Cave Ritual - Scene Breakdown and A Senior Artists Perspective

Dave Miragliotta, Senior Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment, gives us a look into his most recent Unreal Engine 4 environment, as well as giving tips for how junior artists should present their portfolios and what they should expect from the industry.

Introduction

Hi everyone, my name is Dave Miragliotta. I am currently a Senior Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment. I'm originally from New Hampshire, but I currently live in Oxnard, California. Growing up I always enjoyed art. I liked to draw a lot as a kid, but I didn't get into 3D art until I was in college. I moved from New Hampshire to California in 2004 to attend the Art Institute of LA. This is where I really figured out that I wanted to be an Environment Artist. I actually went to art school thinking I would be a Character Artist, but I quickly realised that wasn't the path I would take. I've always loved video games. From the time I was four years old I was hooked. The first game I ever played was the original Super Mario Bros on the NES. Also The Legend of Zelda was another game my brother and I loved to play. I play a variety of games these days. I love FPS, action adventure, and sports games.

Planning Composition

When I'm putting together a scene or environment. I always try to figure out a good focal point or a point of interest in the scene. For example my latest scene that I named "Cave Ritual". I started with the cave exit being the point of interest, but later I added the shrine models in. I felt like they gave the scene more of a story. This environment actually changed a lot throughout the time I spent on it. I really liked the idea of the space being centred around the pillar in the middle. 

I wanted the centre pillar to be the focal point. There are a few things that I did to try to make the viewer/player pay attention to the centre of the scene. First I had some of the debris or broken pillars pointing towards the centre pillar. Also the shrine models on both sides are up higher with a couple of steps up to each of them. Having them be slightly higher and the fact that they are surrounding the pillar in the middle helped to focus the attention there.

I wanted the scene to have a warm tone to it coming from the fire and candle light, but for the fog colour I chose something cooler. I liked the contrasted look of warm and cool coming together. The warm light from the candles and fire bring a sense of importance to where they are placed.

Storytelling

In the beginning, the story of this scene was a straightforward path to the cave opening. As I continued to work on it though, I began wanting to do more or tell a more interesting story. The shrine models that are surrounding the centre pillar were models that I had done a while back. I never put them in an environment, but I thought that they would be perfect here though. When I added them in to the scene it totally changed the way I viewed this environment. It made me want to do something with the centre of the space. That is when I started making the centre pillar. In the end the environment became a sort of a ‘ritual’ space. I like the idea that you don't exactly know what goes on here, but definitely looks like it is used for some kind of worship.

Modular Kits

I made a set of rocks that I used throughout the scene. I wanted to see how far I could get with only a few sculpted rocks.

Using Reference

Like I said, in the beginning it was really just a straight path to the cave opening. I was looking at concept art and real life images of caves with some sort of a stairway to the opening. After I got the general look I was going for I kind of went off on my own to finish the scene.

Substance Materials

Technical Limitations

I would say that the technical limitations that I have with personal work is that I don't have a full team helping to create an environment. When you are working with a team there is usually always someone who has an answer to a problem. It's really why I like doing personal work. I feel like I always learn a lot when working through issues that come up when putting together an environment. It also helps to become self sufficient. I try to learn as much as I can so I don't necessarily have to go to find someone for an answer.

Texturing Process

When I first started with Substance Designer, I honestly thought this would never be the future of material/texture creation. I quickly realised that I was wrong though. For someone who is just starting out, I would watch good quality tutorials. For example Daniel Thiger has so many great tutorials. Watching these tutorials you will learn new nodes and new uses of these nodes that you never thought of before. Once you’ve followed a few tutorials, then branch out and try some things on your own. This is what I love about Substance. I love getting in there and experimenting. At the end of the day it really comes down to practice. The more materials you try and make the better.

Substance for me is pretty much all I use for texturing. Not that I'm against using another piece of software, but its what I'm most used to and what I enjoy using. When deciding between Designer or Painter it really just comes down to two things. If I have to create a tiling texture then I will use Substance Designer. If I am texturing a prop then I would use Painter. There have been some exceptions though. I have used Painter to texture some of the materials that I have started in Designer, but that hasn't happened too often.

Junior Artist Portfolios

When I look at a junior artist portfolio, I am usually looking for a good sense of world building and time management. In the game industry working fast and efficiently is very important. Often times in development there is a lot of problem solving that takes place. Also I look for a good variety of work. I like to see some modelling and material work. Things I don't like seeing is for an Environment Artist to have any other kind of work mixed in with their environment work. I've seen some artists mix in some sketches, character art, and concept art. If you are applying for an environment art job then this can send mixed signals. I would say the exception is if all of the work is at a high quality then go ahead, but this is not usually the case. Artists should tailor their portfolios for the job they want.

Junior Artist Common Mistakes

I would have to say that some junior artists get caught up on less important tasks, when there is something else that is more important to work on. I have seen instances where an artist was taking too much time with a prop/asset that wasn't too important considering it wasn't in the direct path of gameplay. If you are a junior artist I would say try to be aware of your tasks and their priority. 

Difference Between Environment Artists and Senior Environment Artists

The main difference between an Environment Artist and a Senior Environment Artist is responsibility really. The senior artist has to be more responsible to set an example to the other artists. The senior artist will probably be in charge of a level or certain section of a level with other environment artists working with them.

What Should Junior Artists Keep in Mind

I know when I first got into the game industry I asked myself this very question. I always tried to help out wherever I could and make other people's jobs easier. Try to be very flexible and be able to take constructive criticism. Be aware that not everyone works well with others. You have to be ready for that and be able to work around it. Try to be self sufficient and solve problems on your own before asking for help.

I really like when a junior artist is aware of the work that has to be done. Again like I said before, being able to prioritise the work that needs to be done is huge. Also, it's always good to try to figure out issues that might come up later down the road and try to solve them before they become issues.

One key skill is to work quickly and efficiently. I learnt how to work fast and adapt to what needed to be done when I first got into the industry. Honestly the first few projects I was on I think we were pushed to work too fast. But it definitely taught me to work quickly but at the same time keeping the art at a high quality.

If I had to Start Over

I would definitely go after the AAA job right away. I started at an independent studio. I never really felt challenged. When you start at a AAA studio your kind of thrown into the deep end. You either sink or swim. I think this can be good for a new artist because of the experience you get from working on a bigger game. Although I never felt challenged at the studio I was at, I still challenged myself by keeping up with new software and techniques. I was constantly using the Unreal Engine to create new environments or scenes. Also this is when I first started getting into Substance Painter and Designer. I didn't want to get complacent so I was always trying to stay busy.

Managing Stress

The game industry can definitely be stressful. Don't try to control things you can't control. I’ve seen some people who worry about things that they have no possible way of controlling. Communication is key. Make sure you communicate any issues you have to your producers or manager. If you don't, you'll end up doing more work than you can actually finish. I've been guilty of over promising work, early on in my career. I learned to be realistic when assessing the amount of work I have and how much I can get done.

Finding Inspiration and Feedback

I find inspiration in a couple of different places. I'm pretty much inspired everyday by the artists I work with. The artists I work with are really talented and it’s a huge inspiration to see what everyone is working on. Also I love browsing Artstation. There are so many great artists there and it is a constant source of inspiration.

I get most of my feedback these days by the people that I work with. We are all working on our own personal projects and sharing them with each other. 

Tips and Advice

For anybody trying to get into the industry, try to keep up with the latest software and current workflows that are used today in AAA studios. Try to work on personal projects. Post your work on forums and get as much feedback as possible. If you can try to go to networking meetups. This is always a good chance to talk with artists face to face and get your foot in the door. Also get to know the latest game engines. This will help reduce the amount of time learning an engine when getting into a studio.

Outro

I am always in Substance Designer, so look out for more Substance Materials. I'm also learning Houdini right now, so I hope to start some projects where I can utilise it. Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something or found this information useful!