LogInTing Yue shared the process of creating an imaginative concept piece that combines European castles with traditional Asian architecture, blending them harmoniously with Blender and 3DCoat.
Introduction
Hello everyone, I am Ting Yue, a freelance Concept Artist. I am excited to share my creative process with you.
I have always been fascinated by historical architecture, no matter its origin. These structures captivate me deeply, inspiring me to blend diverse styles of historical architecture in my work. For this project, I drew inspiration from European castles and traditional Asian architecture to create a harmonious yet imaginative fusion.
Blockout & Composition
In this stage, I used Blender to create 3D blockout sketches. By starting with basic models, I could quickly explore my initial ideas without being bogged down by details. While these blockouts were far from polished, they effectively communicated the design language and allowed for rapid iteration. My goal was to generate as many variations as possible in a short period.
Once I settled on a direction, I built the terrain in Blender as well. This phase remained exploratory, focused on experimenting with layouts and compositions. After testing various options, I selected the most promising one to develop further.
Modeling
During the modeling process, Blender was my primary tool, supplemented by 3DCoat for intricate decorative patterns. Once I completed the foundational assets, I integrated them into the initial blockout sketches, adjusting as necessary to refine the design.
A critical aspect of this phase was balancing detail. I concentrated details around the visual focal points while keeping other areas more subdued. This approach not only guided the viewer’s attention to key areas but also streamlined the workflow, saving time and effort.
For texturing, I used materials from Megascans, customizing the colors to align with the desired aesthetic. At this stage, the textures were provisional, as I planned to enhance them later in Photoshop. Vegetation was also added to the scene, but these elements served as placeholders, their refinement would occur in post-production.
Lighting
When setting up the lighting, I chose angles that highlighted the most details in the scene. I positioned lights to emphasize the most detailed areas and used cloud layers to diffuse the light, creating a natural and atmospheric look. Thoughtful lighting helped reinforce the mood and guided the viewer's gaze across the composition.
Rendering & Details
To prepare for post-processing, I rendered several passes, including ambient occlusion, Z-depth, and material ID maps. These passes provided flexibility in Photoshop, where I organized the scene into layers based on distance.
In Photoshop, I modified the tones and added details using PhotoBashing, integrating photographic textures to enhance realism. To ensure consistency, I carefully matched the lighting and perspective of the photos with the 3D scene. Finally, I supplemented these details with hand-painted elements to achieve a cohesive look.
Conclusion
This project, completed over six months during my spare time, was a challenging but rewarding experience. I am deeply grateful to my mentors, ZPZ and Yushua, for their invaluable advice on design, composition, and 3D modeling.
The biggest challenge was maintaining efficiency without getting lost in any one phase. For beginners, I recommend practicing as much as possible and focusing on managing your time effectively. Start with broad strokes, refine iteratively, and never be afraid to experiment. Concept art is as much about exploration as it is about execution.