Preparing Assets for the scene: A simple workflow

As with any real-time engine, preparing assets in a clean and optimal way for real time is critical

You can use your preferred app e.g. 3ds Max or Cinema 4D to create assets. Alternatively, our friends at Kitbash3d provide a wide variety of kits that give you a cost-effective way of adding architectural sets that support the theme of your project. My scene uses some assets from the Kitbash3d Space Colony set.

If you haven’t used Kitbash3d already, it’s a great way to get a project going, with a series of great kits that you can customise to your needs. In fact, if you use the discount code ‘Notchvfx’, you’ll get 25% off your entire first order.

For any real-time use of such assets, there are a few simple things to keep in mind:

• Mesh Aim for 4,000-15,000 polys depending on the size and detail of the asset in the scene. Watch out for small repeated details that can quickly rack up the poly count. Export 3D meshes as OBJ, FBX, Lightwave or Cinema 4D files. Where possible, combine meshes and use multimaterials on your assets. • Add smoothing groups to polygons Separate smoothing groups over different materials for best results.

• Set up the UV maps Ensure UVS are as clean as possible by joining seams on faces. Include a unique second UV map for producing V-ray AO maps and detail normal maps. This is also used for baking the shadows into the Notch scene.

• Materials Follow physically based rendering (PBR) rules for textures and bake normal maps and ambient occlusion maps where needed. Export textures as PNG images. Use HDRI textures for environment maps.

in the viewport window. From there, assets can be moved into position.

Selecting the root node gives you additional parameters to set up the scene. You can toggle on deferred rendering (enables shadows), high dynamic range, anti-aliasing, and linear-space lighting. this will enable physically based lighting, shadows etc.

the KEY Level-building root nodes

3D object node 3D objects can be set up individually or using a null node that will instance the mesh throughout the scene. Materials can be set up directly in the 3D object node, but for more control use a material node input. tessellation, lightmaps, shadows and uv channels for both texture and Ao maps are all controlled in the 3D object parameters.

Material node Materials are set up directly in the node graph and plugged directly into the 3D objects. Materials are physically based rendered and there are slots to add colour (albedo/diffuse), normal, specular, diffuse (ambient occlusion), displacement, roughness, metallicness, alpha and emissive textures. the material node allows you to toggle environment mapping, reflections, rim lighting, specular anisotropy, parallax mapping, displacement and tessellation on a materialby-material basis.

Light nodes the scene lighting is all controlled via the node graph. lighting nodes include ambient, area, direction, environment maps, fog scattering, reflections, point cache, probe, projection, screen space ambient occlusion, screen space reflections, volumetric, skylights and voxel cone lighting. lighting can utilise high dynamic range, and it can also be set to non-dynamic for better performance, along with using V-ray ambient occlusion textures.

Looking forward

over the past months, i’ve found Notch intuitive to use. the hierarchical node graph interface feels as familiar as any 3D package. Because of the real-time WYSIWYG workflow, gone are the days of just sitting around waiting for my machine to be freed up when building lighting or rendering out frames. i know that if my work looks great in the viewport, then it will be great.

i enjoy working with Notch. it has a quick and simple workflow that makes it easy to get realistic results. i have only scratched the surface with what Notch can do and i’m already looking forward to the next project to work on!

credits

this article uses assets from Kitbash3d. the NASA Rover 3D model is available for free for non-commercial projects from the NASA 3D Resources website: nasa3d.arc. nasa.gov/detail/curiosity-clean

“Notch has a quick and simple workflow that makes it easy to get Realistic Results” Will Smith, product specialist at Notch