Toadstool Tavern

From the start, I was inspired by the insect bar in Franbow and how the environment took shape through the manipulation of natural forms. For example, the mushrooms were used as barstools and roots formed the shape of the bar. Although I knew I wanted to make an underground tavern using natural forms and materials, I wasn't sure about the structure of the tavern and how it was going to laid out. While searching the internet for inspiration, I came across images of kitchens from The Hobbit. The bars were made of wood and they often had plants and herbs hanging from the ceiling. It was just what I was looking for! Next, to combine both of these ideas together, I made a simple sketch. The sketch helped me visualize the look and feel of the tavern. It also helped me identify the modular assets.

Once I had my idea, I started by modeling the more complex modular assets such as the table mushrooms. I then blocked out everything in Maya with basic shapes. From there, I continued to work on the modular assets such as the barstool mushrooms, wooden chairs, candlestick holders, candles, and beer mugs. I was always looking at reference images as I was modeling. I used those same images to guide how I textured the models as well. I imported the blockout from Maya into Unreal Engine 5 early on into the project so that I could start to play around with lighting. As I continued working, I got feedback from my Professor which helped pull the whole environment together.