.BRUTALIST FANTASY
Brutalist Fantasy was a school project I did during my third semester of my three year bachelor's degree in Computer Game Development. The assignment was to create 3D meshes from scratch, using Maya, to put together into two buildings. We were then to place these in a self made 3D landscape that had a day version and a night version, using Unreal Engine 5. The theme this year was "Fantasy" which we had to make obvious connections to throughout our projects.
The project went on for about 4 weeks and this was my very first time working in both Unreal as well as Maya. All 3D models, landscaping, VFX, lighting, concepts and designs are made by me. Materials and foliage were provided.
DATE
Fall 2022
SOFTWARE
Unreal Engine 5, Maya
PROJECT TYPE
3D Rendering
ARTSTATION PAGE
coming soon...
.THE FLOATING ROCKS
Early in the process I made the decision that my connection to the fantasy theme would be through the manipulation of the laws of physics. By placing natural objects and elements in unnatural places I managed to create an unexpected and dramatic experience for the viewer. This play on what is physically possible or not created the base for a lot of my design decisions.
.THE LANDSCAPE
Considering the assignment did not allow for any characters or other moving objects to create a more lively scene, I decided to go all in on the desolated theme. My overall concept was to create a dramatic landscape that would feel both hostile and quiet, creating a menacing yet intriguing scene. This was partially achieved through the use of really tall mountains with sharp edges and shapes. I also made sure to use the grass material sparingly, only placing it in places that made sense for the dramatic landscape. By showing a lot of bare stone it signals to the viewer that even nature itself had a hard time thriving here.
.THE NIGHT
Wanting to reconnect to the fantasy theme, I had the urge to again create something unexpected when it came to the night version of the scene. I felt that just lowering the brightness and calling it a night wasn’t good enough and it certainly wasn’t the dramatic result that I had envisioned. A simple “what if” led me to the idea of simply changing the color that the moon emits onto the scene. A red moon would not only be the best looking alternative but also a concept the viewer would be able to recognise.
.THE
BUILDINGS
The project presents three buildings in total, two of which were mandatory for the assignment, and they all share the same architectural style. The desolate landscape and the story it told inspired me to go for the brutalist style when designing the buildings. While taking inspiration from architectural works adapting brutalism as a concept, I took the opportunity to explore new shapes and concepts without the demand for structural integrity.
The buildings show unexpected shapes and architectural solutions, however I still strived for a sense of logic and usability of the buildings since I didn’t want to just create abstract shapes for no other reason but to refer to the brutalist style. Instead I merged these abstract shapes into tunnels between sections of the buildings, added windows or light sources to suggest the usage of a room inside or shaped the nearby landscape into an outlook post. Again, the key for me was to challenge what would be considered realism and logic versus fantasy and imagination.
.THE DETAILS AND THE STORY
Ever since I can remember I've always had a passion for telling stories without using words. Instead I aim to use details as a form of communication between the art and the viewer. For Brutalist Fantasy I felt it was important to have a thought out history that would guide each design decision - everything from the design and materials of the houses to their placement in the environment and where the foliage was placed had a thought behind it.
You can see hints of despair and hopelessness all over the scene, through grafitti and discarded liquor bottles next to diary entries around the fireplace.
The paths between the different buildings are indicated by the worn down foliage.
Smaller objects placed in and around the houses creates almost like a shadow of whoever is occupying this space and gives us a glimpse into how they spend their time here.
Neglected exteriors as well as scratches, bloody handprints and bare columns tells the viewer that there may be something sinister going on in this seemingly quiet environment.
