Last week I got to work modelling the main feature of my level - the manor house itself. In terms of design, I looked back to my concept sketches - in particular the ones from my sketchbook. As I could not decide on one final design in particular, I found it easier to choose my favourite features and shapes from the drawings I had done and construct the building as I went in Maya.
It started off with blocking out the cube-sections of the building and extruding the roof into the shape that I wanted. I decided to add some platforms and columns at the front, I like the thought that they will have some ivy climbing up and around them.
To start on the front section, I put in the main features like the triangular top (a motif I noticed on a lot of the buildings from my research) and the arched entrance to the front door.
You might notice something that looks like a person standing in the doorway - what it is, is a guide I've made which I can import into each scene as I'm creating an object to keep the sense of scale the same throughout the project. Not only that, but it also helps to keep the proportions on track, so that I can imagine for example, how tall the door should be or how the stair rail should come up to just below chest height. It won't be used in the level itself, it is just a tool that I've created for use during production.
I thought adding a balcony at the front of the house would give it a very grand appearance, as well as giving the house more heights and angles - something which is important to consider in games design. You have to give the player more to look at, not just on one linear eyeline, but thinking about how you can use the whole space on the screen.
The balusters here are used on the balcony and also for the stairs leading up to the front entrance.
Here is the progression of the front of the house. I've added windows, which will be textured in such a way that they will not be transparent, as it would be too big of a task to create more models for the inside of the house - when that is not in the story or plan for my level.
With the front door, it is important to make sure its pivot point is set at where the hinges would be. When you export the object into Unity, it's pivot point remains where you specify in Maya - therefore if you want something like a door to be able to open correctly, it's physically possible. The only time the door will open of course, is if the player successfully completes the level.
I do a lot of deleting faces when I make models for games. For something like the windows which will simply be inserted into the wall face, the back will never be visible and so it makes more sense to get rid of the extra faces to ensure the level runs more smoothly. You have to think about what will be visible to the player, so the bottom of the window sill for example, may be visible if it is on a storey of the building which is higher up than the player. You also have to consider shadows too, removing some faces may produce a shadow that doesn't match up to how the object should appear, so it is necessary to keep them.
Adding corner bricks gives the house a nice extra detail while keeping it low poly. When it comes to the texturing, the 'flat' faces of the manor will also have detail once I create a normal map from the texture. However I think adding more modelled texture stops the edges from looking to bare.
Grouping the bricks just makes them easier to duplicate and move to the rest of the corners of the building.
I added a gutter to the side of the house with the intention that it would make it feel a bit more like a real, functioning building.
Now with the back of the house I had a chance to add some features that I swapped in favor of something else for the front entrance. A stone column canopy with a smaller set of stairs. I still need to make a rear entrance, and I may add some statues or benches to fill out this area a bit more.
Here you can see the steps leading down to the 'secret doorway'.
I'm hoping this is a feature that not everyone who plays will find on the first try, and instead will stumble upon it at some point.
