1:48 How to start, and key fundamentals to nail? 5:30 Whats the best approach to learn 3d environment art and should A 3d artist learn how to draw? 12:26 Layout/world building, Should I focus on that or on environment art first? Confused!!! 15:00 Is there a rule for Edge looping so that smooth edges can be seen at all LOD's. Are there specific roles for material creation within the industry? 19:00 What is the average time for creation of asset like chair, lamppost etc? 25:15 How to organize to respect the scale of your environments?
Your answers aren't rambling at all, they're actually incredibly helpful. I love how you go into more detail with specific examples and really explore the question fully. Would much rather spend my time with content like this than surface level info that doesn't truly inform me. Thanks for the awesome content!!!
Dude, I can't stress enough how I love watching you videos and how important it is what you're doing! I'm a self taught aspiring environment artist myself and you keep me so motivated. keep making great content!
Im a student and always feels good to watch anything around me the stones, ponds and trees sound, lights anything so i did join a animation school without really know why but now days my vision getting clear then ever i love the nature and anything around me and i will love to combine it with what i am learning and that bring me here too..so thank you so much for all the information and i feels really good to be a part of this ..i can start walk now , thanks again
I'm a Highschool student about to graduate and I plan to aim for a career in 3d game design, and your channel and your environment tutorial series are very appreciated resources. Hearing an industry professional talk about the steps they take in their work is really helping me learn what skills to develop. Thanks a lot, hope to see more videos from you in the future. :)
I like having videos like these running on the background while I work because music alone can get a bit tiring sometimes. That's also why I like videos that go as in-depth as possible. Can't wait for episode 2!
ToxicSludge hell yea, we just hired a couple guys at work who did that left 4 dead fake trailer. That really was a great way to get attention to their work, and a large scale project like that is impressive :)
Really helped me out to get a different perspective on what I could go for, finished my Bachelor in Intermedia Design with a focus on game design, but all I have learned was mostly focused on academic work and I try to improve myself while building my portfolio accordingly now. I am getting some very helpful information from you! Definitely gives another boost of confidence and showing someone what they have to strive for when they are a bit "lost". Thanks a lot!
Thanks so much for the videos, I'm currently working in creative services and hoping to eventually become an environment artist in games. This stuff is really helping me get an idea of what I need to be doing with my personal work.
I actually sent you a question on artstation and then I found the answer in this video! Your answers have helped me understand what I'm facing much better. It is a bit scary when you start learning, specially if you are starting later than most (I'm 30). You kinda feel like it's too much and by the time you learn it you're going to be too old to get a job... This video helped me lose the fear a bit. Thanks!
I googled the first image of an artist you've shown, was about to do the same for the next one until you mentioned that its linked in the description. you're awesome dude
Thank you so much, this has been super helpful! I can definitely attest to using designer materials in real scenes! It's really fun to crank out amazing looking substances but if it doesnt look good in engine the whole purpose is defeated.
I would love to see another video-tutorials with detailed breakdown like the feudal japan videos. It's kinda cool to look/ hear like u work and think about ur projects. Your previous tutorials helped me a lot. :) For anything u post on this channel I am really thankful. Great Work!
Really love your videos man. I've been in the industry for a while, but still manage to learn new tips and tricks and different approaches from your stuff. Every day's a school day! Keep up the excellent work!
@@PolygonAcademy I started at Rebellion doing the original Sniper Elite. Moved to Criterion to do Burnout Paradise. Then onto Codemasters, before starting my own company with some pals called Rodeo Games. Couple of years ago, I started another one called Perchang. If you ever come over to Guildford, give me a shout, would be grand to meet up and share tips & tricks! :)
I'm glad this answered both my questions because I joined the chat a bit late haha! Thanks for this new series! It's a great insight into learning about the industry!
thanks for the q&a, Tim! those insides on how to build a profession of a level artist/world builder are so awesome! it gives motivation that i'm not the only one who just wants to take assets and build a world. can't wait for my first job!!
Keep up with the great videos. They are so informative and motivating. After I watched this one I reevaluated my current situation and I found some flaws in it, which thanks to you I will try to fix :) And to start with ... I had an idea for a grand scene with major models and environment and stuff aaaaand, you guessed it .... I have no idea how to do it :D. I will follow your advice and try to do a simple scene with basic forms, materials and lighting, so that I can get the hang of it. But your number one advice I am following is from your Artstation series, which is to "Always finish on a high note" and I have to tell you I saw the difference when I do and when I don't. So a big "Thank you" for all your videos and advices, they really keep me grounded :)
"This is called a training circle, a master's wheel. This circle will be your world, your whole life. Until I tell you otherwise, there is nothing outside of it. As your skill with the sword improves, you will progress to a smaller circle. With each new circle, your world contracts, bringing you that much closer to your adversary, that much closer to retribution."
Great stuff Tim. Love all your videos.. I really like the way you explain things in detail, keep doing this Great stuff. Honestly there are very less environment art tutorials out there which explains things this detailed. I am waiting for more tutorials, tips and tricks videos. Please do some tutorials on creating vegetation for games, and Just a suggestion pick a random concept art from the internet and show us how you'll approach creating that environment from greybox to final whitebox not a video tutorial but just a 30 mins talk like this would be really really great like where you'll be using tiling textures, where to use trim sheets, edge decals, decals, vertex paint and stuffs like that.. Waiting for your next video.. cheers...
I have come across numerous videos of your discussions in the past. I’m adding a like subscribe today based off of the useful content. If I could grasp a few thing from your channel it would be how the “art pass”” process works and how to design around themes.
Hey Tim! LOVE all your videos man. Especially your Trim sheet textures one! I was wondering if you wouldn't also mind doing one on Tiling textures when you have the time. Like all and any tips and tricks of working with those in Unreal and best practices with them etc. Thanks so much!
Yup! I am going yo do a making of trim sheet series showing the entire process and then roll onto tiling textures and then vertex blending so really cover my 3 main heavy lifting tools!
I love your videos. Incredibly instructive and some of the most useful on the internet. Definitely enjoyed the thorough answers. I have a question 2D art has design/composition rules/guidelines, for example focal point, rule of thirds, golden ratio, symmetry. How do you think these things translate to 3D environment design? If none, then what other rules take over in the 3D worlds? Thanks :) Yore one of the best out there. We appreciate the professionalism & knowledge, as well as your personal touch
Piotr Styliński all those rules apply as much as in 2d, but the player had choice of where they aim the camera. So do your best but assume 30% of people will never experience it as you imagine haha. And thats ok, thats video games!
i had a doubt regarding the 3d softwares, like should we learn all 3d modelling softwares like 3ds max, maya, blender etc , or should we focus on a particular software and master that one. btw love all your videos, plz keep making such informative videos. Hope you'll reply me , Thank you...
Focus on one software until you get really good at creating assets, then it will be easier to find the same tools in another program once you know your own workflow. Trying to learn them all at once will slow you down. If there is a specific studio you want to work at, try and find out what they use and then focus on that, could help!
You're back! Super helpful as always, thanks man. Looking forward to episode 2! I recently got accepted into the game development program I applied for all the way back in october (the selection process took forever), so all of your advice is really welcome! Especially because I often struggle with confidence issues. Have you ever struggled with that and if so, do you have any tips to deal with self doubt?
struggle with that stuff constantly, it never really goes away haha. But with more experience you can learn to bitch slap that self doubt and put it in the back seat where it belongs ;) I can look back at all the past projects I have completed and be like "oh yea, I guess I sorta know what I am doing :)" that's why actually finishing projects is SO important, even if they are not to the quality you imagined. follow though is so critical, it builds confidence over time.
Hello! I am Architecture student in india. I do know basics for 3d modeling and building design, but i don't have an idea how to create a portfolio what all portfolio should consist for a job in environment designer.
Hi Tim ! Your videos are a lifesaver for me, it litterally opened my eyes to so much and demystified a bunch of aspects of environment art for me ! I have one question for you. You always talk about how important it is to start small and simple and use that as practice. However, seeing all those cool hyper-detailed environments online, I'm having a hard time scaling the scope of my projects. Do you have some examples of very simple environments ? I know you showed that corridor, this is a good start, but how about practicing with outdoor stuff ? Where do I draw a line and create a very simple level ? Thanks a lot for your incredibly helpful videos !
To what extent do environmental designers get to design what they want, vs working off concept art? What is the amount of input the modeler gets in the design? Also, is any drawing/painting/concept art ability required?
you do get some input and flexibility, but not to the point where you get to pick and choose the theme of your level drastically different from the inital design and art direction. like you cant switch a scifi base to a cave or something haha. most of the time you are working over top of an established level design layout and are more responsible for making it look good. this is where working from concept art and working closely with the art director to make sure your work fits in with the entire game is super important. modelers are usually working from approved concepts and need to match them as closely as possible, there isnt much room for changin things up from what was requested to be built in that way. I cant draw or paint concept art, i let the pros handle that and focus only on the 3d art side of the skillset. so you definitley dont need to know how to draw or do concepts, it can be beneficial but its never been a requirement for me during the course of my whole career, from level artist to art director.
@@PolygonAcademy Thanks for the reply! So are you saying that Environmental artists must follow the concept art directly? How much design does the artist get to put in(within the established parameters of course).
@@connorhathaway6573 usually you try and match the concepts as close as possible yes, because that is what has been appproved long before things get into the 3d phase, by the art director. working in a studio its more about having a cohesive feeling game where everything feels like it fits together rather than something made by 40 individual artists. it really depends on the studio and art director how much input you can have. if you are working for an outsourcing studio for example, you really have to match exactly what the client wants. smaller studios artists can wear multiple hats and have a bit more creative input. for myself, I really like working from concepts from talented concept designers, it removes a lot of the problem of having to figure out what looks good, and just allows me to focus on executing on it to bring it into 3d. trying to do it all is a great way to get burnt out or get so so looking results, especially when you are starting out and havent developed the eye for what and why things look good. with more experience, the more input you generally get.
What is the scale of buildings in-game? For a 1 storey and 2 storey building? How would be UV map modular walls? How do you make them all tile? Sorry for all the questions :)
Callum Paton-Copley the scale is similar to real life, so 4m per storey usually. If you are using a 2048 brick texture then that will cover a 4m wall space at 512px/m texture density like most ps4 games use.
The talk was perfect :D Thank you Tim, and keep up the good work! It's great to find an interactive community that specializes in environment art, and not just the technical part but also the logic behind it.
Natalie Morcos thanks! Yea i find the technical stuff is usually the least of the problem, the high level thinking and breakdown of what makes a good environment is the critical part :)
As always, great tips and info, Tim. I learn something from each of your videos :) Keep up the good work, it's valuable for us 3D students, daunted by the industry! :D
I don't have much experience in mobile game dev, I am mainly AAA console for most of my career, but I can definitely do a drawcall optimization video in future!
Great video as always!! I´m so glad I found this channel on RUclips!! I have 2 questions about 3D environments or 3D assets in general: (Some days ago I read about UDIMs for game assets. I found out how to use them I guess but the whole topic still confuses me a bit, so:) 1. Are UDIMs rlly used for game assets? some ppl told me you don´t use them and some ppl say you should definitely use them! 2. When I textured my assets when I was still at university I always had the problem that the texture quality was imo rlly not good enough. The textures didn´t rlly look high quality and probably because I put my whole object in one single UV space. So is it called UDIMs when I create multiple UV sets for different parts of my model to increase the texture quality of every part? And would you always recommend doing that to achieve a better texture quality? Cause incresing the resolution of one single UV set for the whole model up to like 8k or even 16k almost makes my pc crash when exporting the textures :P
yea lots of character artists will break up their models into multiple materials. like one for the torso, one for the head, one for the armor etc. this can help especially when you can swap armor or cosmetics etc. most textures in games these days rarely go above 2k for console games.
Hi there, I want to do environment art but I have become fairly proficient and poured a couple hundred hours into 3ds max already, Im comfortable modelling and texturing in max; nearly all online tutorials from cgma and other resources focus on maya for environment art which makes me think I should switch to Maya ?
it really depends on what studio you want to work at. a lot of sony studios like santamonica or naughty dog use maya, while ubisoft is almost all 3ds max. but the main thing is learning the skills of modeling, where to put your polygons, having a good sense of scale and weight to objects etc which is independant of software. max/maya are just tools on the belt like a hammer, knowing why and how to make something that looks good is the main skill set.
@@PolygonAcademy thank you for your reply! I have decided to stick to max and instead of learning maya, im taking a course on zbrush. Just found your channel and Im really thankful for your videos, you explain things succinctly and get me revved up to make something! thank you!
Hi Tim. You have very understand and cool videos. But, can you add auto subtitle in video, to peoples who haven't native english, will can understand you on 100%? Thank you so much for your expensive information.
Артур Родькин thanks for watching! I will turn them on when youtube autogenerates them for this video, otherwise i have to transcribe them by hand which can take hours unfortunately. Usually youtube gets the subtitles generated within a couple days.
Just playing GTA V recently and I notice in all the buildings and structures in the games, most if not all of them have like stains and leakage down towards the bottom which really helps ground them in the environment, but they're not part of the repeating/tiling textures of the structures. Do you think those are done with decals or is there some other good (and possibly inexpensive) method of adding those details?
Most likely decals, or could be an overlaid grunge mask that uses world space uvs so it looks unique when you move the mesh around as it is overlaid slightly differently, watch dogs used both those techniques so i would assume gta does as well. But its atleast decals for sure ive noticed them before as well
Also, I've found very little information how someone like Rockstar does some of its world building, things like its roads are incredible. Is there somewhere that shows more in depth looks at how some of these large games are created?
@@massivetree7937 there might be talks on the GDC vault, there is some good content on there, but in general rockstar are pretty tight lipped about their stuff
@@PolygonAcademy and here arkhitekton.net/2016/05/15/building-the-gta-v-city-model/ Anyway, not an answer to my question but thought it was interesting.
another awesome video ! its so hard to get in depth answers or info on some of these questions so thank you for this. Could i ask you for some feedback on my portfolio on art station?
Nice video as usual. But I have a question. Is it okay to change or add some detail and make my 3D project different than the 2D ref. Like there are some detail which I can't see so I have to improvise or sometime I dislike the detail in the pic and I add something I think that make suits the scene. Or we have to creat a 3D scene which have to look exactly the picture. I'm very confuse have been struggling with this for months. (sorry for my bad English)
FAKE LIQUID usually commercials have pre rendered cinematics so there is not a huge amount of optimization or performance taken into account, so its more like visual effects/film work
With scanned materials getting more and more popular, is it possible that everyone use scanned materials and tweak them in softwares like Quixel Mixer instead of producing materials procedurally?
I think for a lot of things scans are great, but for some thing like scifi materials or stylized textures there will always be a need for substance designer textures and stuff. so having a handle on both is really useful. but yea, megascans and photogrammetry will only become more commonplace in future.
I don't know man....I've been working with UE4 with 3 years now, going through all the channels you mentioned, and when I see what people can do with it on the internet, it's like I've learned nothing at all...
in my current project i spent months designing and modeling my hero asset, but fron what i remember the rest went pretty fast. Im getting close to finishing now. got some more materials, textures, decals, animations, placing finished assets in engine and final lighting pass left i think maybe 1 more model that im not sure is significant enough.
hopefully at some point, but right now I am super noob at substance haha. go check out josh lynch's tutorials on the subject, hes one of the best around!
Thank's a lot for a few interesting tips! Waiting for more of them BTW, what do you think about selling some assets which was created by myself (yourself, whatever) for portfolio at some stores (Epic library/UnityAssetStore, etc.). Or i shoud keep them unique and don't share it with anybody else?
Artur Artrtr you’re welcome :) I would say go for it and sell the assets, its clear you were the original creator and it can help bring in some extra cash. I know moses over at no more grid simply uploaded one of his portfolio projects to the ue marketplace and make like 4k off it in passive income. No problem in sharing your work for others to use
@@PolygonAcademy Aw, appreciated for such a fast answer) Alsoooo. Remembered something: I'm working on some vr project and for optimization goals i came to (maybe) the strange decision. I'm creating some asset package (bed, carpet, nightstand, commode, for example). Then i'm creating a common UV for all of that items and texture it together in SP. As result we have a few items which uses only one texture set and one material (in ideal case) - it's kinda some texture atlas. This way we'll get less drawcalls. In the same time i know that in some ArchVis packages all items have it's own UV's and textures. But it is only for visualisation, not game purposes. How do you do it in your projects or, maybe, you can tell how it works in big studios? Maybe some tiny video or screenshot in a next Q/A?)
You can double up the plane and slightly offset it to fake some depth but you cant really add that much depth to a masked hole/texture. It works well for broken glass or catwalk grates etc to use the double plane technique, but only thin surfaces
Hey Tim. Amazing insight as always! Question: Do you have any tips on character modeling? I know you're an environment artist by trade, but I've been wondering about things like recommended poly counts, details to prioritize, and advice on rigging. Any thoughts on this would be awesome. Thanks!!
I would say just look on artstation extensively and find some senior character artists who have breakdowns and use that to inform your work. usually things like anatomy, proportions and weight are big for character artists, and the tehcnical side of things 50-100k triangles is what I have seen for a lot of hero characters, but then again I think cinematic versions of kratos and spiderman on ps4 were higher. Just look at what the pros are doing in their breakdowns and go for that! It just takes a bit of time and research :) good luck!
I would create them as seperate objects that snap together based on their pivots and have door/window pieces you could use to close off and have exterior only buildings where you need.
@@alfiesummers7822 yea he has kinda disappeared from the internet over the last few years :( luckily this image has been archived on pinterest and other places :)
Hey man, great video! As a teenager learning Environment Art, are there any good opportunities of making some side money to pay for software or networking while I’m under the working age to join the industry? I want to try and get the best start in these early years; is there any advice you have? Thanks!
Do you guys like it better with no background music? saw some comments on the older videos about that. good or bad, let me know!
I once wrote a comment about the bg music being too loud. it's definitely better now. I like it.
I quite liked the music, for what it's worth. Some ambient stuff can never hurt.
ok thanks for the feedback, love to see it:)
Really liked the ambient music in your other videos, especially when it's more of a podcast style video.
Edward Quinn cool good to know, i also usually watch at like 1.25x haha
1:48 How to start, and key fundamentals to nail?
5:30 Whats the best approach to learn 3d environment art and should A 3d artist learn how to draw?
12:26 Layout/world building, Should I focus on that or on environment art first? Confused!!!
15:00 Is there a rule for Edge looping so that smooth edges can be seen at all LOD's. Are there specific roles for material creation within the industry?
19:00 What is the average time for creation of asset like chair, lamppost etc?
25:15 How to organize to respect the scale of your environments?
thanks!
holy shit man you're an absolute legend 🙌
Your answers aren't rambling at all, they're actually incredibly helpful. I love how you go into more detail with specific examples and really explore the question fully. Would much rather spend my time with content like this than surface level info that doesn't truly inform me. Thanks for the awesome content!!!
You’re welcome, thanks for watching :)
Dude, I can't stress enough how I love watching you videos and how important it is what you're doing! I'm a self taught aspiring environment artist myself and you keep me so motivated. keep making great content!
thanks! that's why I do it :D
Im a student and always feels good to watch anything around me the stones, ponds and trees sound, lights anything so i did join a animation school without really know why but now days my vision getting clear then ever i love the nature and anything around me and i will love to combine it with what i am learning and that bring me here too..so thank you so much for all the information and i feels really good to be a part of this ..i can start walk now , thanks again
I'm a Highschool student about to graduate and I plan to aim for a career in 3d game design, and your channel and your environment tutorial series are very appreciated resources. Hearing an industry professional talk about the steps they take in their work is really helping me learn what skills to develop. Thanks a lot, hope to see more videos from you in the future. :)
you're welcome! thanks for watching
Please do more videos, it is so helpful
i think the answers are great! it's in great detail which is appreciated, thankyou so much for making this!
This Channel is GOLDEN! How did I not stumble upon this channel?!
Thank you, SIR
I like having videos like these running on the background while I work because music alone can get a bit tiring sometimes. That's also why I like videos that go as in-depth as possible. Can't wait for episode 2!
AXLplosion cheers :)
Loving the depth of the answers Tim. Really good point about teaming up with other artists to work on a project. Thanks for the vid!
ToxicSludge hell yea, we just hired a couple guys at work who did that left 4 dead fake trailer. That really was a great way to get attention to their work, and a large scale project like that is impressive :)
@@PolygonAcademy Yeah that WAS an awesome trailer...
This is an absolute goldmine of knowledge for inspiring Environment Artist, Keep up the amazing work man.
cheers! will do :)
Really helped me out to get a different perspective on what I could go for, finished my Bachelor in Intermedia Design with a focus on game design, but all I have learned was mostly focused on academic work and I try to improve myself while building my portfolio accordingly now. I am getting some very helpful information from you! Definitely gives another boost of confidence and showing someone what they have to strive for when they are a bit "lost". Thanks a lot!
i am novise level designer/ level artist. dont know any about props creation, This part when u tallk about ur work as world creator, Love it!
Doctor Ariel Chaos yea man! You dont have to do everything, just find something you enjoy and master it :)
Currently trying to make it in environment game art, thanks for all your info dude
Thanks so much for the videos, I'm currently working in creative services and hoping to eventually become an environment artist in games. This stuff is really helping me get an idea of what I need to be doing with my personal work.
awesome, happy to hear its helping, thats why i made the content :) good luck on your journey into environment art!
I actually sent you a question on artstation and then I found the answer in this video! Your answers have helped me understand what I'm facing much better. It is a bit scary when you start learning, specially if you are starting later than most (I'm 30). You kinda feel like it's too much and by the time you learn it you're going to be too old to get a job... This video helped me lose the fear a bit. Thanks!
Hey! Yea i got your question, will get back to you when i have a spare second :) thanks for watching!
I really love your perspective. It's refreshing and makes me want to know more from you.
I googled the first image of an artist you've shown, was about to do the same for the next one until you mentioned that its linked in the description. you're awesome dude
Ice Cookie no problem haha thanks for watching!
Thank you so much, this has been super helpful! I can definitely attest to using designer materials in real scenes! It's really fun to crank out amazing looking substances but if it doesnt look good in engine the whole purpose is defeated.
Kaloyana Mihova 1000%. Context is king :)
Thank you, it was a very insightful video
This video was extremely helpful and informative. The answers are the perfect length, I would be happy to listen to an hour of this.
well strap in 'cause tomorrow's video is 50+ mins of red hot fire :D
I would love to see another video-tutorials with detailed breakdown like the feudal japan videos. It's kinda cool to look/ hear like u work and think about ur projects. Your previous tutorials helped me a lot. :) For anything u post on this channel I am really thankful. Great Work!
Kacper Kuchcicki thank you for such kind feedback, more to come in future for sure!
Really love your videos man. I've been in the industry for a while, but still manage to learn new tips and tricks and different approaches from your stuff. Every day's a school day! Keep up the excellent work!
thanks ben :) I am so happy to hear my stuff is relevant for people of all skill levels, including fellow industry folk :) where do you work??
@@PolygonAcademy I started at Rebellion doing the original Sniper Elite. Moved to Criterion to do Burnout Paradise. Then onto Codemasters, before starting my own company with some pals called Rodeo Games. Couple of years ago, I started another one called Perchang. If you ever come over to Guildford, give me a shout, would be grand to meet up and share tips & tricks! :)
@@TheMeanMagpie awesome, quite the nice career path :D will do!
I'm glad this answered both my questions because I joined the chat a bit late haha! Thanks for this new series! It's a great insight into learning about the industry!
Haha glad to hear :) thanks for watching :)
Thank you, some of these questions have been burning in my mind! More people need to watch your content, keep up the good work!
thanks for the q&a, Tim! those insides on how to build a profession of a level artist/world builder are so awesome! it gives motivation that i'm not the only one who just wants to take assets and build a world. can't wait for my first job!!
Denys Mamonov yea man! More and more of those kinda positions opening up :)
Really helpful answers in here! Looking forward to the next part!
thanks, should be out next week :D
Keep up with the great videos.
They are so informative and motivating. After I watched this one I reevaluated my current situation and I found some flaws in it, which thanks to you I will try to fix :)
And to start with ... I had an idea for a grand scene with major models and environment and stuff aaaaand, you guessed it .... I have no idea how to do it :D.
I will follow your advice and try to do a simple scene with basic forms, materials and lighting, so that I can get the hang of it.
But your number one advice I am following is from your Artstation series, which is to "Always finish on a high note" and I have to tell you I saw the difference when I do and when I don't.
So a big "Thank you" for all your videos and advices, they really keep me grounded :)
cheers bud! thanks for the in depth comment, appreciate it :D
@@PolygonAcademy That's the least I can do, since you are giving me an indepth of 3D skills I need :D
Great video Tim! Love the format!
Gregory McDonald dope! More to come then :)
Will have to look into those artstation challenges. not sure how I never noticed them spending so much time on the UE and Artstation sites.
yea they are awesome, another one just finished. they are every couple months usually.
words can't be enough to thanks, but thank you man!
it was a lot to me!
you're very welcome :D
@@PolygonAcademy Then thanks again sir :)
Sooo Hungry for your content ! Give me more. Can't wait for the next video.
hahah cheers! got 4 vids coming this week as well as a guest on a podcast....stay tuned!
Fantastic and Informative video. a lot of great questions asked and answered in a way that anyone can follow. Great work!
Allyn Nichols cheers! Thats the kinda feedback i love to hear :)
Ma boi Tim dropping some knowledge!! We really should try and do more collabs the interview was so not enough time!!!
Digital Artcast yea bruv, will have to do something again soon 🔥
Thank you so much for you videos! Extremely informative and always fun to watch, I can't wait to see the next video you post!
Andy Nguyen thanks andy!
This video is so helpful! I'm aspiring to be a pro 3d environment artist and i never thought of reusing assets lol. Thanks for this video!
GID hahah everyone likes to try to swim up stream and do things the hard way! I am glad that part clicked for you!
"This is called a training circle, a master's wheel. This circle will be your world, your whole life. Until I tell you otherwise, there is nothing outside of it.
As your skill with the sword improves, you will progress to a smaller circle. With each new circle, your world contracts, bringing you that much closer to your adversary, that much closer to retribution."
Tom Buxton hahah thats the one! Love that movie :)
Super useful info Tim, thank you for sharing your knowledge :)
you're welcome :D
Awesome video and questions, thank you so much !
cheers!
Hey Tim, whats up! Just here to say hi. Banging out an asset for an art test while having your videos on constant loop haha. Have a good one!
Hey dude! Thats awesome to hear, hope the vids are helping you out. Good luck with your art test, im sure you will crush it 💪
You're videos are really insightful, thanks for making them!
Oh yeahh!! It's up!!! Thank you ! I'm going to watch this and rewatch if needed to learn everything ! Thank you !!
yea this one is probably worth coming back to from time to time :)
This video is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for doing it!! 🙏👏💯🙏👏💯
Great stuff Tim. Love all your videos.. I really like the way you explain things in detail, keep doing this Great stuff. Honestly there are very less environment art tutorials out there which explains things this detailed. I am waiting for more tutorials, tips and tricks videos. Please do some tutorials on creating vegetation for games, and Just a suggestion pick a random concept art from the internet and show us how you'll approach creating that environment from greybox to final whitebox not a video tutorial but just a 30 mins talk like this would be really really great like where you'll be using tiling textures, where to use trim sheets, edge decals, decals, vertex paint and stuffs like that.. Waiting for your next video.. cheers...
karthik s cool idea for a video! Will have more tutorials coming soon, :)
Thanks for spend your time to make this videos! :)
I have come across numerous videos of your discussions in the past. I’m adding a like subscribe today based off of the useful content. If I could grasp a few thing from your channel it would be how the “art pass”” process works and how to design around themes.
thanks so much! sorry your comment got caught by YT's spam filter for some reason so I just saw it. appreciate the love! more to come soon :)
great videos, very informative/accurate + well presented!
thanks so much for the love :D happy they helped you out
Hey Tim! LOVE all your videos man. Especially your Trim sheet textures one! I was wondering if you wouldn't also mind doing one on Tiling textures when you have the time. Like all and any tips and tricks of working with those in Unreal and best practices with them etc. Thanks so much!
Yup! I am going yo do a making of trim sheet series showing the entire process and then roll onto tiling textures and then vertex blending so really cover my 3 main heavy lifting tools!
@@PolygonAcademy Sounds awesome! Can't wait!
80.lv also has some nice articles and behind the scenes done by professionals & they post often too..a nice resource to check.
yea big fan of 80.lv, lotsa good stuff on there.
This was incredibly informative and practical. Thanks for the great Q&A.
Great stuff! You must upload more often!
hahaha im gonna try to :D
This has answered so many questions i have, thankyou :)
thank you so much
You’re welcome!
Just discovered your channel, was great listening to this while working!
thanks! hope all the videos were useful for you :)
Great video man. Keep up the good work. And keep them long, good information is never too much. ;)
Alex Bellato haha i know there are some die hards who love the long cuts, so happy to deliver :)
amazing video thx man
I love your videos. Incredibly instructive and some of the most useful on the internet. Definitely enjoyed the thorough answers.
I have a question
2D art has design/composition rules/guidelines, for example focal point, rule of thirds, golden ratio, symmetry. How do you think these things translate to 3D environment design? If none, then what other rules take over in the 3D worlds?
Thanks :)
Yore one of the best out there. We appreciate the professionalism & knowledge, as well as your personal touch
Piotr Styliński all those rules apply as much as in 2d, but the player had choice of where they aim the camera. So do your best but assume 30% of people will never experience it as you imagine haha. And thats ok, thats video games!
Great video, Thanks!
you're welcome :)
i had a doubt regarding the 3d softwares, like should we learn all 3d modelling softwares like 3ds max, maya, blender etc , or should we focus on a particular software and master that one.
btw love all your videos, plz keep making such informative videos.
Hope you'll reply me , Thank you...
Focus on one software until you get really good at creating assets, then it will be easier to find the same tools in another program once you know your own workflow. Trying to learn them all at once will slow you down. If there is a specific studio you want to work at, try and find out what they use and then focus on that, could help!
@@PolygonAcademy Thank you soo muchhh, this helped alot❤️❤️
I learned a lot from you!
You are back!
Nocte indeed I am ;)
You're back! Super helpful as always, thanks man. Looking forward to episode 2! I recently got accepted into the game development program I applied for all the way back in october (the selection process took forever), so all of your advice is really welcome! Especially because I often struggle with confidence issues. Have you ever struggled with that and if so, do you have any tips to deal with self doubt?
struggle with that stuff constantly, it never really goes away haha. But with more experience you can learn to bitch slap that self doubt and put it in the back seat where it belongs ;) I can look back at all the past projects I have completed and be like "oh yea, I guess I sorta know what I am doing :)" that's why actually finishing projects is SO important, even if they are not to the quality you imagined. follow though is so critical, it builds confidence over time.
Thanks for the reply, means a lot! It's oddly reassuring to hear that coming from an industry professional! ;)
Good content, keep doing this q&a sometimes :)
thanks! will do another one soonish :)
Love you video, they have been so useful
thanks Josh, I'm just getting started ;) lots more to come
Hello!
I am Architecture student in india.
I do know basics for 3d modeling and building design, but i don't have an idea how to create a portfolio what all portfolio should consist for a job in environment designer.
Fantastic video man.
Some really good advice here. Great video. +1 sub.
Hi Tim ! Your videos are a lifesaver for me, it litterally opened my eyes to so much and demystified a bunch of aspects of environment art for me !
I have one question for you. You always talk about how important it is to start small and simple and use that as practice. However, seeing all those cool hyper-detailed environments online, I'm having a hard time scaling the scope of my projects. Do you have some examples of very simple environments ? I know you showed that corridor, this is a good start, but how about practicing with outdoor stuff ? Where do I draw a line and create a very simple level ?
Thanks a lot for your incredibly helpful videos !
Very useful tips... useful video
thank you :)
To what extent do environmental designers get to design what they want, vs working off concept art? What is the amount of input the modeler gets in the design? Also, is any drawing/painting/concept art ability required?
you do get some input and flexibility, but not to the point where you get to pick and choose the theme of your level drastically different from the inital design and art direction. like you cant switch a scifi base to a cave or something haha.
most of the time you are working over top of an established level design layout and are more responsible for making it look good. this is where working from concept art and working closely with the art director to make sure your work fits in with the entire game is super important. modelers are usually working from approved concepts and need to match them as closely as possible, there isnt much room for changin things up from what was requested to be built in that way.
I cant draw or paint concept art, i let the pros handle that and focus only on the 3d art side of the skillset. so you definitley dont need to know how to draw or do concepts, it can be beneficial but its never been a requirement for me during the course of my whole career, from level artist to art director.
@@PolygonAcademy Thanks for the reply! So are you saying that Environmental artists must follow the concept art directly? How much design does the artist get to put in(within the established parameters of course).
@@connorhathaway6573 usually you try and match the concepts as close as possible yes, because that is what has been appproved long before things get into the 3d phase, by the art director. working in a studio its more about having a cohesive feeling game where everything feels like it fits together rather than something made by 40 individual artists. it really depends on the studio and art director how much input you can have. if you are working for an outsourcing studio for example, you really have to match exactly what the client wants. smaller studios artists can wear multiple hats and have a bit more creative input.
for myself, I really like working from concepts from talented concept designers, it removes a lot of the problem of having to figure out what looks good, and just allows me to focus on executing on it to bring it into 3d. trying to do it all is a great way to get burnt out or get so so looking results, especially when you are starting out and havent developed the eye for what and why things look good. with more experience, the more input you generally get.
What is the scale of buildings in-game? For a 1 storey and 2 storey building? How would be UV map modular walls? How do you make them all tile? Sorry for all the questions :)
Callum Paton-Copley the scale is similar to real life, so 4m per storey usually. If you are using a 2048 brick texture then that will cover a 4m wall space at 512px/m texture density like most ps4 games use.
Polygon Academy ah brilliant just what I needed 😜 thank you 😊
The talk was perfect :D Thank you Tim, and keep up the good work! It's great to find an interactive community that specializes in environment art, and not just the technical part but also the logic behind it.
Natalie Morcos thanks! Yea i find the technical stuff is usually the least of the problem, the high level thinking and breakdown of what makes a good environment is the critical part :)
Thank you so much man!
you're welcome :)
thank you for making this video
you're welcome :D
As always, great tips and info, Tim. I learn something from each of your videos :) Keep up the good work, it's valuable for us 3D students, daunted by the industry! :D
thanks so much :) I love seeing feedback like this, more to come soon!
Please make tutorial on mobile game environment design and optimization of performance and draw calls.Thank You
I don't have much experience in mobile game dev, I am mainly AAA console for most of my career, but I can definitely do a drawcall optimization video in future!
@@PolygonAcademy Thank you very much looking forward
Great video as always!! I´m so glad I found this channel on RUclips!! I have 2 questions about 3D environments or 3D assets in general:
(Some days ago I read about UDIMs for game assets. I found out how to use them I guess but the whole topic still confuses me a bit, so:)
1. Are UDIMs rlly used for game assets? some ppl told me you don´t use them and some ppl say you should definitely use them!
2. When I textured my assets when I was still at university I always had the problem that the texture quality was imo rlly not good enough. The textures didn´t rlly look high quality and probably because I put my whole object in one single UV space. So is it called UDIMs when I create multiple UV sets for different parts of my model to increase the texture quality of every part? And would you always recommend doing that to achieve a better texture quality? Cause incresing the resolution of one single UV set for the whole model up to like 8k or even 16k almost makes my pc crash when exporting the textures :P
yea lots of character artists will break up their models into multiple materials. like one for the torso, one for the head, one for the armor etc. this can help especially when you can swap armor or cosmetics etc. most textures in games these days rarely go above 2k for console games.
@@PolygonAcademy Oh thanks a lot for your answer! :) That´s rlly good to know and totally makes sense!
Hi there, I want to do environment art but I have become fairly proficient and poured a couple hundred hours into 3ds max already, Im comfortable modelling and texturing in max; nearly all online tutorials from cgma and other resources focus on maya for environment art which makes me think I should switch to Maya ?
it really depends on what studio you want to work at. a lot of sony studios like santamonica or naughty dog use maya, while ubisoft is almost all 3ds max. but the main thing is learning the skills of modeling, where to put your polygons, having a good sense of scale and weight to objects etc which is independant of software. max/maya are just tools on the belt like a hammer, knowing why and how to make something that looks good is the main skill set.
@@PolygonAcademy thank you for your reply! I have decided to stick to max and instead of learning maya, im taking a course on zbrush. Just found your channel and Im really thankful for your videos, you explain things succinctly and get me revved up to make something! thank you!
Hi Tim. You have very understand and cool videos. But, can you add auto subtitle in video, to peoples who haven't native english, will can understand you on 100%? Thank you so much for your expensive information.
Артур Родькин thanks for watching! I will turn them on when youtube autogenerates them for this video, otherwise i have to transcribe them by hand which can take hours unfortunately. Usually youtube gets the subtitles generated within a couple days.
@@PolygonAcademy it's great news! Thank you Tim for all.
Just playing GTA V recently and I notice in all the buildings and structures in the games, most if not all of them have like stains and leakage down towards the bottom which really helps ground them in the environment, but they're not part of the repeating/tiling textures of the structures. Do you think those are done with decals or is there some other good (and possibly inexpensive) method of adding those details?
Most likely decals, or could be an overlaid grunge mask that uses world space uvs so it looks unique when you move the mesh around as it is overlaid slightly differently, watch dogs used both those techniques so i would assume gta does as well. But its atleast decals for sure ive noticed them before as well
@@PolygonAcademy I'm familiar with using Decals, where can I find more info about world space UVs? Thanks for the quick response!
Also, I've found very little information how someone like Rockstar does some of its world building, things like its roads are incredible. Is there somewhere that shows more in depth looks at how some of these large games are created?
@@massivetree7937 there might be talks on the GDC vault, there is some good content on there, but in general rockstar are pretty tight lipped about their stuff
@@PolygonAcademy and here arkhitekton.net/2016/05/15/building-the-gta-v-city-model/ Anyway, not an answer to my question but thought it was interesting.
Great video - will you be doing similar videos for the new Artstation challenge again this time around?
thanks so much! probably not this time, got too much on my plate to do at the moment, but got some new tutorials coming soon :D
Awesome, Thanks!
another awesome video ! its so hard to get in depth answers or info on some of these questions so thank you for this. Could i ask you for some feedback on my portfolio on art station?
Nice video as usual. But I have a question. Is it okay to change or add some detail and make my 3D project different than the 2D ref. Like there are some detail which I can't see so I have to improvise or sometime I dislike the detail in the pic and I add something I think that make suits the scene. Or we have to creat a 3D scene which have to look exactly the picture. I'm very confuse have been struggling with this for months. (sorry for my bad English)
Tu Nguyen its definitely ok to improvise and change things, i do it every day :) go with what you feel looks good!
Nice thanks for answering
Thanks for Information :)
no problem!
Uffff great video!
thanks dude!
Sir can you differentiate between game environment and game commercial environment is there any difference between them?
FAKE LIQUID usually commercials have pre rendered cinematics so there is not a huge amount of optimization or performance taken into account, so its more like visual effects/film work
With scanned materials getting more and more popular, is it possible that everyone use scanned materials and tweak them in softwares like Quixel Mixer instead of producing materials procedurally?
I think for a lot of things scans are great, but for some thing like scifi materials or stylized textures there will always be a need for substance designer textures and stuff. so having a handle on both is really useful. but yea, megascans and photogrammetry will only become more commonplace in future.
I don't know man....I've been working with UE4 with 3 years now, going through all the channels you mentioned, and when I see what people can do with it on the internet, it's like I've learned nothing at all...
in my current project i spent months designing and modeling my hero asset, but fron what i remember the rest went pretty fast.
Im getting close to finishing now. got some more materials, textures, decals, animations, placing finished assets in engine and final lighting pass left i think
maybe 1 more model that im not sure is significant enough.
Awesome, congrats on wrapping up the project, that always feels good :)
@@PolygonAcademy not wrapped up yet but definitely close :)
Can you show us how to make materials using substance
hopefully at some point, but right now I am super noob at substance haha. go check out josh lynch's tutorials on the subject, hes one of the best around!
Thank's a lot for a few interesting tips! Waiting for more of them
BTW, what do you think about selling some assets which was created by myself (yourself, whatever) for portfolio at some stores (Epic library/UnityAssetStore, etc.). Or i shoud keep them unique and don't share it with anybody else?
Artur Artrtr you’re welcome :) I would say go for it and sell the assets, its clear you were the original creator and it can help bring in some extra cash. I know moses over at no more grid simply uploaded one of his portfolio projects to the ue marketplace and make like 4k off it in passive income. No problem in sharing your work for others to use
@@PolygonAcademy Aw, appreciated for such a fast answer)
Alsoooo. Remembered something: I'm working on some vr project and for optimization goals i came to (maybe) the strange decision. I'm creating some asset package (bed, carpet, nightstand, commode, for example). Then i'm creating a common UV for all of that items and texture it together in SP. As result we have a few items which uses only one texture set and one material (in ideal case) - it's kinda some texture atlas. This way we'll get less drawcalls.
In the same time i know that in some ArchVis packages all items have it's own UV's and textures. But it is only for visualisation, not game purposes.
How do you do it in your projects or, maybe, you can tell how it works in big studios? Maybe some tiny video or screenshot in a next Q/A?)
HOW DO U GIVE THICKNESS TO OPACITYMAPS WITHOUT ADDING VOLUME .??
You can double up the plane and slightly offset it to fake some depth but you cant really add that much depth to a masked hole/texture. It works well for broken glass or catwalk grates etc to use the double plane technique, but only thin surfaces
@@PolygonAcademy ..ARE YOU SURE THERE IS NO FORBIDDEN SECRET BEHIND THIS ??
Hey Tim. Amazing insight as always!
Question: Do you have any tips on character modeling? I know you're an environment artist by trade, but I've been wondering about things like recommended poly counts, details to prioritize, and advice on rigging. Any thoughts on this would be awesome. Thanks!!
I would say just look on artstation extensively and find some senior character artists who have breakdowns and use that to inform your work.
usually things like anatomy, proportions and weight are big for character artists, and the tehcnical side of things 50-100k triangles is what I have seen for a lot of hero characters, but then again I think cinematic versions of kratos and spiderman on ps4 were higher. Just look at what the pros are doing in their breakdowns and go for that! It just takes a bit of time and research :) good luck!
@@PolygonAcademy Will do! Thanks so much man!!
At my office Working...getting notification on my phone...."Polygon Academy uploaded new video"..... FUCK WORK INSTANT WATCH!!
Liran Biton hahah looks like you got your priorities right! 🤛
How would you go about creating interior/exterior modular pieces?
I would create them as seperate objects that snap together based on their pivots and have door/window pieces you could use to close off and have exterior only buildings where you need.
@@PolygonAcademy Thank you!! All the best mate :)
Great video! 1 thing, you made a mistake in the title of your video
hahah good catch! fixed :) thanks for watching
thanks for the answers
no problem, hope they cleared things up for you :)
@@PolygonAcademy certainly did, i'm pretty sure i saw that racer445 thing somewhere else but could never find it
@@alfiesummers7822 yea he has kinda disappeared from the internet over the last few years :( luckily this image has been archived on pinterest and other places :)
Hey man, great video! As a teenager learning Environment Art, are there any good opportunities of making some side money to pay for software or networking while I’m under the working age to join the industry? I want to try and get the best start in these early years; is there any advice you have? Thanks!