<h3>Hi everyone! Here's my environment art roadmap for the Veiled Realms Challenge :)</h3><p>I was so intrigued to try building a piece of environment in Unreal Engine and this challenge appeared as a great opportunity to test &amp; practice skills &amp; tools :)</p><h2>Inspiration &amp; reference gathering</h2><p>Namely, I got very inspired by the transformation and development of spring greenery in my local area,  along with whimsical and mysteious visuals of various works by Max Bedulenko, most of which are included in his Velvet Road and Baj-Queeth series:</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/123/images/e786ce15-1e72-4b61-bf04-4bd94fad3cdf.png" alt=""></p><p>I am very driven by the flow of vines, leaves, twigs, moss and other natural aspects through a vast range of different environmental elements (roads, buildings, ruins, animal corpses).. I love that post-apocalyptic aesthetic :)</p><p>Enginewise, I would love to craft an immersive, realtime environment in Unreal Engine, and would combine using both original and Cosmos assets, playing around with Maya, Zbrush, Substance &amp; Dash :))</p><h2>Work in progress ~ roadmap</h2><p>At first, I thought of making a hidden village type of setting, houses and buildings scattered in a large cavernous mound</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/123/images/9450e97b-95fe-45a7-b794-c752111a82a4.png" alt=""></p><p class="ce-paragraph-gray"><i>Initial blockout</i></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/123/images/4c155313-c49c-488f-90fb-17dba1d71aa7.png" alt=""></p><p>After multiple tweaks of the terrain I found out I'm stuck with having scarce ideas how to fill in the large-scale environment. So mid-October I switched over to building rather the enterior of a cavern:  </p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/123/images/601c0d19-2414-439d-bc1b-67de9fb817b1.png" alt=""></p><p class="ce-paragraph-gray"><i>Blockout no.2</i></p><p>#leartesstudios.</p>

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Ruins, roads and many other elements of environment overtaken by the awakening nautre.

Overgrown by Nature

<h2>Hopeless World</h2><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/a2b67495-80a5-4f0f-9919-f6987f720baf/a2b67495-80a5-4f0f-9919-f6987f720baf.png" alt="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/121/images/b18d5211-adf3-401e-9b6a-e230d3b966b0.png"></p><p>I wanted to make something more fantasy like than big cities with advanced technology so I chose those two concepts by Max Bedulenko I also took them because of the similarities in feelings they gave me and the composition. I aim for a mix of the two. I especially like the structure and rocks on the right but I also love the color palette of the one on the left aswell as the lighting.
The challenge for me will be to give a realistic feeling using Zbrush and Substance Painter and to have interesting focal points.I will be using Blender, Zbrush, Substance Painter/Designer and Unreal Engine 5.</p><p>I can't wait to start and try my best for this project</p><h2>Blockout</h2><p>First instance of blockout I used the main structure of my second reference and used the composition of the first, I also looked up temple reference to make some structures to suggest that an ancient civilisation lived here too and worshiped this mysterious structure</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/121/images/ac1f7def-d6d6-49da-bb57-9b3075714fc3.png" alt=""></p><p>#learteschallenge</p>

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A world where no hope is left. My view for the Veiled realms art challenge !

Hopeless World

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>The Art of Crafting a Master Material: A Behind-the-Scenes Look with Leartes</h2>
Building a master material for game environments is like sculpting the soul of a virtual world.
It's where technical skill meets creative spark, weaving textures, lighting, and shaders into a cohesive visual story. 
At Leartes Studios, we've perfected this craft to deliver production-ready master materials that help game developers create breathtaking, immersive worlds.
Join us as we walk you through our step-by-step process for creating a master material. 
We'll spotlight the Leartes Studios products that power our workflow and share visuals that bring the life journey.

<b>Step 1: Laying the Foundation with Concept and Planning
</b>Whether we're building a cyberpunk city's neon-soaked streets or a medieval village's weathered stone buildings, the process begins with defining the material's purpose in the environment. We work with our concept artists and environment designers to define the aesthetic look and technical requirements.
In the future, a city may require clean, glossy surfaces and glowing emissive details, while a rural village will need rough, tactile materials such as weathered wood and cracked stone.

<b>What we do:

</b>- Define the environment's visual style and emotional tone
- Map out technical requirements, ensuring compatibility with Unreal Engine or Unity.
- Build a reference board packed with real-world textures, lighting ideas, and color schemes.
<div><h2>Why Use a Master Material?

</h2>Master Material is a fundamental technique in game development that boosts efficiency and ensures visual consistency. It allows the creation of numerous material variations from a single centralized structure, eliminating repetitive setups, simplifying shader architecture, and improving scene performance.

With complete control over core parameters like color, roughness, and reflectivity, it also streamlines collaboration between artists and technical teams. Especially in large-scale or multi-themed projects, it becomes indispensable. Explore the advanced texture library available on <a href="https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/materials" target="_blank">Cosmos by Leartes</a> for production-ready, high-quality materials.

</div></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/00d12876-4bb2-4e19-9f7c-2f82a8086bd6/00d12876-4bb2-4e19-9f7c-2f82a8086bd6.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/707ccb3e-21a5-4524-ba9f-a18a7f3dd215/707ccb3e-21a5-4524-ba9f-a18a7f3dd215.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Step 2: Building the Base Material

</h2>With a clear plan in place, we dive into the technical core. Using Unreal Engine's Material Editor, we construct a versatile master material that adapts to multiple surfaces, such as shiny metal, rough wood, or sleek glass. Adjustable parameters make it flexible yet robust.

<b>What we do:
</b>
- Create modular nodes for scalability
- Apply PBR principles for realistic lighting
- Test flexibility with placeholder textures
</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Step 3: Bringing Textures to Life

</h2>Textures bring depth to the material. We source high-quality textures from our packs or create custom ones using Substance Painter. Albedo, normal, roughness, and metallic maps are connected to enable real-time look adjustments.

<b>What we do:
</b>
- Import and link textures
- Create instances for look variations
- Optimize resolution for performance
</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/493b28db-7331-45fe-b062-b05317425100/493b28db-7331-45fe-b062-b05317425100.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Step 4: Testing in Real-World Lighting</h2>
We apply the material in test scenes under various lighting conditions to evaluate performance and consistency. From baked to dynamic lighting, we refine visuals to suit any platform.

<b>What we do:
</b>
- Apply to the modular environment assets
- Test lighting scenarios
- Ensure cross-platform consistency
</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Step 5: Streamlining with Optimization and Automation</h2>
Performance matters. We optimize shader complexity, disable unnecessary features, and compress textures. Our Material Assignment Tool automates the process across large scenes and speeds up production.

<b>What we do:
</b>
- Optimize performance
- Create lightweight material instances
- Automate large-scale material assignments
</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="youtube-content" class=""><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gZCcOSubK-g?enablejsapi=1" class="w-full"></iframe></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Step 6: Polishing and Packaging for Delivery

</h2>We polish material instances, gather feedback, and finalize everything for release. Documentation and tutorials ensure easy integration for developers.

<b>What we do:
</b>
- Final polish and feedback loops
- Write tutorials and documentation
- Package for marketplace delivery
</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Use Cosmos by Leartes for your projects</h2></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Take your material workflow to the next level with <a href="https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/" target="_blank">Cosmos</a>, a carefully curated library of high-quality, production-ready materials built for Unreal Engine and Unity. Whether you're designing stylized scenes or crafting realistic environments, every texture in Cosmos is optimized for real-time performance and integrates seamlessly into your pipeline.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>The <a href="https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/tools/material-assignment-tool" target="_blank">Material Assignment Tool</a> streamlines the process of applying materials across large scenes, making your workflow faster and more efficient by reducing repetitive tasks during production.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>The <a href="https://cosmos.leartesstudios.com/rocket" target="_blank">Rocket Plugin</a> enables you to import and organize assets effortlessly even in the most complex projects. It's especially powerful for large-scale world building, helping simplify the entire process and making your pipeline more scalable from start to finish.</p></div></div>

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Master Material Creation Pipeline

Discover the process behind creating versatile, game-ready master materials with Leartes Studios. From concept planning to real-time optimization, this breakdown reveals how technical precision and artistic vision come together to shape immersive virtual environments. Built for scalability, performance, and visual fidelity, this workflow empowers developers using Unreal Engine and beyond.

The Art of Crafting a Master Material

<h2>Introduction
</h2><p>
Hello everyone,
My name is Daniel, and I would like to participate in the Veiled Realms challenge to improve my skills as a 3d environment artist, try out new tools, and expand my knowledge in using the common programs (especially the Unreal Engine). I think this project will offer many opportunities to try out different workflows. There will probably be some unexpected challenges, but I am confident I will finish this challenge with new knowledge, a lot of fun, and a new portfolio piece. :D</p><h2>Choice of concept
</h2><p>
I chose the Fishermen's District by Max Bedulenko for this challenge. Not only was I fascinated by the color scheme, but I was especially amazed by the architecture and the general mood that emerges from this image. The individual houses are perfect to be modeled as modular elements that will be textured using tileable textures, vertex painting, and decals inside Unreal. For the various cloths, nets, and ropes, I might use Cloth simulations and wind shaders to add dynamic movement to the scene.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/a9c54967-3242-4811-9fe0-53b5904498f5/a9c54967-3242-4811-9fe0-53b5904498f5.jpeg" alt="__editor_image_0__"></p><h2>Tools and Workflow
</h2><p>
I have chosen UE5 as the real-time rendering engine. For the creation of the 3d models, I use Blender and ZBrush. Marmoset and Substance Painter are used for baking and texturing. Should I use any tools or plugins for specific tasks in the course of this project, they will be documented here.</p><h2>Moodboard and References</h2><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/668cba58-bb93-4fa6-96e4-e033456e9cc0/668cba58-bb93-4fa6-96e4-e033456e9cc0.png" alt="__editor_image_1__"></p><p>#learteschallenge</p>

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I will document the whole process of realizing Max Bedulenko's concept art "Fishermen's District", inside the Unreal Engine as a 3D Environment Scene.

Veiled Realms - Fishermen's District

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Hey hey!
It's lovely to be entering this challenge with all you lovely folks!</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>I plan on taking one of Max's wonderful concept pieces and spinning a light sci-fi twist on to it.
Currently in the massive stage of planning and scoping, however couldn't resist taking the jump in to put some cubes together. 
Below is a breakdown of my current plan and how I want to execute it:

</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/b5f27960-2cdc-4513-b419-bca040b34789/b5f27960-2cdc-4513-b419-bca040b34789.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/6b572c16-d92f-4917-9d92-58cca96db2e3/6b572c16-d92f-4917-9d92-58cca96db2e3.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>This isn't the final plan but more of a vibe test to see if it would roughly work.... and I am feeling quietly confident!
I have started to blockout some of the main elements, kits etc that I will need to get this environment up to scratch:

</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/248250a0-492c-4d55-add8-324bc446d020/248250a0-492c-4d55-add8-324bc446d020.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>VERY early days, mainly kit testing and still considering wether to make buildings by hand or as a kit...</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/04227cb0-1e73-48e5-a13b-97e3595c0693/04227cb0-1e73-48e5-a13b-97e3595c0693.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Plan is to have Nanite + Lumen + RGBMasking + Vertex Paint - That should get me most of the way there! </p></div></div>

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A challenger approaches, with a twist on the Max Bedulenko concepts!

Veiled Realms - After The Grid

<h2>1.Story brief</h2><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/29d346cd-42e1-49c5-819f-8591d3750111/29d346cd-42e1-49c5-819f-8591d3750111.jpeg" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/5eb5f850-54ea-4d1d-a026-29de528e5f73/5eb5f850-54ea-4d1d-a026-29de528e5f73.jpeg" alt=""></p><p>I want to mix other concepts with main inspiration
Windmill and forge buildings from "Nogroth"  and "Baj-Grakh" concepts
Blue color use and overall winter feel 
Pipes and industrial feel from "Ghent"
Neon lights from "Armenian District"</p><p>I want to achive feel of place that architecture has been repurpose over time,and new layers build upon old bulidings,but in the end all citizen must abandoned this place,because of some  unexpected,evil event,that would be visible in my environment 
</p><h2>2.Blockout iteriations</h2><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/85b2b792-5d23-4df2-b04c-cb77d816955e.png" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/4de9856d-b1b2-4bb2-b68e-5002a61cee25.png" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/1246b03c-03c2-45f9-9fff-ed5de2f43465.png" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/451944a8-2795-40fb-872b-c130ce250f28.png" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/d2a57cac-e774-49d6-a481-df342addab27.png" alt=""></p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/114/images/08cbc515-d343-4dfd-afbc-ee96b5e9e562.png" alt=""></p>

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#leartesstudios
#learteschallenge.

Veiled Realms

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Hi! im thrilled to announce my participation in the Veiled Realms Art challange hosted by Leartes studio</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>For this challange i have created my own concept, the lost land ithilien is about a place where humans and elves lived and who knows maybe there is still live there</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>here is a glimpse into my concept</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Concept: The lost land Ithilien</h2></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/113/images/2f3f66b2-4ceb-46ae-a0cb-601dc20c58a1.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>here is my reference sheet</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/113/images/c3156407-433c-4821-9480-585daf99bbd0.png" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>this project is still in progress so stay tuned!</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>#learteschallenge

</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>https://leartesstudios.com/challenges/veiled-realms-3d-real-time-environment-challenge</p></div></div>

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the Concept: THe lost land ithilien
For my subission , i envisioned a lost land in the mountains in a fanstasy world were once humans and elves lived in harmony.
Im trying to show you and create a place that shows both elvish and humans agriculture and architecture
In this project im using unreal engine 5 an d other softwares to make sure that scene shows breathtaking and peaceful place 

The lost land ithilien

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Hello All!.
For this challenge, I have selected  Velvet Series and I want to create an environment similar to this concept, but I want to make a lot of changes to it, and I mostly want to create a new scene with the atmosphere of Max's concepts.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content"><p>I want to first create a series of props in Maya and then texture them in Substance and then import them into Unreal and then I want to use my own design to create a mystical, mysterious oriental environment that is mostly derived from Iranian culture. I am influenced by the poems of Rumi and Khayyam and I think I can create a nice and new atmosphere that also has a historical and cultural background.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content"><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/7996fe19-7095-4a3e-b0bf-35c558dcc335/7996fe19-7095-4a3e-b0bf-35c558dcc335.jpeg" alt="__editor_image_0__"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content"><p>I also want to use the Prince of Persia game series and a series of photos and references that I collected myself to produce new and special work, not just using the original concepts and just modeling them. I am more looking to create a work than to copy, so that I can perhaps show a new gateway to the unknown culture of Iran.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content"><p>Stay tuned. :)

#learteschallenge</p></div></div>

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Hello All!.
For this challenge, I have selected  Velvet Series and I want to create an environment similar to this concept, but I want to make a lot of changes to it, and I mostly want to create a new scene with the atmosphere of Max's concepts
I want to first create a series of props in Maya and then texture them in Substance and then import them into Unreal and then I want to use my own design to create a mystical, mysterious oriental environment that is mostly derived from Iranian culture. I am influenced by the poems of Rumi and Khayyam and I think I can create a nice and new atmosphere that also has a historical and cultural background.
I also want to use the Prince of Persia game series and a series of photos and references that I collected myself to produce new and special work, not just using the original concepts and just modeling them. I am more looking to create a work than to copy, so that I can perhaps show a new gateway to the unknown culture of Iran.
#learteschallenge

Velvet Series

<p><i>#leartesstudios #learteschallenge</i></p><h2>Nogroth for Veiled Realms, Project Journaling, by Léo Gosselet</h2><p>The first step in any 3D realisation is gathering references, and dissecting the concept art given by the artists. This step in crucial in understanding the drawn environment and deciding what to make first to have a base to start from. This dissection part is also important to map out in your head what kind of assets you will have to produce. What materials ? Tiling or not ? Trimsheet or hard surface ? Should I do a kit or just go with the flow ? All those kind of questions are usually answered in the first few moments of the project, and depending on what you want to achieve, some workflows are more interesting than others.
For the Leartes challenge, one of the rule is to make the 3D Environment in a real time game engine, so I'm gonna go with the logic of making a game-ready asset kit for making modular cities and skylines. </p><p>It was a challenge for me to pick a concept art from Max's portfolio. A lot of his propositions are interesting, and almost all of them bubble in small details and interesting gimmicks. So, I decided to pick the only one I don't feel comfortable with: Nogroth, the traders city. Let's kill two birds with one stone, if this is gonna be a challenge, lets dive deep into it ! This challenge can be a learning opportunity.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/d797753e-7b91-4216-b181-d6217e58b35a.png" alt=""></p><p>The first thing i've noticed, are the variations in the materials. From afar, it looks like its made out of wood and concrete, but when you look closer, you find out there are wooden logs, wooden planks, roof tiles, hay roofing, cloth, iron pipes and concrete. So i made myself a small PureRef (a very usefull free software to assemble moodboards) , and started separating the different materials I'd have to make prior of the modelling. Starting with the evident first, roughtly, and then I'll dive later in the variations and details.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/33250c48-93f4-41fc-b009-4db86469e555.png" alt=""></p><p>After a few minutes of digging into the concept art, i've came up with a clear idea of the different materials and meshes I'll need for this project. Calcareous stones, one or two wooden logs kit, one or two wooden planks kit, some metal trims, a big modular pipe kit and some hay roofing along with some russian toof tiling. All the remaining details such as the hanging cables and cloth will come a lot later when the base is strong enought. It'll be the chef's touch at the end.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/473eb6c9-62ec-4c6b-a379-b1b98256488a.png" alt=""></p><p>Blocking out the building will help me figure out what the approximate size of each element is, but also this method will allow me to work piece by piece and then reassemble them as willingly as possible if I have a change of mind. At this point in the process I don't really know how detailed I wanna go. Am I planning on making close-up shots anytime or not, that is the question. By security, I chose to go the detailed path and make sure the assets I will produce can fit in the quality standards of a cinematic shots for a game, that way I will have more freedom later if I want or am asked to make a reusable kit for another project.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/50393762-30ee-4777-8352-8a099b1382ba.png" alt=""></p><p>I didn't block out the entire scene, as I thought to myself that if my kit for this part alone is good enought, I should be able to model the rest without having to follow a block out. I didn't go too strict about the sizes, I simply followed the overall agencement of parts and assigned them a color for each material type, like yellow for the roofs and green for the stone.</p><p>Once the blockout has reached a satisfying state, it is time to produce some low~medium quality assets to fill those blank blocks and figure out how the final product will look like. I like to see results fast, so I can quickly see if what I have made out in my mind looks good or not, and also how long each part is going to take me. This challenge gives its participants around 6 months to be made, but I, like many others, won't have the luxury to exploit all this time and spend it on the project. So, knowing that the time we have is limited, we have to think efficiently. What needs to be made first, what needs more details, and also how can we save time without impacting quality and creativity ?</p><p>Also, it is important to keep in mind the fact that all of that will have to run in real time on somebody else's PC. It means the project has to be optimised and made with other people setup's in mind aswell. This challenge is actually harder than it seems, the more I dig into it.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/139e7c17-b374-404a-8c9d-fa38109ef8fa.png" alt=""></p><p>I threw together few assets I made using various softwares, using the videogame asset-making pipeline to ensure maximum optimisation and performances while keeping graphical quality and fidelity. I decided to start with a part of the building that looked complicated enought so I could try different techniques on it, but also simple enought that the work put into could be reused on other parts without wasting time. In short, making an asset that isn't an hero asset but that also looks "important".</p><p>After a while of producing advanced block-in, I ended up with a satisfying result, at least on most of the produced assets. I am a very impatient artist, and I like to see results fasts, that way I can quickly notice if the path my work is taking is the right one or not. Quick work equals to quick itterations, wich means I can make mistakes early on and fix them while working instead of having everything piled up waiting to be fixed at the end of the challenge. Again, we have a lot of time but I can't afford to spend my life on it, gotta think efficient.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/ece906e3-910e-4614-a91d-61c572914b81.png" alt=""></p><p>To immerse myself in the Nogroth universe, I decided to match the concept art's mood early on, by adding snow particles, snow accumulation on the roofs and logs, hanging clothes waving in the wind, and an overcast lighting with low heavy grey clouds. Every asset of this challenge will be produced by me, but I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of making particles and it turns out Cosmos's marketplace has some very nice, free particles already made that fit my scene perfectly. That's not only a time saving choice but also an excuse to try out Learte's tool to inject assets into Unreal, called Rocket.
The snow wasn't optimised enought for my scene; I need a very dense snow visible from all angles and from far away, so I had to tweak the particle a little to make it easier for the PC to handle. </p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/f8211eb8-1c64-422a-bdd9-8d6449bf677d.png" alt=""></p><p>So far my advanced blocking is looking good enought for me to experiment with shapes and scales. My scene isn't a 1:1 copy of Max's concept art, I want to make it colder, "snowy-er" and a little bit more grim. Even tho I'm not satisfied of everything I made so far, I'm confident enought in my time management to know I'll have some time to get back on those lacking areas later. As I said; I want to see results fast to correct the aim fast.
So far, my critics on my project are maybe too low poly assets, and too many reused materials. The glass isn't that great and the large logs parts look very empty without the metallic pipes. The hanging cables are static, like the pennants hanging from them, while everything hanging in the scene has sme wind to it, wich looks off. I'm using Dash's cable tool for those and i'm still not on point with it. I am able to notice this thanks the the fast itteration method. Showing some screenshots to the community on the Leartes's discord might bring some good criticism from the other artists participating in the challenge, even tho it might still be a little early for concrete feedbacks, its still good to hear what the other's have to say.</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/bc2be3a3-e385-486f-8599-108fc06010c2.gif" alt=""></p><p>When we make environments, it is crucial to break the stillness of the scene. It is not always a bad thing to have a still environment, but in my opinion, having some movings parts adds so much. It can be torches, fires, wind particles, dust, water, lava.... the list goes on. Depending on what you are making, you always have a few selection of things you can animate to add some life into the global environment. Too much movements can play against you, and too little aswell. That's this balance I'm trying to figure out with this environment i'm making. By experimenting here and there with shader, since I'm way too lazy to skin and rig assets, I managed to get a few results that are enought. This is not my field of expertise, and with Leartes's challenge it gave me an excuse to try to dig a little more into tech art, shaders and nodes. </p><p><video src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/videos/e4bd955b-181f-4c89-9b08-3b7c514d5c97.mp4" controls=""></video></p><p>Hanging clothes, flying pennants, smoke, snow, waving ropes and rotating windmill, is the movement my scene needed. Also at this step I tried adding some more details, such as pipes, massed snow, stalactites, and chimney smoke particles. All those small details, not very visible from afar sadly, are here as a "plan B" when the eventual spectator will get closer to the building. This scene, Nogroth, is very tricky. It looks busy and noisy (in a good way), and the eye gets lost very easily in all those details. Not only the scene is big but its also very unique, and asks to be digested, understood, felt, before being modeled. </p><p>With some music in my ears, I can imagine the wood cracking, the wind howling, the clothes flapping and some bell ringing in the horizon. Max's art really is inspiring. </p><p>Now that I've made this very advanced blockout, ahem, well let's stop calling this a blockout at this point. Now that I've modeled and assembled a venerable chunk of Nogroth, I can see if I want to add or remove some things from my asset library before starting the rest of the city. It took my quite a while to make this part and it lets me realise how long the full project is going to take, and this drives me to think I may have bit more than I could chew with this one. In theory I could make it but my free time isn't infinite, and like everyone else, I got other things to do sadly. Thankfully, the models I made are highly reusable, modular and interchangable, so with a bit of courage and patience, I might get a result good enought to be shown to the challenge's eyes. From this point, the list of what's missing goes by: the left part of the building, the bridge linking the two parts, the third part in the horizon, the small house on the bottom right of the original concept art, a ton of rocks to bed the ground and a huge lake, along with a bit of vegetation here and there. The already-made part of Nogroth is my proof of concept of the rest. I can expect the remaining unmodelled city to look like what i've already made. Now is time to block in the additionnal city parts, wich lead to this:
</p><p><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/109/images/a78389f7-ddc2-4f2a-853c-a9f541383de7.png" alt=""></p><p>Some parts of the concept art are hard to figure out, such as the bottom left of the image. I struggle to map out in my head, even when zooming in, how the back of Nogroth is made. Given that it is a port city with a strong focus on trade, I'm imagining how it can be behind the citadel. Close-to-earth (or ice in our case) housings, cheap pontoons, small warehouses to stock the good etc, with maybe some places to rest after a long trip. If you zoom in my interpretation of Nogroth, on the middle and bottom right of it, you might notice I added some gruesome details: left to die by frost bodies, with Bosnian text next to them saying death to thieves. I added that because working on this project I had flashbacks of the movie Snowpiercer, were criminals are punished using the freezing weather, and also the pirates era, where the state would hang and expose the dead bodies of the pirates to turn down the others or people joining them.
Adding small details such as those ones give a little bit of life and story on top of what the author of the original concept art intended. 
Additionnaly, I added in the back some moutains. In Max's concept art, the horizon is super flat and foggy, wich doesn't look as good once translated in 3D. So I decided to adapt it slightly by imagining how the horizon could look like if it had no fog and a bit of topography. 
Also, as visible in the screenshot up there, I'm still mapping out progressively how the far plane of the image looks like. I don't just blockout the whole scene and start working from there; I block out chunks, work it out so it looks decent, and then move on the next area with a new blocking. 
</p>

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With this blog post, follow my evolution and interpretation of the Leartes challenge, the Veiled Realms.
#leartesstudios #learteschallenge

NOGROTH, Veiled Realms 3D Environment

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2 class="text-center">Hey, welcome to the first blog!</h2></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>I decided to take on the <b>#learteschallenge Veiled Realms Challenge</b> by finally getting around to creating an environment that I've been wanting to make for a while now. I'll be working mainly through Unreal Engine 5.5, but may decide to use more tools as I need them.
This will be my first official hosted art challenge, so I'm excited to both put my current skills to the test, learn from others as we all go, and finally, see the worlds that everyone has invisioned!
</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h3>The Basic Concept:</h3>Okay enough preface, onto the nitty gritty...
I have been wanting to create a city inspired by both the city of Atlantis and Ancient Seafaring cultures such as the Maori and Polynesian Islands. I've always been fascinated by ancient cultures and mythologies so I thought this challenge was a perfect fit to create this world. For the landscape, I want to make an Atoll like area with a central island to act as the centerpoint.

I started gathering reference materials through Unsplash just as a baseline idea, I don't know if any of the depicted settings will actually be implemented, but they set me in the mood to create, so enjoy my collage of references! I also have one image genereated from Dalle-3 as a basic idea for the atoll. While this won't be the definitive shape it does get my mindset right to make this world.
I'm envisioning a mix of stone and wood with light metalwork, some some bonework, and a nice touch of color/painting for style. Boats will be the main mode of travel, fishing is life, and community is culture. An ancient civilization of great seafaring warriors and fishermen at the peak of it's power.</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content"><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/108/images/10391b94-3aef-44bd-84e9-26ae09dc2b7b.jpeg" alt="__editor_image_0__"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class="justify-center"><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/217d7a6f-b58d-400b-b95a-aa304cea9bb7/217d7a6f-b58d-400b-b95a-aa304cea9bb7.png" class="w-1/2"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>Asset Packs:</h2>For this challenge we get to make full use of any asset packs we own through <b><i>Cosmos/Leartes Studios</i></b> or create our own assets using a variety of tools. I'm going to be challenging myself to not only utilize some content from <b><i>Cosmos/Leartes Studios</i></b>, but to also edit textures, create some assets to fit the theme I have. I have even considered challenging myself to work outside my comfort zone and create a stylized environtment using the <b>Stylized Paradise Gardens</b> &amp; <b>Stylized Ancient Ruins</b> packs as a good foundation.</div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h3>Main Usage Packs:</h3>For things like trees, coral, etc. I can make use of the <b>Tropical Foliage and Landscape</b> &amp;<b> Underwater Sunken Ship</b> as well as create a few of my own assets.
I think for the archetecture I'll challenge myself a bit to make some things from scratch and also modify parts of <b>The Grand Egyptian Temple</b> to create some of the Hero Buildings and utilize <b>The Fantastic Hills</b> pack for some knicknacks </div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content"><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/108/images/a289e97c-43e5-4fe2-81b1-128c6464084b.jpeg" alt="__editor_image_1__"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>Thank you for taking the time to read through the rough draft of ideas for this challenge, there's more to come and I hope you get to peek at the other competitors as there are going to be many talented artists participating! Stay tuned!
</p><h3><b>~ByteSized Games</b></h3></div></div>

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Veiled Realms: The Ringed Atoll

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>I want to create something that stays in the theme of my environenment since I think already being in the mindset of the theme I'd have better ideas and focus around the prop and environment as well. I'm not 100% sure what I want to do for my prop but I really enjoy making weapons typically swords, bows, or similar so making one in the style of arab influence and veiled realms could be an interesting challenge.

A bow or crossbow with an ornate design and interesting mechanics (not typical mechanics seen on weapons of such types). which displays the unique nature of the area it originates from. I'd also like to tell a story with it so some form of usage with it maybe it's been with someone or their family for a long time and they've decorated it to show as such with things like medals or artifacts.</p></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/1778e21c-d1e3-4038-82d0-897a5439842f/1778e21c-d1e3-4038-82d0-897a5439842f.jpeg" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/84000b2e-535d-4208-880e-99986dde17c8/84000b2e-535d-4208-880e-99986dde17c8.jpeg" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>I like these two art pieces from Max Bedulenko since they have unique tools that clearly serve a purpose even if it's not initially clear to outlookers while having a unique style and appearance to them. 

I plan to use blender for modeling and substance painter for texturing though I may try and learn some ZBrush along the way and utalize it as well for nice detailing.

#learteschallenge</p></div></div>

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3D prop entry blog post for Veiled Realms. Talking about potential ideas and inspirations.

Veiled Realms 3D prop

<div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><h2>The environment I have in mind is a settlement located along a coast on a small peninsula isolated from everywhere else. I really like the idea of the area around it being deserted and empty while it's a lost haven. I want to take inspirated from arab culture and similar architecture, designs, ect.</h2></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/40506be3-9001-4fc0-b4d7-e3c340f3b23d/40506be3-9001-4fc0-b4d7-e3c340f3b23d.jpeg" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/5e28aa23-693d-4913-9dfc-2072f7d4a77e/5e28aa23-693d-4913-9dfc-2072f7d4a77e.jpeg" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="image-content" class=""><img src="https://uploads.cosmos.leartesstudios.com/blog/temp/8bd1ed05-8405-489d-916d-dc5004818b75/8bd1ed05-8405-489d-916d-dc5004818b75.jpeg" class="null"></div></div><div class="editor-paragraph has-content"><div data-type="text-content" class=""><p>I really like these pieces from Max Bedulenko in particular as they display a massive area that feels like it's own world with unique architecturethat shows the culture as well as lots of small details that give life. I want to use these as inspiration as I think they demonstrate my vision very well.

I'm primarily going to use blender for modeling including sculpting while using substance painter for texturing and occasionally using unity for it's array of particles, material editing, ect.

#learteschallenge
</p></div></div>

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Veiled Realms 3D environment blog post: displaying inspiration, ideas, ect.

Cosmos Blog: Your Guide to Creation