Tool Chest and Medical Equipment
14th April 2019

For the past week, I continued working on some assets while also building the first two parts of our game level.

Rubble

The rubble asset was originally modelled by our team leader (who sent his models to me to include in our game level; the scalpel, barrel, document folder and this asset), however I decided to finish it off by unwrapping and texturing it, as I thought that it may be of use later on.

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Both processes were quite simple; for unwrapping, the whole asset consisted of a singular UV shell (as it is a sculpted plane object), so all I had to do was select it then use 'Unfold' to flatten the entire UV. As for the texturing, I added in the normals by using a zAlpha on a standard brush, and then I applied a landscape texture and a grey overlay to give it that bumpy look found in debris.

Tool Chest

Afterwards, I began work on the tool chest for the warehouse area. Firstly, it was modelled using mostly cube primitives (as well as some cylinder primitives for the wheels), with the insides being made through extrusion modelling, and then it was unwrapped using the 'move and sew' tool (as I was mostly dealing with cube objects). To save time as well as add variation to detail, I unwrapped the first draw, duplicated it until I ran out of space, then placed the UVs of the duplicates.

For normal baking, I considered the fact that the tool chest would be made out of metal, so I added indents around the sides and top of the chest, then added in scratches for wear and tear.

Then for texturing, I applied metallic materials on the entire mesh; the casing and handles were given a reflective steel material, while the material applied to the drawers had a red finish and dirt build-up added via a generator.

Drip Stand and Container

I then moved on to the drip stand and container for the surgery room; modelling the stand (like the tool chest) consisted of using cylinder primitives (with some faces of the bottom cylinder extruded so the drip can stand on its own).

 

I also reused the wheel from the tool chest as I felt there was no need to model and unwrap it again (which saved some time, especially with the 25th April deadline fast approaching), and used NURBS curves for the container handles (for the latter, I selected the end faces of the cylinder and the curve I just created, then extruded the selected faces and increased the number of segments so the mesh would match the shape of the curve). Then for unwrapping, I used 'Planar mapping', 'Cut UV Edges' and 'Unfold' as the stand mostly consists of cylinder objects.

The stand itself doesn't provide much to look at, so all I needed to do as far as texturing is concerned, was add an aluminium material to the pole and a leather material to the stand. All I needed now was the container and modelling this one was far more complex; I first started with a cube primitive, and then I added some edge loops around the front and sides; in both cases, it is to make the packaging look more rounded once I've extruded everything out and adjusted the position of the edges, but for the front, I needed to make a circular shaped hole (by deleting the appropriate faces and appending the edges where the backfaces were visible) at the top of the packaging so it can realistically hang from the stand, plus, I needed to add a cylinder-shaped tube at the bottom as well as a lid (also made from a cylinder), as that is where all the contents would be fed through an elastic tube.

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For unwrapping, I used the same process I did with the stand by unfolding the UVs (the packaging area was split into two halves so it would be easier to unwrap). I then imported the subdivided mesh into zBrush so I can add in a ripple effect (as the container is made out of plastic) and bake it onto the lowpoly mesh, and then for texturing, I applied a plastic material with a solid blue colour (so it matches the medical setting) while also adding in a separate paint layer for the white tint and blood stains (to give an idea that a surgeon handled it after operating on another patient).

Medical Box Label and Clean Window Frame Texture

Lastly, I decided to take a different approach for the medical box; as I downloaded an asset pack consisting of boxes and pallets, which would be scattered around the warehouse area (more on that in my first Level Design entry), I decided to make a plane object with an alpha texture consisting of a red cross symbol (which was made by hand in Photoshop), which would be placed on some of the boxes (to indicate that they contain medical tools and supplies).

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Also, based on the feedback I received for the window frame, I decided to remove the layer consisting of blood spatter and kept the window clean (while keeping the effect of plasters hanging off the frame).

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Entry 3 - Key Object
21st April 2019
Key

While working on scripts and adding effects to our warehouse environment, I modeled a key asset to be picked up by the player (which will subsequently allow him/her to use the door to escape the warehouse). As production on the prototype nears its end, I have decided that this will be last asset for the time being so I can focus all the remaining time I have on the technical aspects.

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The whole pipeline was simple due to it being a small asset; when modelling, I created pipe, cylinder and cube primitives while adding additional edge loops for some detailing, and as for the texture, all I needed was a gold material with faint scratches on it to indicate that it had been used.

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