The job of an environment artist, as I have learned, is not to simply copy a concept, but expand upon it, and here I've evaluated some areas for consideration. To act upon this, I have rearranged aspects of the level geometry and assets, such as moving the beams to the correct location so as to correctly be feasibly supported by the metal posts.
I also conducted additional research into the environment of Chicago to better pinpoint the location of such an apartment building. The conclusion I reached was that although the apartment depicted here is not dissimilar to those apartments on the outskirts of town, the amount of lighting coming in through the window is much too bright to be reflected moonlight, meaning this apartment is most likely lit by inner-city light pollution.
I also feel the skybox is lacking, and needed to research more to add variety to the buildings. Using Google Street View, I was able to get the next best thing to visiting Chicago: walking its streets over the Internet. In doing so, I found a building that I think would closely resemble the apartment itself:
See the arched windows at the top? Not too dissimilar from the concept's windows.
The research also prompted a remodel of the Bookcase: the ones in the game's promo shots and the additional Chinese decor made me pursue a more Oriental-styled bookcase. Here is a shot of the high-poly, modelled in ZBrush; the floral motif on the front was created using a custom Alpha.
And here's my first attempt at the texture:
It took me some time, but I got it to an acceptable level for now. The important thing was making sure it looked like varnished mahogany, and getting the grain sizes right.
That's all for now. This week I will start to texture and refine and also add to the skybox.
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