Here are some progress shots of the environment in Unreal 4. UE4's lighting system is really robust, its easy to get nice looking lighting setups. At this stage my blockout is just about finished, and all the pieces are grid snapped to fit together well in Unreal (I used the base 2 measuring system). The modular components are figured out, so now I'm focusing on nailing down lighting. The first read for the environment are big graphic shapes, which can be altered by the way light and shadow falls across them, creating a second read. Figuring out a nice harmony of these two precedes good looking textures. Once the lighting is ready to go, I'll block in some simple diffuse and roughness to get an idea for what materials can look like. Once that's finished, I can jump into asset production!
I also included some sketches and concept development work for the project. Most of the big architectural forms are worked out, so with these sketches and designs I'm focusing on secondary and tertiary details. To develop the form language, I took simple shapes like squares, triangles, and circles and embellished them in the art deco and sci fi style I'm using. I also did studies of panels, doors and windows. A simple floor plan and elevation plan helped work out where to place assets and how to connect different floors and rooms.
