Week 10 – Deadline extension and finishing details

General Meeting (17/03/23)

Meeting notes:

1. Multiply the spirits – populate the space.
2. Sound design. 
3. Adjusting the size of objects. 
4. More objects in space.

My goals for the extension period were to focus on fixing UV maps, creating murals and more texturing. It was too late in the project to model anything for the building (except for minor details/small assets) so I wanted like to spend more time on visual work.

I had to stick with the 2K resolution maps and fix the pixelation by removing the UV maps on the outside of the building as well as splitting them into more pieces. 2K is the best option for Quest 2 (headset based). If we build in Windows/PC then 4K would be fine. However, for now, we are showing the project in the headset, so we are limited to lower resolutions.

The building needed more texture and colours, but the colours are faded, and there is mould on the walls, decay, and paint chipping off walls. The mural cannot be too detailed since we have only 2K resolution. Water damage/small details, and leaks on the walls might be problematic due to the size of texture maps. Murals shouldn’t include any specific symbolism or be too socialist. 

The building needed more textures and colour but they should be faded and with signs of mould, decay, and paint chipping on the walls. Water damage/fine detailing and wall leaks could be problematic due to the size of the texture maps. Murals should not contain any specific symbolism or be too socialist.

General Meeting (30/03/23)

Meeting notes:

1. Bigger hole in the ceiling.
2. Remove the ramp.
3. Mural: What questions arise when you look at these paintings? Too white and heteronormative, a good starting point, but not enough. We also need more murals. 
4. Water dripping down the walls.
5. More water/moss throughout the building. 
6. Degrade textures to make them more varied.

Example:

Here the paint has disappeared or chipped. This is where it remains, but there are also places where there is only concrete underneath.

Due to software constraints, I was unable to work in Substance Painter over the Easter break, so I couldn’t fully realise the creative vision. Doing textures in a limited amount of time resulted in a more cohesive look than a very varied one, but now the paint is chipping off the walls and different colours/concrete/plaster/paint textures in parts of the building.

General Meeting (11/04/23)

The last meeting was mainly about animation and finishing details and submission requirements. 

The idea for the murals was to place a central panel with a family, then “postcards” from around the world on the other panels (between the columns). Image resolution is variable, so my goal was to soften it in this version, and IP issues etc will be dealt with in the next version of the experience.

I received a PDF with our preferences and the asset folder itself. I considered suggestions but ended up choosing more graphic murals (which had less detail) that went together much better. I also faded them and downgraded the paintings to fit the space and give the impression of crumbling walls.

Finishing work:

I worked in Photoshop to give the murals a faded/destroyed effect and blend them better into the space. I tested different paint/colour options and also went back to old textures to see what the murals and mould effect would look like there. 

In my opinion, the old surfaces fit the design goals better and reflect a more post-apocalyptic atmosphere, but it could also be because the new textures are not damaged enough. For future assignments, I’d like to go back to painting textures and add more mildew brush effects as well as work with gradients in texture maps.

Final textures: