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Art Cabin

[audio on]​​​​

About the Project

GOAL:

My intention for this project was to create an inviting and playful space that could be integrated into a game engine, either as an immersive experience or as a destination within a game that I am creating for another segment of my portfolio.​​​​

EVALUATION:

This file posed several challenges with the above goal in mind (i.e. going into a real-time rendering space), as its original purpose was to be used for a static, single render (presumably). The following bullet points outline those challenge:​​​​

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  • Poly Count - The wireframe from the original (see further down page) shows what the "low poly" version was. It was extremely dense. A single board on one wall is over 2500 tris. One wall consisted of 241,998 tris. So I needed to reduce quite a bit.

  • Geometry Errors - Once I got into the scene and began to work with it, I discovered that quite a lot of the models had funky topology that needed to be addressed in order to work in a real-time rendering environment.

  • UVs - Some UVs were laid out, a lot weren't. I needed to do a lot of UV layout and then do packing for the game engine.

  • Scene Organization: This was a bit of a nightmare. Naming conventions didn't really exist and there wasn't a lot of scene structure beyond high level grouping. So, it was slow to track assets initially, and it would've made exporting for baking tough.

  • Story - I needed to decide on a theme or story, and I felt that there were several items in the cabin that didn't go well together. So I removed some of the assets and replaced them with other things.

OVERVIEW:

The "Art Cabin" scene has its origins in Renderman's PUP (Pixar Undergraduate Program) 4th texturing and lighting challenge, which dates back several years. Modeled originally by Taylor Schulze and Alyssa Minko who both do some really fun stuff! When I first encountered the scene, I knew it was something I wanted to tackle, but due to time constraints, I was unable to do so until now. We were provided an .fbx file containing only the models, without any other production elements. Below is a glimpse of what the initial scene looked like:​​​​

Software Used:

Process:​​​​​

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  • Time Taken - Approximately 2 weeks in total.

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  • Modeling (Maya/Zbrush) -

    • Due to the scene's reliance on high-poly models, I had to simplify the geometry. This involved either reducing the poly count or completely remodeling an asset, using the high-poly version as a reference. This was necessary when dealing with complex topology or issues with decimation. With the exception of the books, every model in the scene underwent some form of manipulation. Maya was my primary tool, but in cases where Maya's tools were insufficient, I turned to Zbrush to decimate models further.

    • Maya was my primary tool for UV layout, packing, and geometry cleanup. 

    • Despite efforts to optimize, the scene still comprises a mix of low-poly and mid-poly models. Some assets retained higher densities due to project time constraints and the focus on creating a cinematic render. However, for future game or VR builds, I plan to further reduce geometry.

    • To maintain a well-organized workflow, I invested time in organizing the scene file. This ensures that I can easily revisit and work on it in the future if needed.

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  • UVs (Maya/Headus UV Layout)- Primarily used Maya for UV mapping, but for complex models, I utilized Headus UV Layout, which offered a different algorithm for more efficient UV placement, eliminating the need for manual adjustments.

 

  • Texturing (Maya/Photoshop/Substance Painter/Quixel Megascans/ RunwayML)- ​

    • After UV mapping and packing, I transitioned to Substance Painter for texturing, blending hand-painted techniques with Quixel Megascans and Substance community materials.

    • Photoshop was used for refining baked materials and creating images for frames and papers within the scene. Additionally, the sketches on the desk were sourced from my personal sketchbook, adding a fun little easter egg.

    • RunwayML played a role in generating photos for the picture frames, based on specified style and content prompts. It also assisted in selecting a color palette by evaluating the AO render I gave it from the scene, and generating a scheme based on a description of desired look/feel, culminating in the final chosen image.

Cabin: RunwayML Color Palette Concepting (AI Gen)

RunwayML Color Palette Concepting (AI)​​

Cabin: UE5 Render

Final Render in Unreal (UE5)

Nikki's Sketchbook Images

Sketchbook Images

Room Asset Samples

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  • VFX (EmberGen/Unreal Engine)-

    • I used Embergen to generate a 2D 8x8 flame card (flipbook) and then used the Niagra System inside of UE5 to create the animation and overall effect for the fireplace fire. 

    • I then overlayed the Smoke blueprint from the Starter Content and reduced its attributes down and adjusted to the look/feel that I wanted. ​

    • Finally, I generated an animated texture and fed it through the fire point-light for the light flicker effect.

EmberGen - 8x8 Flipbook
Niagra System - Fire

Fireplace Fire

Fire Light Flicker Material

Fireplace Light Flicker

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  • Lighting (Unreal Engine)-

    • I used the UltraDynamicSky plugin for the exterior lighting and manipulated the attributes for the look/feel that I wanted. Interior lights were created using spot and point lights.

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  • Rendering (Unreal Engine/After Effects/Media Encoder)-

    • I used a PostProcessVolume and a Cinematic Camera to provide the lens settings and Depth of Field. Renders were created using a Sequencer. The image sequences were then imported into After Effects for minor touch-ups and Audio overlay.

    • Final renders were generated from Media Encoder​​​

    • The scene is fully "playable". I currently have it setup for a 3rd-person experience:

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  • Marketplace Assets (Unreal Engine)-

    • Books

    • Bottles on shelf (not beer bottles)

    • Firewood

    • Ceiling Lamp (came untextured)

    • Floor Rug (came with Albedo texture, I created the other maps)

    • Exterior Trees & Grass (which I then used in the foliage editor for painting the landscape)

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