#scifienvironment

Introduction

I chose the theme of "Places of the Mind," and it is a narrative concept that explores my ideas of imagination, the future, and visualization. This project explores the idea of how the mind, beliefs, and world, often made up of symbolism, may develop alongside advancements in technology. This is, instead of a narrative about a character, a conceptual world that exists in a psychological and philosophical realm.

The storyline takes place in the year 2595 in a situation of international turmoil because technology has reached an imminent stage where it begins to transform human cognition, memory, as well as ritualistic practices. This concept becomes the centerpiece in the development of the cinematic game world because it relates to an intellectual space rather than an actual territory.

Inspired

Pete Dimitrov, a talented environment artist whose work blends technical mastery and creative storytelling. His project Amarantos – 003 especially inspired me with its atmospheric design, intricate details, and use of light to create a mysterious, immersive space.

Artist-Pete Dimitrov

Production Process

The key aim in this phase was to provide an ideal starting point for environment design.

I began by establishing a strong conceptual foundation by writing a one-line concept statement to guide the mood, structure, and aesthetics of the project. From here, I worked to create a strong series of cinematic images to convey a sense of scale, atmosphere, and storytelling information without the use of dialogue and characters.In order to facilitate this, I gathered references and researched various graphical methods of achieving this before composing and setting up camera shots that would eventually translate into the cinematic space.

Modelling The modelling process focused on constructing large, clean architectural forms that support scale and cinematic framing. Rather than prioritising surface detail, the emphasis was placed on strong silhouettes and readable shapes that respond effectively to lighting. A modular approach was used to maintain consistency and balance throughout the environment.

UVs UV layouts were kept simple and efficient to ensure clean material application and flexibility during look development. The focus was on maintaining clarity across large environment assets rather than achieving high-density detail.

Shader/Node Shader nodes were kept minimal to control surface response and light interaction efficiently. This allowed for faster iteration and flexibility during early development while maintaining visual consistency.

Texture Texturing was intentionally restrained, using neutral tones to define form and structure without overpowering the scene. This approach allowed lighting to remain the primary driver of mood and atmosphere while supporting the overall visual cohesion of the environment.

Camera Setup The scene was framed using a 2560 × 2560 square camera format to achieve a balanced and symmetrical composition. This framing emphasises monumentality and scale while positioning the viewer at a human eye level, creating a sense of presence within the ritual chamber.

Lighting Lighting plays a central role in establishing the emotional tone of the scene. A strong directional light combined with volumetric effects highlights the core structure and enhances depth within the space. The contrast between illuminated and shadowed areas creates a calm yet unsettling atmosphere, reinforcing the ritualistic quality of the environment.

What I Learned

I obtained a better appreciation for the power of environment to convey stories and emotions without any human input through this project. I also learned about the impact of concepts such as symmetry and lighting on psychological storytelling through environment design.

Final Render

The final rendering is all about capturing the environment as a cinematic image, as opposed to explaining a fully detailed environment. The focus was to emphasize mood, composition, and lighting to convey a sense of size and atmosphere. The rendering technique had to convey a balance between clarity and ambiguity, keeping the focus of attention as the main building while the environment itself becomes dark and undefined. Contrast and exposure were carefully handled to add to the sense of depth and to convey the ritualistic nature of the environment, where a place of mind becomes a frozen image of a futuristic environment locked into a single frame of contemplation.

Conclusion

DoC Frontier Forest

Closing the Pre-Production Document

For the last part of the pre-production document, I wanted to end on two things that make the project feel complete: identity and planning. The first was the branding of the outpost itself through the EREMUS logo. The second was the production timeline, shown through a Gantt chart that maps the project from pre-production refinement into terrain tests, modular asset development, look-dev, and final scene assembly. Since a Gantt chart is essentially a visual schedule that maps activities against time, it felt like the right format to close the document with a clearer production roadmap.

Outpost Branding — The EREMUS Logo

Final logo concept developed for EREMUS, the organisation behind the outpost.

The logo was designed as the emblem of the organisation responsible for establishing and maintaining the desert outpost. The name EREMUS also helped strengthen that worldbuilding direction. Public Latin and etymology references define eremus in relation to desert, wilderness, solitude, or deserted places, which matched the tone I wanted for the project: remote, exposed, and isolated.

Visually, the logo combines a circular celestial form with a four-point star, suggesting surveying, navigation, and long-range communication. The larger radiating form reads both as a desert sun and as an energy flare, which helped connect the emblem directly to the hostile landscape of the world. I wanted it to feel functional rather than decorative, so that it could sit naturally on walls, crates, tanks, signage, and equipment as part of the outpost’s visual identity.

Production Planning — Gantt Chart

Gantt chart planning slide Project timeline mapping the development of EREMUS from May to August.

The Gantt chart was my way of turning the research and reference-heavy side of the document into an actual production plan. I mapped the workflow across May to August, starting with pre-production refinement, workflow planning, and reference consolidation, then moving into terrain composition thumbnails, Houdini heightfield tests, Unreal landscape setup, outpost blockout, modular architecture, support assets, look-dev, scene assembly, and final presentation prep. Since Gantt charts are used to organise tasks on a timeline and show overlaps, dependencies, and duration, it was a useful format for visualising how the project should progress over time.

What These Final Slides Helped Me Clarify

Putting these two slides at the end of the document made the whole project feel more grounded. The logo gave the outpost a clearer identity inside the world, while the Gantt chart made the project feel less like an abstract idea and more like something that could be built step by step. Together, they helped connect the creative side of EREMUS with the production side.

Reflection

Optional Biome Layer

At this point in the pre-production document, I wanted to address foliage without letting it take over the project. Since EREMUS is mainly focused on terrain, modular outpost design, and procedural environment workflows, I decided to treat vegetation as a supporting biome layer rather than a core production target. These two slides helped me define both the visual direction for sparse alien plant life and the optional workflows I could study if I later decide to extend the biome further.

Foliage Reference (Optional Biome Layer)

Sci-Fi Desert Biome / KK Design Main biome reference used to study sparse alien vegetation, environmental layering, and foreground ecology. The Fab pack was especially useful because it presents a large 16 km² environment with 161 assets, PCG/blueprint systems, landscape layers, grass support, and foliage materials with wind interaction, which made it a strong benchmark for how a desert biome can be organised at production scale.

Star Citizen: Hurston Vegetation Reference used to study how vegetation can remain sparse while still giving a large world more ecological identity.

Star Citizen: Hurston Vegetation More stylised and curated alien plant forms as a way of adding biome identity without overcrowding the scene.

This first slide was about deciding what role vegetation should play in the environment. I did not want EREMUS to become just sand and buildings, but I also knew that fully custom foliage production would add a lot of extra scope. These references helped me think about a middle ground: sparse, selective plant life that supports the foreground and gives the world more identity, while still keeping the desert open and exposed. That decision also made it easier to justify using sourced biome assets if needed rather than treating foliage as a main authored system.

Foliage Workflow Reference

Project Titan Ivy Tool Reference used to study how ivy could be generated procedurally. SideFX describes the Ivy Tool as a system that uses an input shape to grow ivy, generate branches and leaves, simulate falling branches, and package the result for Unreal.

Project Titan Shrub Tool Reference used to think about smaller procedural plant assets for foreground biome dressing.

Project Titan Tree Pivot Painter Reference used to understand tree workflows that support better in-engine motion and interaction, useful if vegetation ever needs more believable movement.

Procedural Bonsai Tree Reference used to study smaller-scale custom tree generation and branch structure inside Houdini.

Unreal Procedural Foliage Tutorial Reference used to consider Unreal-side foliage placement as a lighter alternative if vegetation remains a supporting biome layer rather than a main custom workflow.

The second slide was more about possibility than commitment. I wanted to show that I had still researched how foliage could be approached procedurally if the project ever needed it, but that I was consciously treating it as optional. The SideFX references were useful because they showed how plant forms such as ivy, shrubs, and trees could be built procedurally and integrated into an engine workflow. At the same time, the Unreal foliage tutorial was useful as a reminder that a lighter in-engine placement workflow might be more realistic if vegetation only remains a secondary layer.

What These Slides Helped Me Clarify

Together, these slides helped me make an important scope decision. I now see foliage as something that supports the biome and foreground readability of EREMUS, but not something that should dominate the project. That feels much more manageable and much more in line with the actual priorities of the environment.

Reflection

About the Project

Once I had the title and overall identity of EREMUS, the next step was to define what the project actually is and what I want the final outcome to be. This slide helped me move from a broad desert sci-fi idea into a more focused production direction. I wanted to make it clear that this is not an open-world project, but a single hero environment built through a Houdini-to-Unreal workflow with a strong emphasis on procedural worldbuilding and modular structure generation.

Studion - KK Design Fab listing - Scifi Desert Biom Early biome and vegetation references used to define the alien desert foreground.

KÉVIN ROUSSILLE MODULAR SCI-FI BASE - INDOOR OUTDOOR - MARS THEME References used to explore modular sci-fi base layouts and outpost planning.

Individual Artist - Kevin Jick Streets of Ta'ak Architectural references used to ground the outpost in a more believable desert settlement language.

Leartes Studios The Space Base in Red Planet Environment Outpost references used to define the intended scale, mood, and presentation quality of the final environment.

What This Slide Established

This slide helped me clarify two things. First, the project itself: a sci-fi desert environment centred on a remote survey outpost in a hostile alien landscape. Second, the intended outcome: one polished Unreal Engine hero scene supported by reusable Houdini tools for terrain, rock distribution, biome scatter, and outpost variation. Putting this together helped me separate the visual idea from the actual production goal.

Reflection

Project Title Development

For the opening slide of my pre-production document, I wanted the project to feel like more than just a technical environment exercise. I wanted it to have its own identity, world, and sense of presence. That is why I chose the name EREMUS for the project. The word carries meanings connected to desert, isolation, and loneliness in Latin, which felt very appropriate for the type of sci-fi environment I want to build. Since the project is centred on a remote alien desert outpost, I wanted the title to immediately communicate atmosphere as well as setting.

Cover slide for EREMUS: A Procedural Alien Desert Outpost Environment.

Why I Chose the Name EREMUS

The title was important because it helped me move the project away from sounding like a generic environment brief and closer to something that feels like an actual world location or organisation. “EREMUS” felt strong because it suggests remoteness, survival, and a harsher frontier condition, which aligns with the desert sci-fi tone I am aiming for. It also gave me a foundation for the in-world branding of the outpost, including the logo and organisational identity that could later appear on props, structures, signage, and other assets inside the environment.

Designing the Opening Slide

For the first slide, I wanted the visual to establish the mood of the project straight away. I used a wide desert scene with alien vegetation, distant rock formations, and a small outpost silhouette to suggest scale, isolation, and sparse habitation. The warm red-orange palette helped reinforce the harsh desert atmosphere, while the custom logo above the title made the project feel more like a believable sci-fi world rather than just a student presentation. I wanted the cover to communicate both the visual tone and the project’s procedural ambition in one image.

What This Slide Helped Me Clarify

Making this opening slide helped me define the project at a conceptual level before getting deeper into workflow, asset planning, and technical development. It made me think about the environment not only as a place to build, but as a world with its own identity and narrative context. That was useful because it immediately pushed the project toward stronger worldbuilding rather than just a collection of desert references.

Reflection

This slide was important because it gave the project a clearer voice from the start. Naming it EREMUS made the idea feel more focused and intentional, and it also gave me a stronger basis for later decisions around branding, mood, architecture, and environmental storytelling.

Nar Shadaa [40x40]

Space vegas! Lights, drinks, hidden rooms, and plenty of ramps.

Support

Date: April 9, 2025

I'm excited to share a significant step forward in the development of my Major Study Project, Sector M17. The blocking phase of the environment is now complete. This stage involved constructing the basic forms and layout of the sci-fi facility and its surrounding terrain using simple geometry to define scale, composition and spatial relationships.

The primary goal during this phase was not to focus on detailing, but to ensure the overall structure, flow, and proportions of the environment were well-planned before moving into high-poly modelling and texturing. I've laid out major architectural elements of the facility – such as the entry platform, towers, outer walls, and central access routes.