FMP - UDK - Effects and Sound; Pollen, Rain, Thunder and Lightning.

This is where I was learning and practising how to represent a misty atmosphere which is often found on  flat country land.

 

This is one of the ways I was attempting to create the illusion of fog.

 

 

On the Fog Volume Spherical Density, properties. I was experimenting with the density of the fog and other properties to get the desired result I need for my level.

 

With this type of Fog it generated onto a Plane surface as shown above. Then within the properties I was able to expand it into a misty cloud.

I decided to create some flashes of lightning and then added sound that captured thunder and rain.
This is where I was doing it within the Unreal Kismet and the Matinee.

In the Matinee, on the timeline, I created Key frames that I adjusted to turn on and off to replicate the animation of lightning flashes.

 

Here is where I was setting up my actions that would play and loop in the level, the sound has not been created and added yet to the sequence of events.

 

Once the animation was finished I then imported a thunder and rain sound file into UDK. I created a sound_wave_node and then connected it into the Sound_Cue_Editor.

 

As you can see in this image the blue spherical radius that is closer to the centre, the more dominant the sound and the less dominant it is closer to the boundaries.  

 

Here is an attempt of a animation of adding puddles-splashes, when the rain makes contact with the ground surface. I decided to not keep the splashes in the end.

 

Now it was time to learn and create some rain. I decided to create a single rain drop in Photoshop because I would then be able to create an animation that would make multiple rain drops.

 

This was in a different view mode wire mode. It is faint but you can see the red markers which would be rain drops falling down.

I also created pollen floating within the atmosphere which also had the effect of creating a feeling of humidity-the feeling you get when the air is warm and damp.

FMP - UDK - Sky Box

It was time to create my skybox for my level. The default UDK one, quite suited my level with the early morning pre-set. The early morning pre-set would be suitable if I could emulate the default skybox but adapt better cloud formations.

First off, I created a sphere to which I sliced it in half and stretched it out slightly. After I unwrapped it in the UV modifier, I rendered out the UV and started texturing it in Photoshop.

I gathered panoramic pictures of the sky to begin the sky box process.

In the layer channels in Photoshop I was editing the panoramic image by adding my own custom cloud brushes and in the channels themselves R.G.B I was creating different versions which the above image shows how the result of each channel differed from each other. The channels are important because in UDK each channel will have a specific function assigned to it.

Here is where I went to filter > distort > polar coordinate, which creates this fish eye lens.

This is where I was setting up my shaders of my skybox,  the skybox texture that I created will  be  saving texture memory because of the way it has used the channels instead of having them on a separate image.

As you can see, I was starting to create movement with nodes, learning about the nodes functions and how combining them in a specific way and changing their values to get the desired result.

As you can see I have finished setting up the nodes to create movement of the clouds as a material and assigning it to the sphere model.

The images above are the final result after tweaking their scale and size and the rotation speed through the properties.

A screen capture of the new skybox in my level. The next task now to create a sun, because light is still coming through but no sun is appearing.

Started to create a window for the sun, as you can see there is a mist of light in the top left, but no actual sun silhouette yet.

Eureka! There is a sun in my level. Still a little tweaking needed of the size, position,  it's rays and colour tint, to suit a more subtle early morning rise, but nonetheless a sun in situ.

These images here are just some fun experimenting with the size of the sun, it looks like it is engulfing the forest and having that morning dew feel to it.

FMP - Wizard Mushroom House

Just some references of a mushroom house that inspired me for the last moment change and something that can fit the level with the mushroom theme.

I decided to follow alot more closely from the bottom right illustration, which all credit goes to the owner of the concept.

(http://chamirra.deviantart.com/)
(http://chamirra.deviantart.com/art/Mushroom-House-373939280)

 I chopped off the red mushroom head from the mushroom model and I placed it on top,  I tweaked the shape of it and then decided to create a larger mushroom base where the wizard would live inside, then added some simple windows and doors.

A couple of screen shots of the mushroom house. Very simple and basic, but at least there is a finished vocal point.

I would like to create a better one, if I can, one closer to my original concepts but still pleased there is something to show on top of the tree stump.

(update) Mushroom house in location of developed level

FMP - Wizard House Concepts

From my previous Wizard House concepts that I tackled a month or so back. I was aiming to have the house built from the surrounding landscape materials, for example tree bark which would be modular and pieced together to create the house, then the roof would be created with lighter bark pieces, dry grass, and big leaves.
 

Moodboard of  the Wizard house.

The references I took gave great influence which helped me to understand how I would go about creating a natural organic house that would fit my level.

On these concepts, I have given more details, that led me to understand the approach to model them.

I was thinking to have leaves as the roof, and shape it similar to a wizard hat for a symbolic purpose, tree-sap for the 'glue' that combines the bark pieces together. 

I have chosen and combined elements from my previous building concepts, then I improve on them with each version. Version #3 is much better developed, with more detail compared to the first version.

A small break down of the materials and where I would place them in a small finished concept of the house, I had in mind.

FMP - Texturing. Mushrooms.

Next is texturing the mushrooms, initially I will be texturing the red mushrooms. I went back in Zbrush  to round off the underside and the side of the mushrooms because it looked too harsh before.

With time constraints I could not spend too long on the mushrooms but for the time I have done, I thought they turned out reasonably well. To get some noise and to colour change the surface of the mushroom, I decided to grab a texture of a red apple which has a gradual gradient and colours that I can use to start off and then improve from.

Finished mushroom, turned out great. I like the trunk of the mushroom, I thought I captured the surfaces well and I would improve the white spots next time.

I am aiming to texture a clear white mushroom, but I decided to add some of the brown tint and blemishes. Similar to the reference above.

I went back into Zbrush to fix this mushroom also. I smoothed the underneath and rounded it off, then used the move tool for  pulling down some of the edges so it would not look the same on each side when rotated.

The surface I created for the over all base of the mushroom, actually reminds me of 'wholemeal wrap's' Texture.  However I decided to have some subtle orange blemishes with the white being not so bright but a mixture between the colours.


I tested some of the blemishes underneath the mushroom, since it looked too unnaturally clean before, but will erase some of the sections underneath.

The 'white mushroom' finished result. I am pleased with it, if I get time I would perhaps create another texture, change some of it's geometry and texture a slightly cleaner version.

Tall brown mushrooms and fungi, that are more flat for a good platform jumping.

I did not want to clash too much similar colour and texture to the mushroom and the fungi, however I think they compliment each other at the end result.