Environment Art by Jan Neumetzler

EXP Points Challenge "Nightmares"

Let's dive into my favorite project of the past year: the creepy horror house. It was my entry for the EXP Points Environment Art Challenge, themed "Nightmares" and I even became the runner-up with this entry.

Finding a Concept and gathering References

One crucial factor that contributed to the success of this project was stumbling upon the perfect concept art. After extensive search online, I discovered David Harrington's Concept Art. I instantly fell in love for the concept's mysterious dark blue-green atmosphere, the bizarre architecture reaching towards the heavens, and the mesmerizing sky. Next I gathered a bunch of references. I spent some time looking up all the elements I needed and also searched for more images that had a similar vibe. This is great for getting more of a feeling what I want to achieve and  helps with coming up with compositions for other than the main shot.

Overview of the Process

As usual, I kicked off the project by creating a blockout. Using Blender, I crafted basic meshes and assembled the scene in Unreal Engine. The next step was to design trim sheets to texture the modular assets for the building's walls. With that accomplished, I delved into adding details to all the assets using ZBrush and then textured them using Substance Painter. Finally, I rounded it all off by creating the sky, creating the aurora effect, and doing the final lighting.

Trim Sheets

After completing the blockout, the initial step was to design trim sheets for the building. I created two variations: one for wood and another for stone. I used Substance Designer to create these procedural Textures. Both trim sheets utilized the same layout, allowing for easy asset swapping between wood and stone textures. Following their creation, I proceeded to texture the modular assets using these trim sheets.

Asset Creation

I used the simple meshes I created for the blockout as a base, refined them some more in Blender to get the shapes I want and then sculpted details to them in ZBrush. Next I textured them using Substance Painter.

Lighting

In the final stages, I focused on lighting the scene to enhance its atmosphere. I utilized blue-green lighting to create the eerie ambiance I desired. Additionally, I incorporated fog effects to further enhance the mysterious atmosphere. The sky played a significant role, and I created five textures to create an aurora that encapsulated the building, adding an enchanting touch to the overall scene.

Creating a Cinematic

Lastly I created a little cinematic. I used the camera shots I already established for the images of the project, added some motion and cut it fitting to the music. I love how it turned out. You should really watch it!

Artstation Challenge "Medieval: Back and Forth"

Next up is my project for the Artstation Challenge "Medival: Back and Forth", where I participated in the production phase of the environment art category. The objective was to combine the old medival times with the modern time. 

Choosing a Concept

In the Artstation challenges, participants have the option to use concepts from participants from the design stage. For this particular project, I decided to work with a concept created by Lada Shustova—a captivating office environment set within a medieval castle. The concept has a unique atmosphere, blending the nostalgic charm of old, bulky computers, which already seem like a relict of the past, with the medieval essence of the castle setting.

Process

Given the constraints of time, I approached this project with a focus on the aspect I wanted to improve the most: texturing and material creation. I began by creating a blockout using simple shapes in Blender, which I then assembled within Unreal Engine to form the scene. Next, I dedicated my attention to developing a material that would bring the floor and walls to life. I also used the material I created for wall and floor, but without the pattern to texture all the remaining assets. Given the time limitation and the chosen style, I made the decision to forgo sculpting completely. Finally, I concluded the project by refining the lighting, ensuring it accentuated the desired atmosphere and enhanced the overall visual impact of the scene.

Material Creation

The primary focus of this project was honing my skills in creating procedural textures using Substance Designer. I aimed to develop a versatile material setup that could be applied to various elements throughout the scene. To achieve this, I exposed a lot of parameters and designed the material in a way that allowed for easy customization and adjustments. The objective was to create a flexible system that could be easily modified to achieve different visual variations while maintaining consistency and efficiency.

Asset Creation

As mentioned before I kept the process of creating assets simple. I refined the shapes I created for the blockout and then textured them in Substance Painter. Since I already created the base material for all the assets, it was very easy to texture them. I just added highlights to the edges based on curvature, ambient occlusion and baked lighting. Turned this into a Smart Material and just had to change a few parameters per asset.

Lighting

In the final step, I focused on lighting the scene. I aimed to create a warm atmosphere with a gentle yellow tone, complemented by a subtle touch of blue coming through the window. Fitting to how rooms were lit in the medieval ages.

Cinematic

Lastly, I created a cinematic sequence using the camera perspectives I had already set up for the project's images. By incorporating motion and editing it to fit the music, I aimed to enhance the overall experience and bring the project to life. For the music I used the procedural music creation toy "Robo Maestro", which allowed me to create music fitting to the scene in a simple and fun way.

Arstation Challenge: Dragon's Rise: The Forgotten Realms

Now we get to my last project for my entry to the Rookie Award 2023. A project I created for last years Artstation Challenge "Dragon's Rise: The Forgotten Realms". Here I decided to participate in the prop art category, because of the limited time and my focus for this project: to improve my ZBrush sculpting and asset creation skills.

Choosing a Concept

I chose a concept by Liana Mananova created in the design stage of the challenge. It is a shrine, a portal, a mirror and a sword. I chose these concepts, because I liked the style and vibe of them.

The Process

I initiated the project by creating a blockout using Blender, establishing the initial structure and composition. I then transitioned to ZBrush to sculpt fine details, adding depth and intricacy to the asset. Moving on to Substance Painter, I applied textures to enhance its visual appeal. Finally, I rendered the final result using Marmoset Toolbag, capturing the asset in its completed form.

Thank you!

Thanks for checking out my entry for the Rookie Awards! It was fun creating this entry and I hope you enjoyed it too. It was really cool to recap my best projects from the past year and see how much I've improved since last year. If you have any comments or want to connect, feel free to reach out. I'm always up for a chat!