UE4 Environmental Builds

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Forest Build

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzoY062kY1s

This forest is more focused on the presentation rather than making an interesting level for the player to explore with the environment consisting of a straight corridor. However, this small focus results in a very good-looking scene. The materials used are of a much higher level than I am used to with a lot of different nodes and displacements blending multiple textures together naturally as well as providing the illusion of depth.  Foliage is dotted around naturally via the use of the brush tool. The foliage tool is even used for things like twigs. Atmospheric fog is used to allow the lighting to bounce around the environment realistically as well as adding a slightly damp and foggy atmosphere to the scene. The modelling of all the assets used is well done too. Interestingly the designer creates the main pathway in maya rather than using the landscape tool. This is so he can have more control on how the textures tile.


Medieval Center


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygS4Vee-Ze4

This small medieval town is a less natural environment than the others I have covered with the vast majority of it consisting of man-made objects. This project seems to be made on the fly rather than following a pre-made level map.


The creator uses different 3D models and stitches them together, rather than making entire buildings as a single asset but breaking them down into chunks. This piece meal approach allows for a greater deal of freedom in how they are placed but also means the creator can make entirely new looking buildings on the fly. This approach to asset design and placement works a lot better than I thought it would as the assets fit together seamlessly to a degree. I like this approach as it allows for rapid creation of ostensibly entirely new assets. This saves time and in a professional environment, money. The designer also uses some tricks to make the game world feel larger than it is as they place 2 doors on a wall that lead to nowhere. Little useless details like this make the game world feel more realised as long as you take steps to make sure the player isn’t likely to confuse them with functional doors.

Light shafts are enabled on the light source with it’s position carefully adjusted to make the light shafts shine on the water fountain which draws the players attention an establishes it as the centre. If this was an area the player was supposed to travel to on a mission or quest this fountain would be a good focal point to guide the player to their objective.

This creator also makes use of the landscape texture/material painting tool as well to blend different materials from mud, to grass and stonework naturally.  The Landscape tool is used a little more sparsely than the other levels I have looked at creating a small valley for a river to sit in and a small slope at the gated entrance to the town. The river is a simple plane with the default water material shader on it 





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