Jono Sutton Portfolio

Living Room

This first piece is a modern but traditional living room environment (based on my parent's) My aim was to create a warm and cosy scene that felt lived in. I did this project in order to practice creating realistic models and textures and then optimising them for real-time. 

Software used: 3DS Max, Maya, Substance Painter & Designer, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine.

One of the central assets in the scene was the coffee table and so I spent a good deal of time on it, paying careful attention to details in the geometry and textures. However, I was also keen to optimise it for games. The process view shows how, after receiving some feedback, I first drastically reduced the polycount and then greatly optimised the UV layout. 

Below I have included a selection of other key assets in the scene. As this was primarily a learning exercise, I was happy to spend longer than I might in a real production on realistic detailing things such as the geometry of the radiator or the folds of the leather sofa.

Dolomite Hut

This piece came about when I saw an abandoned hut in the Dolomites. I wanted to envisage what it looked like on the inside, not in a ruined state but at the time that it was first built. It became an interesting exercise in imagining the character of an environment - how it was built and how it was used.

Software used:  Maya, Substance Painter, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine.

Abandoned Oracle Diorama

The objective of this project was to create a small VR game environment using a stylised PBR workflow in less than two weeks. I focused on a strong silhouette and colour scheme. I also aimed to be as efficient as possible with my topology and texture maps.

I decided to design an Ancient Greek temple (based on the Tholos of Delphi) that had become ruined and overgrown. I wanted to achieve a sense of mystery and faded grandeur as well as an appealing composition that draws the player/viewer up the stairs and towards the centre of the diorama.

Software used: Maya, Substance Designer, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine.

In modelling the main structure I aimed to be as efficient with my tricount and UV space as possible. These elements total 3654 tris and share one trim texture sheet.

Some elements were sculpted such as the rocks and stairs. I baked out normal maps from the high poly models and used the baked curvature maps in Substance Painter to create simple stylised textures. The foliage was created with a simple texture atlas, using Kenney's Foliage Sprites as a base. Finally, I used decals and vertex painting to add in some additional textures such as the faded path, moss, and vines. 

Abandoned Alien Throne Room

This piece began as an ArtStation challenge entry and is based on the concept art of Florent Boston.

In creating the environment I wanted to create a feeling of awe and menace as well as give a sense of its abandonment. I was keen to use this as an opportunity to practice creating a large modular environment using game production techniques such as trim sheets, vertex painting, and decals.

Software used: Maya, Substance Designer & Painter, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine.

The majority of my textures came from this trim sheet. Using material layers and vertex painting, I was able to add some variation across the environment. 

Using the trim sheet, I created a number of modular pieces from which I could then construct the environment. Techniques such as this have enabled me to drastically speed up my workflow.

Summing up 

Each of these projects had a slightly different focus and helped me to work on different aspects of game development. In my living room environment, I concentrated on realism - developing my modelling, texturing, and observational skills. With my dolomite hut, I practiced giving character and a sense of narrative to a scene. My Diorama focused on composition and on creating optimised assets, with a particular emphasis on using a trim sheet. The Abandoned throne room scene had a similar focus, although here I also practiced interpreting an existing concept and using modularity to develop an entire game level rather than a standalone scene.