Bringing Dishonored Environment Into Dishonored 2's World With Unreal Engine 5

Introduction

I'm Sara Molina, a 3D Environment and Prop Artist. My journey began in 2017 when I enrolled in a High-Grade Formative Cycle: 3D Animation, Games, and Interactive Environments, which I completed in 2019 with an internship at From The Bench Games.

After the pandemic, I pursued an Advanced Master's in Modeling and Texturing of Environments & Props for AAA Video Games at Voxel School, starting in 2022. I completed my studies with an internship at Secret 6. Here are some projects I created during this period: 

I wanted to learn even more techniques and improve as a 3D artist, so I'm currently learning under the mentorship of Javier Gago, an Environment Artist at 31st Union.

The Dishonored Project

One of the scenarios I had in mind to create was inspired by the Dishonored games. The unique art direction, world-building, and atmosphere caught my attention from the very first moment I started playing these games. I have had the opportunity to develop my first portfolio piece, mixing the maps from the first game with the technical and visual section of the second. This gave rise to a portfolio piece that would offer me the necessary skills to become an environment artist and make my way in this industry.

My intention was to recreate a scenario in a realistic style and, at the same time, renew the image of one of the maps from Dishonored 1 using the more advanced technical improvements from Dishonored 2. Therefore, combining the look and props from both games can result in an interesting, renewed, and exciting environment. 

Modeling

The main goal of developing this project is to create a game-ready scene according to video game industry standards. To do this, not only the visual section must work but the route as well. I decided to adjust the view to the third person because I wanted to show how the character interacts with the environment; this way also allows me to find errors in collisions and paths more easily. In order to achieve a good distribution of the scenario, I start by creating an initial base blockout in Unreal, which gives the advantage of being able to modify every single part of the environment quickly and efficiently, looking for silhouettes and consistent gameplay.

Once the base blocking is done, I start working on the advanced blocking, which consists of recreating the modules of those buildings within Blender to finally unify them in Unreal, so I'm able to create a modular variation of the buildings if necessary. The advanced blocking is the phase I'm close to finishing at the moment, I'm still developing mid-poly props. To save time in this process and work faster, I use Blender's Batch Export plug-in as a quick export tool. Exporting directly to the Content folder allows it to be updated automatically within the engine. I also use modifier tools to save time, such as Mirror tools, used during the development of the vehicle as well.

I'm following this pipeline for my environment assets:

• Blocking base: Working with basic shapes to achieve a good distribution and dimensions, giving the advantage to modify every part quickly and efficiently, looking for silhouettes and consistent gameplay.
• Advanced blockout: Consists of creating mid-poly props and modular buildings so that they can be read clearly in the environment.
• Trimsheets: Method to create a texture that contains multiple details that are mapped to different parts of the mesh as needed.
• Tileable materials: Creation of textures that repeat seamlessly and apply them to the meshes to speed up the workflow. 

Also, I'm following this pipeline for my game-ready props:

• Blocking: Initial basic shapes to define the silhouette and proportions
• Low-Poly modeling: Optimized modeling with a low polygon count.
• High-Poly modeling: Detailed modeling, high polygon count capturing fine details.
• ZBrush detailing: Adding complex details and textures through digital sculpting
• Retopology with Topogun: Restructuring the mesh to optimize geometry.
• UVs in RizomUV: Unfolding UV coordinates for texturing.
• Baking with Marmoset: Transferring HP details to LP through texture maps.
• Final Textures using Substance 3D Painter: Adding realism and materials. 

Texturing

In this case, I'll be using two pipelines: the environment texturing (trimsheets, mesh trims, tileables) and the props texturing (PBR using Substance 3D Painter).

In the environment texturing pipeline, the goal is to reduce the use of unique textures and reuse materials to improve performance. This is ideal for large environments or optimized games. Textures are applied to large surfaces and structures such as walls, floors, ceilings, and architectural details.

For this, I will use the following tools: trimsheets (textures that contain multiple details that are mapped to different parts of the mesh as needed), meshtrims (meshes modeled using trimsheets to add 3D without creating additional geometry), and tileable (textures that repeat seamlessly).

In the props texturing pipeline, the goal is to achieve a realistic or artistic style with specific maps for each prop. It applies to individual objects such as weapons, furniture, tools, etc. In this case, the method to use is the PBR workflow using Substance 3D Painter since it allows the creation of unique textures for each prop (basecolor, roughness, metalness, etc.) and also allows the painting details such as dirt, scratches, rust and reflections directly on the model.

I plan to package the props to optimize the UVs and textures. This process allows me to save time and resources and work efficiently. Also, the goal is to proportionate a realistic look and split it into textures. These textures will be imported into Unreal Engine 5 and added to the model. The upcoming texture maps will probably be basecolor, normal, and AORM (Ambient Occlusion, Roughness, Metallic).

Final Scene

My intention is to design an environment faithful to that of the Dishonored 1 scenario but reflecting even more clearly the different neighborhoods divided by social classes through different moods. I intend to establish obvious contrasts between the areas, using color palettes, lighting, and architectural elements that transmit the particularities of each social class.

In this case, the environment is divided into the neighborhood of wealth and poverty. In the area of wealth, you can clearly see imposing buildings, very torn architectural elements, evident high ceilings and large windows, greater space, and bright lighting. While in poverty, the lighting will be somewhat dim, simpler, and more worn buildings will have somewhat less presence. In addition, the tunnel in the lower area of the stage will be full of dirt, sewage, garbage scattering, pipes, puddles, and poor lighting.

Lighting 

With the lighting, I pretend to convey clear evidence of the difference in social classes, highlighting each of the areas and props according to the mood. I would like to show how both neighborhoods would look both at night and during the day to create an impact on both areas and an interesting environment that persuades you which direction to take or investigate. Apart from the general lighting, I will add neon signs that attract attention in the area of wealth,h while in the area of poverty, worn-out flickering street lights will stand out. For my lighting setup of the environment, I aimed to achieve both visual quality and performance efficiency while ensuring dynamic adaptability.

Currently, my main lighting is from the Ultra Dynamic Sky plug-in, which provides a flexible and realistic day and night cycle, along with volumetric clouds, atmospheric effects, and real-time weather adjustments. With this setting, I would like to provide sunny, cloudy, rainy, and dark scenes. Also, for neon signs and street lamps, I will be incorporating a mix of emissive materials and point lights to create realistic illumination. A similar way to create moody lighting inside the hotel building is by adding different kinds of lights, such as Point Light, Rect Light, and Directional Light... For now I'm focusing on the modeling, so by the time I have progressed much further with the project, I'll improve the lighting setup.

Conclusion

At the moment, there is no estimated completion date for this project. I'm still learning with every step I take, and that’s why I want to approach each stage carefully, making sure I understand how to implement it in this project For me, the biggest challenge was building consistency and not giving up. There are times when I feel frustrated because I don't understand a technique or software, but my desire to learn has kept me going.

My project is quite ambitious, and feeling like I'm progressing slowly has also been a mental challenge. However, I want to keep growing as an artist and see how far I can push my creativity. Staying connected with other artists has been a huge help. They inspire me to explore new approaches and find better ways to stay organized. Also to share art, ask questions or receive feedback. To anyone interested in this industry, I would encourage you to start creating, it is a beautiful journey. It allows you to create any world or object, even something straight from your imagination. The pride of seeing your work come to life, or even imagining one of your creations inside a video game, is a unique feeling. Find an efficient way to organize your work, keep practicing, and never give up. Because one day, the reward will come!

Sara Molina, 3D Environment & Prop Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine