Evolution of a Level: Texture

February 17, 2017

When last we left the small garage/warehouse level for Robyn HUD the basic level geometry had been set into place. This was done to get the rough scale and layout of the level before moving onto refining it. One of the “to do” items I tackled this week was to start to add basic texturing to this basic layout. Basically.

The untextured level.
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The goal at this stage of working on the level was to replace all the placeholder pink “caulk” textures with semi-finished textures representing the colours and final look of the space. Adding colour and texture into any kind of visual, be it a 3D level or a 2D drawing, is extremely useful. It helps to highlight details that need to be addressed that might not otherwise be obvious.

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Basic colouring and texturing.
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The world of Robyn HUD is intended to be somewhat “comic booky”. However, I did go a touch too far with the metal girders at the top of the warehouse. The interesting thing is that the basic blue used for the girders came from actual photo reference. However, when placed against the palette of the rest of the level it stands out as far too vibrant. That’s something I’ll be looking to tone down.

Texturing the level also revealed how disconnected the roof seems from the rest of the level. Although I have the girders spanning from one side of the roof to the other, I realized two things are missing. First, along there should be structural beams running along the sides of the warehouse between girders. Second, there should also be a main beam running along the peak of the roof.

In a future blog installment, I’ll address these few minor issues. I’ll also be introducing more detail into the level to break up its inherent “boxy-ness”. This will include things like cracks and stains in the floor as well as a garage door where the big black space is, furniture, tools, crates, and cardboard boxes. Watch for it.

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