Detail Lighting - My key light sources were Direction Light and HDRI Backdrop. A total of two Directional Lights were used to bring additional detail, which were adjusted accordingly to match the light source of the HDRI.
Detail Lighting (Night)
Unlit
All assets used for the scene creation ( ceiling, floor, wall not included).
Hard-surface props were created with edge loops to later be subdivided to form smooth beveled edges. Most high poly models were used for the main scene to contain a profuse level of detail.
Sculpted props were created in Zbrush to attain a high-poly in preparation to be baked down to low-poly. The high-poly was then cleaned up and retopologized in Maya with suitable UV mapping, and then sent off to Substance Painter to be textured.
In Zbrush, the Array Mesh tool was used to create a pattern instance, in which Zbrush duplicates your mesh into different shapes or forms to your liking.
Plants were made using SpeedTree which was immediately exported to Unreal Engine after finalization.
All fabric was created using both Marvelous Designer and Clo3D which was transported to Maya for cleanup and UV Mapping.
Props/Assets were assembled to capture the essence of Harry Potter. A variety of assets were produced to stray from a monotonous workflow and flesh out the scene as a whole. Some props consist of UDIMS instead of a single UV to reveal more detail.
Timelapes of different props in the Substance Painter viewport.
Timelapes of sculpted props shown in Zbrush.
Textures created in Substance Designer
Textures created in Substance Painter
Here are some breakdown shots from my “Gryffindor Boys Dormitory” environment scene, showcasing the creation process behind the environment, assets, textures, lighting, and overall scene development. This breakdown highlights a variety of the assets created specifically for the project, along with close-up renders, wireframes, texture work, and lighting studies used throughout production.
The presentation also explores different stages of the workflow, including hard-surface modeling in Maya, sculpting in ZBrush, cloth creation in Marvelous Designer and CLO3D, vegetation creation in SpeedTree, and texturing in Substance 3D Painter and Substance 3D Designer. Additional breakdowns demonstrate UV organization, high-poly to low-poly workflows, material creation, and scene assembly within Unreal Engine 5.
Lighting played a major role in shaping the atmosphere of the environment, with a combination of Directional Lights and HDRI lighting used to create the warm and cinematic mood of the scene. This breakdown was created to provide a closer look into both the artistic and technical processes used to bring the environment to life.
