3D Reflection 53 - Beauty Shots of Final Egyptian Palace and Pharaoh + Evaluation of My Work

Final Character Model 

Final Corridor 

Final Hero Asset Room

Character in level

Final L-Shaped Tomb Room

Asset Zoo and Level from Afar

Wireframes

Character

Corridor

Main room

L-Shaped Tomb

Entire Level

Asset Zoo

Final Evaluation

I am very pleased with how my level turned out, and I think that it matches up with my original vision and that of my group as well. I think that there is an element of progression and contrast within my level itself, such as different lighting levels, types of decoration and evidence of a struggle which matches our narrative. I intended to portray specific elements of Ancient Egyptian palaces and life, such as the gardens, symbolic imagery of gods and convincing furniture of the era. I also found it a fun challenge to incorperate areas of damage within the rooms, such as the broken stone columns and loose bricks. 

I felt that my overall knowledge of 3D, particularly with texturing and using Substance programs increased a lot during this project. I went from feeling apprehensive about using Substance Designer to enjoying it and experimenting more than I thought I would. Using Unreal was a fun challenge also, particularly the more technical aspects such as making my own blueprints, or creating a complex material like the moving water shader. All of these elements, alongside the visual effects like the grass wind and cloth breeze added more life to my project, and exceeded my expectations of what I would be able to create at my level. 

The character felt like a big achievement as I created it from scratch, using Z spheres, evaluating my anatomy, and stretching my knowledge of such in order to create a realistic character model. I am also pleased with how characteristic the face appears - there is a definite sense of authority and regality with the pharaoh. I am also happy with the animation that I created as it suits the character better than the default UE4 idle animation.

Using my 2D work to help me build my 3D level was an interesting aspect of the project, even though the two are assessed seperately. I felt that I had a better sense of direction when I used my fleshed out 2D concepts rather than completely winging it.

Despite having a lot I was happy with, there is still a lot I could improve. For example, I could have implemented dust particle effects with more time. This would have emphasised the volumetric light shafts and create a more atmospheric environment. I also wish I had played around more with vertex normals, as I could have applied more un-even blood splatters this way.  Another element I could improve on is UV Packing efficiency. I feel that because I developed some assets a lot later in the project, I ended up using expensive amounts of UV space for objects that are fairly small, like the burners and the rug. I would definitely plan my UV spaces better in the future.

I would also make sure that no elements of my assets overhang on the outside in order to prevent light map leaks.

Regarding the character, I know now to use a reference immediately when starting the zbrush sculpt. I also would like to use the decimation master features more in the future. Something else that could improve the realism of the character would be functioning eyelids, that would be implemented during an animation. I think that this would have made him feel even more lively, especially with the animation. 

Overall, I think that this project has helped me make strides in my knowledge of 3D and level design. I found myself really enjoying the process at the Unreal stage, and I think that it could be used in my portfolio.