Topic: 3D Hotel Reception for Horror Adventure.

[DazJ]

My first venture into 3D backgrounds. Any suggestions?

Does it capture the mood of isolation?

[Buckethead]

Well the roof is way too low. Also you could add alot more stuff to make clear that this is a hotel reception. Another thing, the lighting is very bright, while it only comes from on little light bulb and the window.

I think this could work, keep it up 

[Iceboty V7000a]

I'm not quite sure, the bg may really give the impression of the ceiling being too low, but judging from the tiny bench it may be okay.
I think the problem is with the 'horizontal pillars' (sorry but I don't know what they should be called) being too large.

Anyway, I think there're something that are out of the proportion that makes it look odd.

Maybe if more stuff are placed in the room it will look better.

[Technocrat]

I think it's a bit bright, but it does feel...empty. I guess that's the isolation you're going for. It looks like a mountainy hotel, like a ski resort perhaps.

[DoorKnobHandle]

The roof may be a little low, but what's making this worse is that your camera is positioned and angled in a somewhat unaesthetic way. Move it lower and then try to angle it in a way that the image doesn't show a huge chunk of (boring) ceiling, but rather something close a 50/50 between floor and ceiling - in other words: if you imagine a crosshair right in the middle of your image (that would show where the camera is pointing at), at the moment, that crosshair is pointing somewhere at the ceiling, lower that.

Also, what are you using to render (looks somewhat like the editor from Unreal Tournament to me, with a direct screenshot from the tool)? Try to get the program you're using to enable anti-aliasing. That'd help a lot. If it can't, then get a program that allows better rendering (Blender, google for it).

About textures: try to scale them smaller. Especially both stone textures on the objects to the right are scaled way too big. Also, the wooden blocks on the ceiling. And the floor.

[Da_Elf]

your best bet is to find images of hotel lobbys and model off of what you see. unless your an architect i wouldnt recommend trying to proportion things yourself. thats my oppinion from an architects point of view. from my point of view doing 3d architectural visualisation for a living you have bright lights lighting the floor with no discernable light source (maybe its those white spots i see on the roof hidden by the pillars), the lights are too bright, interior lighting is not the most easy of things (its almost an artform ballancing ambient light with artificial light), you need to turn on AA as someone suggested (anti-alising), the counter (i assume its the counter) just looks like a box with a boulder texture applied to it. and you definately need to fil the scene with more furniture. there are tonnes of furniture resources online where you can download enough things to add to your scene.

[DazJ]

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

I'm actually using 3D GameStudio's Level Editor for the backgrounds and haven't got a clue how to turn on anti-aliasing. And yes, I'm basically taking a screenshot from the preview window. I just cannot get rid of the rough edges, is this to do with the graphics card then?

[Ali]

If your graphics card allows you to force anti aliasing that might work. If it doesn't you could change your screen resolution to twice the size of the background, then resize the image in photoshop to create soft edges.

If you're not desperate to stick with 3D game studio, I agree that you should consider Blender. It'll take you a little while to put something like this together, but it will look better!

[paolo]

I think the problem is with the 'horizontal pillars' (sorry but I don't know what they should be called) being too large.

Anyway, I think there're something that are out of the proportion that makes it look odd.

The "horizontal pillars" are beams.

The problem is, I think, that the room extends too far back, the point of view is too high (as if the person viewing the scene is in mid-air) and the beams are too large. Yes, it looks isolated (mainly because it is empty) but all of these shortcomings (to my mind) give an oppressive edge to the image. I thought this was a picture of a cellar or a dungeon before I read that it was supposed to be a hotel reception.

A reception would have more than just one overhead light bulb, and if it is abandoned, why is the overhead light on?

Sure, it is meant to be isolated, but if I walked into this hotel looking for a place to stay I'd find it very unwelcoming. Or is that the intention?

Just my thoughts.

[DazJ]

Thanks people, much appreciated

How do you think it looks now I've lowered the light strengths, made the ceiling higher, and added some more items?

[Galen]

Here's a tip, set the resolution to twice whatever you're using to make that, then use a 3D graphics package (or upload it here so we can) and downscale it.
This will give it an nice smoothed look.

[Evil]

Doors seem a bit large. Not wrong, just feel misplaced. The bulletin board is too high, no one could read all of the high stuff. The top of it should be around the top of the door. Desk looks rather dark. I'd imagine that would be one of the brighter places. The desk, the door, and bulletin board should all be lit brightly, the rest could be less bright. Like the shadow from the desk isn't right for how much light that lamp is putting out.

Some of the textures are a little stretched. Marble floors for one. Too fancy for a wooden lodge like hotel. Unless the stone texture on the desk is supposed to look fake, maybe shape the end a bit to make it look made of stone.

[Galen]

Yeah add a rug for first things.

Try either adding ambient lights or rendering an unlit version and using the result the brighten the shadows.

[InCreator]

My first venture into 3D backgrounds. Any suggestions?

Yeah, anti-aliasing and better camera angle. And sharper floor texture.
Otherwise, apart from a bit boring decoration, I like it.

Also, in the age of realistic 3D lighting, I suggest you to try some. Like Global Illumination or radiousity(sp?) or photon emitting or Final Gather or all of them... whatever your program could offer. This black corner near counter looks very... 1999. And... Add a light "outside". Right now, the door looks pretty much like mountains were painted onto it... em, if it isn't so already, in which case you should change this and make glass material for door.

For less important suggestion, try chamfering edges of ceiling beams (and much everything else) and add a bumpmap to the floor. It would work like magic, I think.

[Gamer_V]

I don't really like the look of the glass above the door. It almost seems painted on? And the new location of the coach + board makes it seem less isolated and more cozy, which is why you might not want a rug. The board could've fallen of, or the couch could've fallen or been broken or dirty or something.

[paolo]

DazJ, it's looking a lot better. I think you've fixed all the problems you had initially. New pic, new criticisms, but don't be discouraged - it's looking good on the whole.

[.M.M.]

Maybe the wall is too away... How to do something like that?

[DazJ]

I don't really like the look of the glass above the door. It almost seems painted on? And the new location of the coach + board makes it seem less isolated and more cozy, which is why you might not want a rug. The board could've fallen of, or the couch could've fallen or been broken or dirty or something.

It's probably my own fault in the way I described it but I didn't mean isolated in the sense of it been abandoned, it IS a fully-functioning hotel but it a very remote hotel in the middle of some Greek Islands.

As for the glass above the door, it IS painted on. I went for a frosted-look with transparent text and think it worked to an extent.

I'm currently designing this on my girlfriend's laptop which has the standard integrated video chipset so that could explain the poor quality graphics. Once my own PC is fixed it should be rendered more smoothly.

Paolo, thanks for the kind words - I'm 100% commited to this game and consider myself a bit of a perfectionist so it's very important I get everything right

I've updated the design a bit more and have included a rug asmentioned above - I'll upload it shortly.

Cheers guys!

[Da_Elf]

just a simple architecture point, lots of buildings usualy have large windows in their lobbys to take advantage of the views as well as to bring in alot of ambient light
http://www.elfpro3d.com/Gallery/recent/lobbytest03.jpg
this lobby i did a couple years ago uses a full glass wall to light the interior lobby.
you might also want to change the placement of the furniture into a better seating environment. angles like that usually waste alot of space

[DazJ]

Da_Elf, that room is amazing - if I could create something as brilliant and as beautiful as your design then I'd be very happy.

Which program did you use to design that in?