Concept phase 2: a first 3D mockup

Hey all!

So after making some more thumbnails and sketches, I started making a simple 3D mockup in Unity using only a few simple 3D models I made in Maya and some of Unity's standard 3D shapes. Whilst doing so, I also thought of a story that could go with the environment. In my opinion, having a story while you are making the environment is incredibly important. It will make your environment less shallow, you can create all sorts of things that relate to the story and the surrounding world and thus create a richer environment.

Here are some of the thumbnails and a very basic concept painting.

After making these I started making a basic mockup in Unity. Click on the images to enlarge.

Here you can see the idea coming together. I chose to do this because I like building an environment piece by piece, beginning with very basic models and updating them over time. You could make some concept pieces and start modeling detailed assets (3D objects, like a house or a pillar) and make the environment in one go. The problem here is that, if there is a major flaw in level design or you find out it just doesn't work, you already put many hours into making detailed assets. Instead, I like to start with very basic models, and basicly make a 3D 'composition'. Later, when I think the composition works, I start giving textures to the models and making more and more detailed models as we go along. This way we can spot mistakes sooner. A bit of a back and forth workflow; put a new model in, check if it works, change it, check it again, repeat.

Next post I'll share the story concept of the surrounding world and what kind of place this is, and what function it has in society. Till next time!