Hey everyone! I’ve been working on an exciting new environment project that I’m eager to share, a gritty, underground tuner garage that doubles as a criminal hideout for a lone drug runner. Picture a garage where a single mechanic lives and works, fine-tuning his Nissan Skyline for fast getaways while hiding in plain sight. Inspired by the underworld of illegal street racing and smuggling, this environment brings together realism and storytelling. As I’m currently in the blockout stage, I’ll be sharing my progress through camera shots that capture the atmosphere and narrative of the scene.

I as early as possible made quick blockouts and sent them into the engine to test, while simultaneously testing out the dimensions of the room, I wanted to frame the camera shots and focal points early then build around that. Using Megascan texture for the walls to test how the light interacts with the colors and mood. using rule of thirds to establish a clear visual focal point.

I set a few camera shots for each area I wanted to showcase, here's my explanation and thoughts on each one:

Classic weapon modification bench gives me a good chance to try to create some smaller scale military-esque props to further the environmental storytelling, using weapons and military gear such as a weapon locker and storage boxes to hint at a possible prior military experience.

A mechanical bench to showcase that this is a personal garage at the forefront being used for other purposes simultaneously, framing the shot with foreground elements and lighting to direct the view to the focal point of this shot.

A quick shot of some of the blockouts being used to fill the scene and support the environment, currently thinking of using a random color tint atlas based on position shader for a lot of repeating props to add variation.

A small tech station used to track missions or police whereabouts showcasing the owner's technical skills, police / military equipment here too hinting at that possible military background.

The small but functional living space emphasizes the utilitarian perspective of the owner, putting money into things such as cars and equipment rather than their own comfort. I thought it was an interesting contrast to the high spec garage and weapon areas, it also supports the messy nature of the garage itself.

Current WIP of the Nissan Skyline currently being hard surface modeled, this is my first time modeling a dimension accurate vehicle and it's come with its own challenges when it comes to hard surface modeling, still very early but I think this is a good base to pick up again at a later date.

My goal is to keep my moodboard simple while trying to capture the elements of what makes my references stand out, and combining that with my own take to create something unique.

The main concepts I take inspiration from are 

The Punisher: Auto Shop Hideout Interior by Ajay Agrawa (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/N5eA05)

CS_ASSAULT+Tutorial by UE班的小学生_Cgerjia (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/X12r23?collection_id=2139722)

Garage Hideout by Robert Dempster (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3dQOzY)

Thanks for reading! I’m excited to share more updates as the project progresses. Feel free to drop any feedback or suggestions!