Baj-Sheerh

Update Three

More Materials

I’m still deep in the materials phase — and for good reason. This week, I created three new shaders with more complex, pattern-specific setups. There’s still a good amount of material work ahead, and I estimate about two more updates before this phase is fully wrapped up.

Tileable Materials

Clay_Floor

Zellige

Surface Material

Clay

Update Two

Materials First: Laying the Foundation

This update I focused on building the core shaders and base materials inside Unreal Engine. I created a set of tileable textures (more are coming), including some that will be used with props featuring multiple UV channels. Starting with materials might seem a bit early, but for this project, they’re the backbone — the entire environment will be shaped around them. Having these materials defined now will guide my modeling choices and help maintain visual consistency as the scene grows.

Tileable Materials

Wood_Ceiling

Wood_Orange

Surface Materials

Iron

Brass

Terracota

Wood_polish

Update one

Greetings!

Hey! I'm Nowacki, an 3D Environment Artist currently working at Diorama Digital, and I've been in the game industry for nearly five years. I'm excited to be part of this new challenge, where I'll be creating a scene based on the Baj-Sheerh concept by Max Bedulenko. I was drawn to it for its strong storytelling and the chance to work on a compelling indoor environment — something I really enjoy. I'm passionate about environment art and have a deep appreciation for Arab culture, which also played a big part in my choice. I'm optimistic about this contest and looking forward to exchanging ideas with other artists and learning along the way.

Blocking

Adapting the concept's perspective into 3D has been a fun challenge. Some elements like the tables and windows needed scale adjustments to make sense spatially. Camera distortion also played a role — I ended up with a 15mm focal length to get the closest match. Lighting will be tricky too: even with many windows, sunlight doesn’t reach very far into the space, so achieving that bright, airy look will be a creative challenge

Asset Strategy

I’ve grouped each asset type by shader workflow. Scalable props will use a second UV channel for symbols and a first for tileables — giving me freedom to reuse them in different sizes, colors, and symbol combinations. Fabrics will have wind simulation, and modular pieces will carry three UV sets for Tile, EdgeWear, and an RGB Mask with AO, Grunge, and Dust.

References

I gathered tons of references to immerse myself in this world. I pulled visual inspiration from India, Iran, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt — and dove into videos and walkthroughs of real locations. Long live the internet!

Catch you on the flippity flip!

I’ll keep posting updates as the project evolves, so feel free to follow along! I’d love to connect — don’t hesitate to message me on Discord: @megaalemoon or add me on LinkedIn and Artstation.