Crafting Halo Infinite-Inspired Futuristic Lab With Substance 3D & UE5

Introduction

Hello, my name is Lutong He. I am an aspiring 3D Environment Artist with a background in 2D Environment Art. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Currently, I am a graduate student at the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

I have always been passionate about creating environments with compelling narratives, and I discovered that 3D software allows me to achieve this goal more efficiently. During my graduate studies, I have worked on several game and VR projects, which have helped me gain experience with basic 3D modeling. However, as someone who has always been fascinated by the realistic environments in movies and games, I decided to focus on hard-surface modeling, specifically in the areas of science fiction and futuristic architecture.

A Concept Is Born

The initial concept for this project was derived from an original worldview I developed for my senior thesis during my undergraduate years. The setting was a post-apocalyptic world where an unknown disaster had wiped out human civilization. The survivors established an enclosed, floating shelter, preserving advanced technology from the previous era.

Expanding on this worldview for my current project, I chose to design a mechanical lab that offers a glimpse into the Shelter where the survivors lived. To enhance believability, I drew inspiration from existing game IPs such as Halo Infinite and Star Citizen, as their designs closely align with my intended concept.

I began by gathering references for the project on Pinterest, later organizing select images in PureRef. After finalizing the color palette and basic composition, I created concept sketches and floor plans in Photoshop.

Scene Blockout & Basic Lighting In UE5

The laboratory's design was symmetrical, with the central platform positioned in the middle of the room. To emphasize the importance of the hero assets, I built a ceiling that extended upward to an upper level, which also served as the primary light source. When positioning the camera in Unreal, I applied the rule of thirds to achieve a balanced composition. To maintain proper proportions, I used Unreal Engine's default mannequin in both Unreal Editor and Maya, ensuring asset sizes remained accurate and consistent.

Modeling, Optimization & UV

I began modeling based on the references I gathered and my own designs. For optimization purposes, I used a low-poly to high-poly workflow to minimize the face count while preparing the models for the baking process. Since most of the assets were hard-surface models, I applied beveling to the high-poly versions. This technique was specifically used for major assets such as the incubator and control desks, as well as smaller props like crates and tanks scattered throughout the scene.

Based on the concept design, I believed that breaking the infrastructure into modular components was essential for future iterations. For example, the ceiling sections were divided into extended ceilings (6), main ceilings (1), and middle ceilings (2, 3, 4). To ensure accurate proportions for each group, I created concept sketches as a reference. For the control tables, I first modeled a base form and then adjusted the design based on size and functionality to ensure reusability within the scene.

Since this was my first personal environment project, I decided to unwrap all the UVs myself to better understand the texture mapping workflow and optimization. To balance the resolution of the texture maps, I assigned different materials to various parts of each asset, allowing me to texture them without losing detail. I kept all hero assets at 4K resolution and smaller assets at 2K to prevent texture streaming overload in Unreal.

For baking, I primarily used Substance 3D Painter. However, in the later stages, I transitioned some assets to Marmoset, as it provided better results by minimizing UV seams around beveled edges, making it ideal for baked models.

Texturing

It is challenging to directly reference real-world materials for a futuristic environment, so I conducted extensive research on textures from preexisting games such as Halo Infinite. Additionally, my mentor, Steven Zhu, gave me valuable guidance on maintaining a consistent texture style across a large environment.

My texturing workflow can be broken down into three main steps: creating base materials, adding surface details (such as dirt masks, scratches, and metallic accents), and applying alphas for small mechanical components to avoid unnecessary modeling. To optimize my workflow, I saved time on assets with similar textures by creating smart materials and making minor adjustments to fit corresponding assets. For example, ceilings and walls could share the same base material since they were non-metallic. Understanding how to use different grunge masks for mechanical surfaces was crucial, as not every surface is flawless, scratches and wear on edges add realism to the final look. 

I added a procedural metal grate pattern and manually adjusted the height map for the floor tiling to achieve realistic texture detail without the need to model every element individually.

Narratives In Set-Dressing

When considering set dressing, I focused not only on aesthetics but also on how this environment could function as a playable game space. I asked myself: What will a player pay attention to upon entering this environment? Since this is a mechanical lab, every asset is needed to serve as a supporting facility for the central platform, where the incubator is located.

To reinforce this functionality, I attached wires and pipes from the incubator to two corners of the room, where energy tanks are stacked to fuel it. Additionally, I placed four side platforms around the central platform, serving as standby energy sources for the incubator. To enhance immersion and interactivity, I incorporated interactable assets, such as kiosks near the gate and control desks positioned in different corners of the room, further reinforcing the futuristic setting.

Lighting & Post-Processing

Initially, I intended to use bright lighting to emphasize the lab's high-tech and pristine nature. However, as I gradually applied textures, I decided to shift toward a low-key lighting approach with a strong focus on the central platform.

As a fan of Destiny 2 and its atmospheric lighting, I gathered various in-game screenshots for inspiration, studying their lighting palettes. For the final lighting mood, I used cool tones for the primary lighting and warmer tones for supplementary lighting. I primarily relied on spotlights for direct light sources, point lights for atmospheric illumination, and rectangular lights for square-shaped light sources (e.g., wall light tubes, ceiling lights, and control desk screens). Some of these lights also helped enhance texture details within the dimly lit environment.

Lighting groups:

Major light and Emissive only:

Atmospheric lights:

Platform lights:

Bouncing lights:

Screen lights:

I received guidance from my mentor, Steven Zhu, on effectively adjusting color grading in Unreal. Specifically, I switched the default Exposure Metering mode to manual and reduced the global brightness to create stronger contrast when applying direct lighting to the major asset. Additionally, I adjusted the saturation, mid-tone contrast, and global gain to give the scene a more cinematic appearance.

Additionally, I recognized that fog plays a crucial role in enhancing spatial relationships within an interior environment. I implemented two fog setups: a global height fog to establish the overall atmosphere when the scene was lit and several localized fog elements behind the central platform and around the ring above the incubator to enhance depth and volume when setting up the cameras.

Project Management

Creating everything from scratch for a large environment is exciting, but efficiency is just as important, especially when working with a team. To stay organized, I used Notion to create an asset progress sheet, ensuring clear prioritization and preventing me from spending excessive time on minor detail adjustments. Additionally, setting weekly and daily goals helped me balance my time between school assignments and this project.

Conclusion

This project took me approximately five months to complete. Throughout the process, I encountered various technical and design challenges, many of which are common struggles for environment artists early in their careers, such as retopologizing, baking, and Unreal scene setup. However, the end result was highly rewarding. This experience served as a valuable opportunity to iterate on design, strengthen my technical skill set, and refine my artistic vision. It also provided me with deep insights into delivering game-ready assets from concept to execution, as well as crafting cinematic storytelling using lighting and post-processing techniques in Unreal Engine.

That said, there are areas where I believe this project could have been more polished. First, the concept design, maintaining a cohesive design language across all assets is crucial. For example, what distinctive details or shapes make this environment unique? Second, dedicating more time to iterating on composition within the Engine editor at an early stage would have helped shape the environment from both a cinematic and level design perspective. No design is perfect without continuous practice and refinement.

For beginner artists, I suggest thinking holistically when creating your environments. Start by defining the narrative, what story does the environment tell? Then, consider how the structure and visual design of each asset reinforce that narrative and serve a functional purpose within the space. It's essential to understand that each stage of production is interconnected, forming smaller components of a larger design principle. However, don't be intimidated by the workload, allow yourself room for experimentation and mistakes. Growth comes naturally through iterations, and every challenge presents an opportunity to refine your skills.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my mentor, Steven Zhu, and concept artist, Leona Liao, for their feedback on both the technical and design aspects of this project. Their immediate and insightful guidance throughout my weekly progress significantly streamlined my learning process.

I am also grateful to 80 Level for the opportunity to share my project breakdown in this interview. With that in mind, I look forward to embracing future opportunities with excitement and enthusiasm.

Lutong He, 3D Environment Artist

Interview conducted by Gloria Levine