3D Asset & Environment - Dust Devils

3D Asset - Modeling
Taking the concept art from Fred Gambino as reference, I modeled the entire Asset using Maya. The process is explained step by step in the following images.

3D Asset - UV Mapping & Texturing
I pay special attention to the UV mapping process to avoid problems in the texturing process, I divided the UV mapping into two parts, one is the upper part of the Asset and the other one is the network at the bottom.

For texturing I used Substance Painter, my intention was to fill the interior with darkness, as in the concept. I had to paint this part by hand and using smart masks. It should give the feeling of being made by sand.

Environment
To create the Environment I decided to use Rock models from Quixel, I like the hyper-realism they achieve. To fit them into the Environment, I changed their textures and created new ones according to the  appearence of the desert.

Lighting
To illuminate the set I created a red-yellow mood using Arnold Lights, starting with the dome light, then the intense key light from the sun, rim lightings to ensure the ships' silhouette and bounce lights to illuminate the dark areas of the set.

Compositing
Ignacio Corrales, VFX Supervisor taught me at Animum Creativity Advanced School how to separate all the differents lights in the rendering process, so you can have full control over them in the compositing process. I couldn't agree more, this tip helped me a lot.

To make the composition with NukeX I started with the Matte Painting, then adding the set, the spaceship in the back, the sand effect in the background, then the main spaceship, the sand effect in the foreground,  the sun and the  final effects to create an atmosphere of desert.