In order to test if my environment layout would work or not, I decided to create a block out in Unreal.
This was my first time blocking out in Unreal, however I had previously experimented with geometry brushes and editing them.
I started by creating a plane in which my environment could be placed on.
I then created the doorway and two sides. I was surprised at how quickly you could make something that represented a building. The edit tool in the brush editing mode was especially efficient as you can just select a face and stretch or squish it with ease.
One thing that I could not figure out was how to add edge loops in specific areas like you can in Maya. I wanted to put an edge loop at the top of the front wall so I could pull the face out and create the middle part of the doorway. Instead, I had to use separate pieces which is less efficient.
This is what the outside looked like once I had completed it. I could now focus on the inside of the altar room.
I started off by adding four pillars (including one broken one which is Tom’s hero asset). However it was at this point that I realised I hadn’t made the hole in the roof.
I quickly fixed this and put a hole right in the centre of the altar room. The size of the hole could be changed depending on feedback from my teammates.
This is what the final block out looks like. On the left is where my staff will go, in the top left corner you have the mask and in the top right is the broken pillar. The urn is out of shot here, but it is in the bottom right. The altar, like in the layout plan, is in the centre with the light focusing on it.
After creating the block out of this layout, I’m not sure I liked it. Everything felt a bit cramped and claustrophobic. I don’t know if that was because the scale was too small or not, but this current layout was growing off of me.
We had a meeting about it where these layouts were presented. The Minecraft block out was done by Tom, whilst the grid layout was done by Minnie. As a group we agreed that Minnie’s layout would probably work the best as the extended part at the back for Jack’s altar would leave more room in the main part for the other four of us.
Reference List:
WorldofLevelDesign (2019) UE4: BSP Blockout Process – Abandoned Building & Terrain from Photo Reference – Tutorial [Video]. Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeybZU1zqac [Accessed 05/04/2022].