3D Artist Mixes Custom & Reused Assets in a Moody UE5.6 Forest Diorama
Check out how Rustam Zhukov balanced the adapted and newly built props.
Take a look at this somber, atmospheric diorama created by Environment Artist Rustam Zhukov using Unreal Engine 5.6. The work captivates with its intricate contrast of greyish green and turquoise tones, complemented by warm yet eerie lighting.
The artist approached the task of creating a small diorama with an abandoned house as a compact production challenge, focusing on limited time, top-down readability, modular construction, reusable materials, and the potential to expand the scene further. According to Zhukov, reusability posed the biggest challenge; a major part of the work went into procedural materials, trim sheets, and reusable kits. What makes the approach particularly interesting is how the artist determined what should be unique and custom versus what could be reused across other projects. The adapted assets include the boat, rocks, fire, grass, decals, a previous master material setup, and base texture inputs.
Apart from UE5.6, the artist used 3ds Max, Substance 3D Designer, Substance 3D Painter, Marmoset Toolbag, RizomUV, and ZBrush.
Zhukov plans to expand the scene and enhance optimization, simplify geometry that does not affect the top-down view, add more vegetation, and introduce more details to further develop the narrative of the scene.
Have a closer look at the renders:
If you are curious about more details of how the artist crafted the scene, check out a breakdown that he posted on ArtStation. The creator outlined the main stages of the process and provided a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the work:
Before, Rustam Zhukov talked to us about another project, in which he focused on modularity, trim sheets, procedural systems, and artistic cohesion – a modular Gothic environment created using Substance 3D Designer and Unreal Engine 5:
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