CREATE REALISTIC GAME INTERIORS IN UNREAL

Learn how Maxim Dorokhov expertly designs a modern recreation of a classic horror video game environment

- Maxim Dorokhov

It can be tricky to give living spaces in hyper-realistic video games a grounded look. You have to find the right balance between enriching a place with details that make it believable and interesting to explore, and not making it overly grungy, unless that was the ultimate goal. To engage with the player, these environments need to have an instantly readable atmosphere and cohesive look throughout.

In this article I’ll walk through my process for recreating the apartment from Silent Hill 4: The Room, originally released back in 2004, with Unreal Engine 5. We’ll discuss the different steps that go into creating a detailed cinematic look for an environment like this. I’ll share my thoughts on making the geometry, details, textures and lighting, and my approach to building the atmosphere and presenting your work.

01BASIC SIZES AND PROPORTIONS 

To achieve a realistic look for your environment, a good starting point is to use real-world references. Online second-hand stores can be a useful resource for finding furniture, appliances and other references for your scene. Try to track down good references and make blockouts that are based on the real-world size of objects. Make sure to pay attention to the proportions and dimensions of your models.

I prefer to make simple blockouts of all the modular objects, and large and medium props first, and place them in Unreal Engine with the draft lighting pass. It will show you which objects are better lit, closer to the camera, or just more important to the story, so they may need more attention to detail.