Nyla Laurie - 3D Environment Art Showcase
Hello everyone! My name is Nyla Laurie, I'm a self taught 3D environment artist that began my journey in early 2021. In this entry with three of my most recent projects, I will be showcasing my workflow for conceptualizing, modeling and everything in between for these following environments. Thank you!
Nyla Laurie - 3D Environment Art Showcase
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my first rookies entry! I'm a self taught 3D environment artist and, throughout this post, I'll be walking through my most recent environments that were rendered in Unreal Engine. Firstly, my most recent environment, Underground Kingdom.
For my newest environment, I wanted to pay homage to my hometown, New York City. I made a stylized PBR environmental concept on what Kingdom Industries, from Valorant, would look like if they had a large influence on the NYC subway system. I spent a lot of time applying all of the techniques I had learned previously, but with more thoughtfulness and intention.
Lighting
I originally wanted to have a very bright environment, similar to an actual New York Subway station. However, after noticing that there was not a very strong focal point to draw the eye, I decided to create highlighted spots on the bakery and newsstand.
Breakdowns
Firstly, I'd like to walk through my prop textures below. I wanted to create detailed and interesting models that weren't super complicated. In this project, along with unique texturing, I utilized tiling textures and a trimsheet to texture a lot of my larger models while maintaining my textile density. The models right below show just a handful of my texture models.
Textures
Below are my breakdowns of my master material and the textures that I made in Substance Designer.
Process
Asset Zoo
References
This being my first stylized environment, I had a lot of learning to do since I had primarily focused on realism on my first two environments. I quickly learned that stylized has its own consistent language just like realism. Bazaar focuses on a new set of skills that I wanted to develop.
Before I looked into the art style that I wanted to emulate, I did research on the main inspiration for my environment, my ancestors' home: Lucknow, India.
As I started doing more familial research this past year, I wanted to share my passion for my family's history in the medium I loved the most: game art. I thought that this would be a wonderful addition to the Valorant style since (at the time of my brainstorming) they didn't have anything based in India. With the addition of Harbour, I was so happy to see the inclusion of Indian culture in Valorant!
Lighting Information
Gameplay clarity was a very important aspect of this site, therefore, having dark deep shadows or overexposure was not going to work for the interior or exterior. On the inside, I used rect lights to give an even covering of brightness and added some extra lights for detailing or to consistently light other areas.
Texture Breakdowns
When I started this project I very quickly realized that I will have to make all of my own textures. Due to feedback during this process and learning more about gameplay clarity, I toned down some textures for readability.
I really enjoyed learning more about Substance Designer and developing the new connections between what the different nodes do and how they can be used together to create diverse and varied textures. In total, I made nine unique stylized textures and over a dozen decal alphas to add a more vibrancy for this environment. Many of the textures were created in grayscale, so I could control the colors and intensity in the engine.
Props
Reference Sheet
I approached Old Desk as a focus on learning how to create a well composed scene, using sub-levels for lighting and props, and applying dynamic lighting to show strong storytelling.
Daytime vs Nighttime
When I created the two different sets of lighting, I knew that I wanted to add some storytelling props to change with each cycle. In the night cycle, I added blood splatters and amped up the creepiness in the paintings. In order to keep consistency in the shading, I made sure to keep the angle consistent between the two.
Lighting
Asset Zoo
Another major skill that I wanted to focus on was layered and textured details in Substance Painter for props. I really enjoyed the darker tone that I took on this project. Spooky is always fun! I really enjoyed this process and I hope you enjoy the scene.
References
Closing Thoughts
Thank you so much for reading my entry! I'm incredibly proud of my work that I've created over the past year or so and cannot wait to get my opportunity to join the industry soon.
Feel free to check out my full portfolio.
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