I have altered the exterior area slightly using different UDK
rocks, and instead of leaving a space on the right side to allow another exit
out of the area, I have decided to add rocks around this area leaving one exit
where the bridge is which makes better sense and means I can keep the scene
more enclosed.
Currently I have left the landscape plane with a grass
texture on it however I will be making a more complex material at a later stage
which will involve vertex painting, blending textures together and adding some
grass planes to the scene to give it some depth. However the important thing
here is I want to not spend too much time working on the outside area and focus
on the inside because this is the most important area of the scene for me, but
the quality of the scene must be consistent.
This week I have been moving away from the block out and
making the transitions to making these assets game ready, improving them,
cleaning them up and UV mapping them. I began with starting with the prop
assets such as the speakers, chairs, table and so on, leaving the walls,
floors, ceiling areas for next week.
I began looking for inspiration looking at
post apocalyptic concept art, however I noticed these where very grungy and too
wrecked, I had to find the right balance between sci-fi and post apocalyptic, I
looked further into where the concept was from and found it has been used in a
game called Defiance. A smaller version of the crater tavern but the right
style I am aiming for which will help.
·Asset List Breakdown
I broke down the whole scene and made a big
list of assets, there are around 30 altogether, and many of these are
duplicated and reused in places but quite a lot of unique models are in there, going back to why I chose this scene, it was because I wanted to work on some generic props that are usually created in games all the time such as tables, monitors, payphones, ceiling fans, barriers, something that shows I can create these kind of assets well, but have a small scene within this for a good portfolio piece.
Here is an example of my asset plan, I have used the list of assets above but expanded on it, trying to estimate how long they may take, this not only allows me to keep track of my progress but also I can use this as a check list and see if I need to modify the times at a later stage.
The Plan
At this stage I have create a weekly plan, I have estimated how long each job should take for example modelling, UV mapping and light mapping should take around 3-4 weeks while texturing should take 3 weeks with 2 weeks polishing.
Hopefully I can stick to this and I have estimated it correctly, if not I will modify it at a later stage and try keep up with all the tasks needed to complete the scene to a good standard.
Challenges Ahead
There are many challenges ahead but here are some that I will highlight, firstly the transition between indoor and outdoor lighting may be a bit tricky, I have never done this before I usually stick to complete indoor or outdoor scenes, however I feel I can pull this off and have good composition in my scene. Another challenge for me will be animating in UDK, I have worked on a few things here and there, the ceiling fans rotating shouldn't be a problem but if I want to expand on that, animating the monitors or adding some sort of wind in my scene then I will need to research in that area.
