![]() ![]() I took each of these into ZBrush and sculpted the high poly versions for baking. I used this to quickly create a dirty blockout of the core pieces I’d need and assemble these together. To make the temple creation as simple as possible I took one of the references for a temple entrance and broke it down into some of its key components. These proved to be invaluable for the creation of the temple. I bought and used a reference pack by Alexander Sköld that contains over 900 HD images of the Khmer ruins. I know for a fact it’s something I’ll now do on every project and is a step I recommend everyone to perform! The Temple This was an invaluable stage as it resulted in me leveling up my own skills very quickly. I gathered references from similar environments created by some awesome artists, and used this as my “quality reference”. ![]() I wanted to know the difference between my work and the industry-leading artists as I progressed, and use this to drive the quality of my own work as high as I could take it within my personal timeframes. I used this idea to instead compare my work to industry standard from the very beginning. ![]() It’s common at university for the module to ask for a reflection comparing to industry standard work at the end. I made sure I had a reference for everything I wanted to include initially, and as each stage came along I’d update my board with new references. I usually use PureTef to gather research however, our university recommended using Miro for this assignment, and it was super fun to use! I collated all of my references into one board and split this into different sections. We all know reference is an extremely useful tool in our arsenals, I mean how can you create something without knowing what it looks like? I believe that as a student, reference is more important than ever. It was tough at first I admit, but the further I got, the further I was able to mould it towards my vision. This allowed the development of this environment to be much more organic. Despite there being so many amazing concepts available online, I wanted to create an entirely new world of my own, how I had envisioned it. After watching the 2001 movie, I decided that I would use the Khmer architecture of Cambodia as an inspiration for the ruins of this lost temple. For this, I had to go back to something I was passionate about, Tomb Raider. I wanted to create an atmosphere and a believable 3D space. When planning this piece, I took into consideration a couple of key skills that I wanted to learn. It would be my dream to work on a AAA open-world title and be a part of crafting one of these worlds! I knew that I wanted to be a part of this and that I wanted to be able to create experiences for people all over the world. I’ve always loved exploring the worlds of games, and especially the way they make me feel. I had no 3D knowledge before I started my university course, so I’ve only actually been doing 3D for just under 2 years now and I’ve loved every minute of it. I took the next year to study a foundation diploma in fine art and refine my traditional art skills before starting my degree. Instead, I spent both high school and college preparing to apply for a degree in architecture until I was told by a peer that my local university is very well established in games development, had some great connections and a huge range of courses. When I finally got a computer at around 10 I remember creating levels with a tool called Tomb Raider Level Editor and showing them off to my family.ĭespite this, I didn’t know that making games was something that was available to me. I’ve loved art and video games ever since my dad introduced me to Tomb Raider on PS1. Hello! I’m Ben McDonald, I’m from the UK and I’m in my second year of studying (Ba) Games Art at Staffordshire University. ![]()
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