Creating a Environment Kit Design for Games

Learn how to use 3ds Max to make kits of scalable, modular assets and textures for your 3D games.

Learn how to use 3ds Max to make kits of scalable, modular assets and textures for your 3D games. Modular assets can be combined to make bigger, more complex objects, scenes, or environments. They snap together easily and are designed so they transition seamlessly to their final destination. In this course, Christian Bradley shows how to create walls, columns, and other modular building components based on a grid system in 3ds Max.

He first introduces the modular pipeline in Max and the basics of making modular models. Then Christian shows how to ensure your texture maps align to the grid, and places objects in the scene to build the complex final structure—an ornate castle—shown at the end of the course. With a little patience, attention to detail, and the skills learned in this class, you can create design kits that speed up development and result in more realistic and immersive game environments.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Why modular assets?
• Using the exercise files

1. Model the Main Walls

• Setting up the workspace
• Setting up units in Max
• Setting up the grid
• Snap settings
• Game engine scale vs. real-world scale
• Pivot placement
• Modular systems you can work with
• Modeling a simple modular wall unit
• Modeling a simple modular pillar
• Working with back-facing polygons

2. Block Out the Space

• Planning space between modular meshes
• Creating base objects
• Dealing with curves on the grid
• Gray boxing your modular environment

3. Build Detailed Modular Elements

• Dos and don'ts of modular systems
• Clone, Mirror, and tools to copy meshes
• Door sizes and window heights

4. Textures

• UV mapping basics for modular meshes
• Using base objects as UV templates
• The UV grid and editor settings
• Determining texel density
• UV mapping modular environmental objects
• Changing materials on modular meshes
• Modular map size and UV placement

5. Put It All Together

• Naming conventions for modular elements
• Placing detailed elements in the scene
• Blending grid–based materials

Wrap-Up

• Next steps