COLLAPSED [2024-2025]
3D ENVIRONMENT FOR GAME
COLLAPSED IS A 3D ENVIRONMENT DESIGNED FOR A MYSTERY EXPLORATION GAME, OPTIMIZED FOR REAL TIME RENDERING WITH A REALISTIC ART STYLE. MODELING IN MAYA, TEXTURING ON SUBSTANCE PAINTER, AND RUN IN UNREAL ENGINE 5.5
Collapsed is my thesis project, developed from my deep love for thriller and mystery media. This project focuses on creating environments and props for games, aiming to strengthen my career path as a 3D Environment Artist. Throughout the process, I’ve learned a great deal about designing game ready environments, and it has been an incredible experience bringing my own mysterious world to life.
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Design Process
At the beginning of this project, I started by writing a design document to plan out the overall direction and purpose of the work. I asked myself key questions such as, "What is the purpose of this project?" and "What is the goal I want to achieve?" This helped me stay focused throughout the process. After that, I created a floor plan to understand the size and layout of the environment I needed to build. This also allowed me to map out the walk flow, so I could guide how the player would move through the space and interact with the surroundings. Once I finalized the floor plan, I made a detailed list of all the props and assets that needed to be created in order to bring the scene to life.
Production
After finalizing the floor plan, I created a gray blockout of the scene in Unreal Engine 5. This step was important for establishing the basic layout using simple shapes, allowing me to visualize the overall space without focusing on details. I also tested basic lighting to get a sense of the scene’s atmosphere.
Lighting test
Once the blockout and basic layout were complete, I moved on to testing the lighting in Unreal Engine 5. This phase was focused on finding the right mood and atmosphere for the scene. I began by placing basic light sources to see how light interacted with the environment and how it affected the overall composition. I experimented with different types of lighting, such as directional light, spotlights, and point lights, to highlight key areas and guide the viewer’s eye toward the focal point.
Props
I began the modeling process in Maya to create the detailed assets for the scene. I started by blocking out the basic shapes of each object based on the prop list I had created earlier. During this stage, I also made sure to keep the polycount optimized, especially for props that would be repeated or seen from a distance.
After finishing the UVs in Maya, I imported the models into Substance Painter to begin texturing. I started by baking mesh maps to capture details like curvature and ambient occlusion. Then, I used smart materials as a base to quickly establish realistic surface qualities such as metal, stone, and worn paint. I customized each material by adding dirt, edge wear, and surface imperfections using masks and paint layers. This helped give the assets a more natural and believable look.
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Nanite
To bring my high-poly models from ZBrush into Unreal Engine 5, I used Nanite to handle the geometry efficiently. After sculpting in ZBrush, I decimated the models down to around 50,000 polygons to reduce the file size while still preserving important surface details.
Nanite allowed the engine to render the high-detail geometry in real time with excellent performance, which helped maintain the visual quality of the scene, especially for close-up shots.
Scene adjustment / Level design
Once all the main assets were placed in the scene, I focused on scene adjustment and level design to refine the overall experience. In Unreal Engine 5, I carefully adjusted the placement, rotation, and scale of props to create a natural and visually balanced environment. I also tweaked the composition to guide the player's eye toward key focal points and ensure a smooth visual flow throughout the scene.
From a level design perspective, I tested walkable paths and viewing angles to make sure the space felt intuitive and immersive. I adjusted collision settings, player height, and spacing to improve navigation and interactivity. This process helped ensure that the environment was not only visually appealing but also functional and engaging from a gameplay perspective.
Environment FX
To enhance the atmosphere and bring more life to the scene, I added environmental effects using Niagara in Unreal Engine 5. I created a subtle dust particle system to simulate floating dust in the air, which helped make the environment feel more dynamic and aged. In addition, I added electric spark effects in certain areas to create a sense of energy and tension within the space.
For the flag, I used the skeleton mech to simulate the cloth and adjusted the wind speed to make it feel more realistic. Lastly, for areas that required more than one texture, I used vertex painting to blend an additional texture onto the desired surfaces.
Post Process
In the final stage, I used the Post Process Volume in Unreal Engine 5 to enhance the overall atmosphere of the scene. I added subtle fog to create depth and support the direction of the lighting, especially where I wanted to highlight the god ray effect. The fog helped make the environment feel more immersive and cinematic.
I also adjusted several post-processing settings, including exposure, contrast, and color grading, to fine-tune the mood and lighting balance. These adjustments helped bring all the visual elements together and gave the scene a more polished, unified look.
(No post process)
(With post process)
Logo, Icon, and Poster
This is the logo, in-game icon, and poster I created for Collapsed!
What did I learned from this project?
This year-long project was a major step in my journey as an Environment Artist. I gained hands-on experience in Unreal Engine 5, including scene planning, level design, lighting, and storytelling. I created optimized game-ready assets in Substance Painter and learned to blend textures seamlessly. Designing with the player in mind taught me how to guide movement through layout and focal points. Despite the challenges, finishing this project on time with a result I’m proud of has been incredibly rewarding.