Lesson 01: Creating Modular Assets

Qualification: BTEC Level 3 in Creative Media Production

Unit: Unit 68: 3D Environments/ Unit 70: Game Engines

Previous Lessons:

From previous lessons we have discussed why game developers use modularity and its importance in their production pipeline.

You should have already gathered reference images and researched into the type of building you are aiming to create. Finally, you should have broken down your references to gain an understanding of how

you can recreate it in engine using modularity.

Lesson Objective:

To understand and begin the creation process of modular asserts for the scene.

Overview:

In today’s lesson we will be aiming to create some placeholder assets ready to export into Unreal 4. Placeholder assets are designed to be produced quickly in order to gauge if measurements are correct.

Lesson:

Setting up the grid:Grid settings might seem pretty minor but they are fundamental for creating modular assets. It allows

you to keep all of your measurements consistent keeping to the players scale and makes sure all of your assets snap on the grid correctly. The settings I use are divided by the power of two, this allow me to

keep the same grid spacing between 3DSMax, Unreal 4 and Photoshop.

Right Click the Snaps Toggle icon. It is located on the top row of icons and is displayed as a magnet. This will bring up the Grid and Snap Settings options. Under the Home Grid tab select the following options:

Grid Spacing: 16Major Lines Every Nth Grid Line: 8Perspective View Grid Extent: 8

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Measurements:The general theme here is consistency and keeping proportions related to the player scale. It is

important to remember that these measurements are not set in stone. Your dimensions are likely to change depending on the size of the player character and the type of building you are creating. In the Sources section of this document is information which I heavily recommend you view to gain a better

understanding and find measurements more suitable for your scene.

These are the measurements I generally use, they are tweaked dimensions from the WorldofLevelDesign video which can be found in the Sources section of this document. I have changed mine so that

everything snaps perfectly with the grid.

Player Character (Default): 180h, 60w, 60d

Walls: 304h, 16d, Width varies, 256w, 128w, 64w, ect

Doors: 224h, 128w

Windows: 128h, 80w

Stairs: Step height: 16, Step Depth 32

Asset Creation:

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Here are is an example of some basic geometry. To make it more digestible I have colour coordinated the main parts into groups, the walls, wall trim, roof trim and pavement. Again, the main objective is to

figure out sizes and to test it out in the game engine as soon as possible. We will have to add more detail, unwrap and add collision later.

Adjusting Pivot Points and Coordinates:When you export your model it will remember the location in 3D space and the pivot point of your model. Think of the pivot point as your models centre of gravity. You want all of your models to share the same

rules to allow you to quickly snap them together.

Under the Hierarchy tab on the right side menu select Affect Pivot Only. Now manually move the pivot point with the snaps toggle still activated onto the back left of the model, as shown below.

Deactivate Affect Pivot Only by clicking the button a second time. Our next aim is to fix the assets location in 3D space. The coordinates are located on the bottom of the screen. You can manually change

them to zero or simply right click the bottom arrow to default to zero.

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Exporting

With your asset selected go onto the Max icon in the top left of the screen, select Export and choose Export Selected

I recommend creating a naming convention so you can easily manage your files. An example would be Wall_Door01, Wall_Basic01, Wall_Window01, ect.

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Export your work as an OBJ file and once you click save the OBJ Export Options will appear. Ignore all the settings and simply select Export.

Homework:

For this assignment hand-in I expect to see a production document. Whilst you are creating your work remember to capture screenshots of the development process. Record all successes and failures. If your

outcomes are successful, explain why. If you mess up occasionally, record the issues and explain how you solved the problem.

Your homework will be keep this updated as we progress with the practical lessons.

Sources of Information:

3DS Max to Unreal Engine 4 "Modular Building"Wraith Designz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BqS8WxbG7I

UPDATE: Modular Interior AssetsWraith Designz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ZuCMT4fhE

[TUTORIAL] Modular Building in UE4Blueprint Games : Video Game Creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfA5bhhS1m0&t=264s

UE4: Guide to Player Scale and World/Architecture Dimensions TutorialWorldofLevelDesign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPcHUqA0DR8

Modular Building with UDK (£)Tyler Wanlass

http://3dmotive.com/series/modular-building-with-udk.html

[UE4] Modular Building Set BreakdownJacob Norris

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http://polycount.com/discussion/144838/ue4-modular-building-set-breakdown

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