Pré-Production
Before starting production, I broke down the image and made a list of everything I would need (how many different plants, materials, elements to model, all the decals I would have to create…) And at the same time, I kept adding real-world images to my references. I was also thinking about what workflow I would use to save time (for example, I decided that my small props and walls would have different shaders since they wouldn’t use the same techniques to add detail.)
After this brief pre-production phase, it was time to start blocking out the scene. I started with Blender before importing the scene into UE, and began placing a camera in the scene and adding gray blocks to represent the various houses on the street. Blocking is one of the parts I like the least, since there are little to no visual changes during the process, but it’s also one of the most important steps for establishing a solid foundation.
Getting the proportions right was difficult, since I had to accurately represent the concept in 3D while maintaining consistent proportions. In particular, the Unreal Engine model couldn’t be too big or too small relative to the doors from the beginning of the street to the end. It was complicated to balance the camera settings (position, focal length), the size of the buildings, and the interpretation of the concept.