Working on feedback, DX11 and guitars

I recently got the opportunity to network, and thus showed the current progress on my environment to various other games developers. I was after some critique, and I got quite a lot of responses.

The relevant feedback was:

• Dark areas of scene were pitch-black, needed at least an ambient blue colour
• Try and reduce clutter
• Check textures against histogram settings in Photoshop to get a better lightmap quality
• Sharpen textures using the Unsharp Mask tool to better bring out small detail
• Windows needed to be brighter

A good point given to me was that my use of warm and cold colours was good, as were my texturing and modelling skills :p

Anyway, working on the feedback, I managed  to significantly improve my environment's aesthetic with very little effort. Here's some screenshots:

DX11

The biggest difference in the scene was the use of UDK's DX11 features, which unbeknownst to me were the cause of the subsurface scattering on the candles failing to work.

The old candles as a result looked unlit and burned with bloom when they were lit due to a mistake I made in the shader.

The new candles may have a much less pronounced normal map (which I will seek to fix), but the subsurface scattering is working, allowing light to enter the object and making the candle appear to be lit without looking like a uranium rod.

Another feature DX11 boasts is the use of local image-based reflections. UDK's version of this uses a flat plane, which captures the scene some space in front of it and then outputs the result as a camera-facing reflection on any surface with Image-based reflections enabled in the material. I used this where the floorboards of the environment are most visible to make a nice enticing reflection.

Side note: If I wee to use CryEngine, the setup in there enables IBR for all surfaces with a high enough gloss map. Here's a shot of how it looks:

It definitely looks more natural, but at a higher performance cost than UDK.

Guitar

The only asset I added in this update is the acoustic guitar. Whilst doing my research, I found that hippie groups are rarely without one of these instruments, and the standard wooden acoustic is almost synonymous with the movement. For reference, my housemate let me borrow his acoustic model so I could study it, and I learned a lot which allowed me to really nail this asset.

I experimented with a stickered version. I was originally going to swath the model in artwork and decorations, but I struggled to find a relevant piece that fit.

I also started adding the first decals to the piece. I seeked the floral pattern from the concept and found a vector of it, then assaulted it with custom brushes in Photoshop to give it that painted look.

My next move will be to texture those cardboard boxes all over the place, and work my way around the few remaining meshes. Then, I can spend time finishing off the helicopter and adding particle effects and extra visual polish. The end is in sight, but still so much to do.

Well, that's all folks. Thanks for reading!