Spectre Divide: Early Explorations Pt. I
Very early screenshots of Spectre Divide environment art direction explorations using Unreal Engine (UE4). During this time I worked directly with the Art Director, the Art Lead, and a Concept Artist, to try to nail down a unique anime look that achieved stunning visuals and quick reads for the type of game we were aiming to make.
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Results from first material exploration tests include plaster, brick, asphalt, glass, metal, wood, plastic. I was also able to start exploring skyboxes and vista tech very early on. At the same time, I also got to constantly collaborate with a team of level designers and systems/hero designers to accommodate art needs to gameplay, as well as provide quality feedback on playtest sessions.
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Very thankful for the talented team at Mountaintop, and the creative freedom they allowed me to have during my time there.
Early material tests in engine screenshot 1
Early material tests in engine screenshot 2
Early material tests in engine screenshot 3
Exploring modularity and stylistic level of detail
Y up mask could control the height and also be tinted any color always true to my pick from the wheel
Procedural textures using rakes and faceted shapes from art direction reference. Early materials lacked color layering.
vertex paint tests
Color layering added to break up materials and nail in the look more
wood ( :
subtle facetted details make the difference for the look we were trying to nail at the time
performant shaders compared to earlier explorations
using a generated baked AO combined with a mask to add different shapes or styles to the meeting points / edge areas
Baked lighting with applied materials
ability to tint the mask as well as add contrast / strength
texture LODs
Material tech and mod kits applied in internal playtest level image.1
blockout level image.1 (for comparison only, I did not work directly on these. I do not own these level designs)
Materials and mod kits applied in internal playtest level image.2
blockout level image.2 (for comparison only, I did not work directly on these. I do not own these level designs)
Materials and mod kits applied in internal playtest level image.3
blockout level image.3 (for comparison only, I did not work directly on these. I do not own these level designs)
Materials and mod kits applied in internal playtest level image.4
blockout level image.4 (for comparison only, I did not work directly on these. I do not own these level designs)
Fun little UE4 blueprint with variables for humming drones.
Skybox material tech combining UE4 materials and smart UV'ing
UV scrolling drones
Using primitives to figure out the right amount of immediate vista parallax'ing with background elements and cards