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ST STOP
This project explores a small section of a fictional game world set in a dry, rugged environment inspired by the Australian outback. The focus was on creating a visually compelling and immersive environment that demonstrates both technical skill and artistic sensibility. Developed over the course of approximately four to six months, the project involved extensive planning, iteration, and refinement to achieve a natural yet engaging result. The map features a roadside auto repair shop surrounded by diverse terrain points, moving away from traditional single focus compositions to offer a more dynamic, multi centered layout for players to feel natural and give them more to discover.
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Using Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Substance Painter, FAB, and Photoshop, I built a game ready environment that combines custom modeled assets like old furnitures, trees and adapted assets enhanced with my own textures and artistic integration. I added foliage with wind simulation, carefully adjusted lighting, and atmospheric effects to bring the scene to life. The result is an interactive map presented through an animated overview rather than a static final image, highlighting both the environment’s layout and its aesthetic coherence.
Layout & Map Design
This environment was designed as if it were part of a larger game level, focusing on both storytelling and gameplay immersion. Instead of directing everything toward a single focal point, I distributed key elements across the map to create a sense of depth and exploration. The abandoned car repair shop serves as the central landmark, while the surrounding hills and ruined wooden houses add narrative layers and environmental storytelling. Props such as barrels, tires, and car parts reinforce the atmosphere of a deserted industrial area. The layout is intentionally crafted to feel natural and believable, encouraging players to discover multiple points of interest rather than following a linear path.
In addition to the central repair shop, a decayed wooden house was placed in a more distant area of the map. This secondary point of interest adds narrative depth and enhances the feeling of exploration within the environment.
Set Dressing
Beyond individual asset creation, I focused on the overall composition to ensure every object supports the scene’s aesthetic direction. Each prop was placed with attention to balance, making the environment feel natural and immersive.
Blueprints
I created modular blueprints that grouped props like tires, barrels, and car parts into natural looking piles. This approach saved time, kept the placement consistent, and helped build a cohesive abandoned repair shop atmosphere while maintaining a game ready workflow.
Props
I modeled all the props in Blender and Maya, starting with simple base shapes and gradually adding detail using bevels, edge loops, sculpting and subdivisions to keep the topology clean and game ready. I paid attention to scale, proportion, and mesh flow so that each prop would fit naturally into the environment. For textures, I created the base materials in Substance Painter, defining diffuse, roughness, and metallic maps for realistic surfaces. I then reused and adapted these textures across different variations by changing the textures using Photoshop, saving time while keeping everything consistent and visually appealing.
Oil Drums & Tanks
Car parts
Barrels (texturing)
I started with a single barrel and applied the initial Substance Painter texture, setting the foundation for material appearance and surface detail. This step ensured that all subsequent variations would retain the same realistic look.
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I modified the base texture in Photoshop, masking areas and changing colors to quickly create multiple distinct barrel variations. This allowed me to produce many different barrels in a short time while keeping them visually consistent.
Using sculpting tools, I deformed and aged the original barrel to create different shapes and damage patterns. Combined with the texture variations, this process generated a wide range of unique barrels efficiently and effectively.
Rocks & Terrain (UV Mapping)
I created the rocks in Blender with attention to both shape and clean topology, ensuring they fit naturally into the environment. Each asset is optimized for performance while maintaining a realistic and visually appealing form.
Houses & Cars
These houses and vehicles were originally modeled for a previous project. Cars were modeled in Maya. For this environment, I optimized their topology and materials to integrate them seamlessly while maintaining visual quality.
Vegetations & Foloiage animation
I imported tree and plant assets from Fab and gave them dynamic wind driven movement using Unreal Engine’s foliage system. I placed them thoughtfully across the environment, adjusting their rotation, scale, and spacing to create variation and avoid repetition. By fine tuning the wind parameters and motion intensity, I was able to add subtle, natural movement that makes the scene feel alive and immersive.
Light
I set up the lighting in Unreal Engine using a dynamic directional light, Sky Atmosphere, and subtle Volumetric Fog to achieve a natural outdoor feel. I adjusted exposure, color temperature, and skylight settings to create a smooth and believable transition between day and night.
LODs & Fog
