Bridge Diorama
Julia Kovalyova
From Julia Kovalyova‘s Original concept, this piece is a detailed 3D model inspired by her diorama vision. This is a project I decided to make early on my first years of college. Unfortunately, at the time, I lacked the knowledge and skills to bring it to life. For my final project, I chose to revisit this idea, challenging myself to turn it into reality.
In order to get the best results, I decided that the final project should be rendered in Unreal Engine 5. Because of its stunning graphics, advanced rendering capabilities, and powerful visual effects make it the perfect choice. Moreover, Unreal Engine provides extensive opportunities for optimization within a video game workflow.
For the modeling, the blocking and hard surface were made in Maya, as well as the UVS for texturing and sculpting. Once the first version of the model was ready, it was imported into Zbrush where the high poly model was sculpted. Finally the decimated high poly was brought back into Maya for the retopology and final adjustments to the UVS.
For the texturing, the normal maps, along with the rest of the maps, will be baked in Substance Painter. The base color and some procedural details will also be created in Substance Painter. Final lighting and rendering details of the texture will be completed using 3D Coat and Photoshop simultaneously to achieve the desired hand-painted effect
For the lighting and rendering, once the texturing is finished, the base lighting will be done in Unreal. The water shader for the pond, as well as some lighting effects using Niagara for the candle flames and particles for a firefly swarm effect, will also be created in Unreal.
For now, I’m currently testing the water material in Unreal Engine. I’m using the Simple Layer Water property combined with distance fields to create a realistic effect on the water with ripple effects, while maintaining the overall stylized effect.
As I continue working, I’ll be updating the blog with more progress. If you are interested, please stay in touch as I embark on this process.
Cider Wagon
Casper Prick
This cider wagon, inspired by Casper Prick’s concept art, is a perfect example of a fantasy hero prop. With my passion for medieval and fantasy-themed games, this was the ideal project for my second piece. Although this model seems less complicated, it has its own challenges. However, it has been a better experience thanks to the lessons learned from the diorama.
The cider wagon follows the same workflow for modeling and texturing. The blocking and low poly are created in Maya. Then, in ZBrush, the high poly model used for texturing is sculpted. Once this is done, we bring it back to Maya for retopology and any missing UVs.
Gabriela Villegas 