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Unity Environment Design

Pete Jepson

In this course I will be taking you through the process of creating AAA quality environments inside of Unity.

As game graphics are becoming more impressive, it is necessary as a game designer to update your skills and techniques in order to compete with the ever growing game design industry.

You don't need any previous experience in Unity as I will be explaining how to do everything in detail.

We will cover the following:

Terrain setup
Sculpting a path
Adding trees
Painting ground materials
Sculpting terrains
Adding streams and a water plane (sea)
Setting up post processing
Creating your own bushes and plants
Layout of foliage and props
Creating procedural ivy

You will be creating stunning environments for your games. These can also be used in your portfolios to impress game design companies.

By the end of this course you will be an environment wizard and able to create truly spectacular environments in the Unity engine.

Music by BenSound

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What's inside

Learning objectives

Create a stunning forest scene in unity
Learn how to use unity's new terrain tools
Make a complete level that goes from a blank terrain to aaa quality environment
Discover how to use unity's tree maker to create bushes and plants for your scenes

Use brush mask filters to make photorealistic ground materials
Setup post processing to make your environment look awesome
Useful tips and techniques when painting textures on terrains

Create a stunning forest scene in unity
Learn how to use unity's new terrain tools
Make a complete level that goes from a blank terrain to aaa quality environment
Discover how to use unity's tree maker to create bushes and plants for your scenes
Use brush mask filters to make photorealistic ground materials
Setup post processing to make your environment look awesome
Useful tips and techniques when painting textures on terrains

Syllabus

Introduction

Install Unity

Unity Standard Assets

Install Assets

Installing assets using latest versions of Unity

Changing the Layout

Working with Terrains

The Bridge Tool

Sculpting a Path

Bonus Video

Texturing the Path

Baking a Lightmap

Sculpting the Terrain

Post Processing

Creating a Stream

Adding Cliffs

Adding Rocks

Adding Ground Details

Adding more Trees

Conifer Leaves Task

Adding Ferns

Painting Ground Moss

Creating a bush

Creating plants

Creating a small plant

Painting Plants

Painting Ivy

Speed Design

Fixing FPS Issue

GPU Instancing

Painting Grass

Speed Design part 2

Adding More Cliffs

Adding a Sea

Customising the Water

Painting the Sand

Adding Details

Final Adjustments

Adding A Wind Zone

Hedera

Bonus

How to sculpt a path with the set height tool

Recording a video part 1

Recording a video part 2

Recording a video part 3

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Provides clear guidance for every stage of creating stunning natural scenes within the Unity engine

Useful to both experienced game designers and beginners, enabling learners of all levels to enhance their skills

Covers a comprehensive range of techniques for environment creation, from terrain sculpting to vegetation placement

Provides practical insights into industry-standard tools and techniques, enabling learners to create realistic and immersive environments

Leverages Pete Jepson's expertise as an experienced game designer, ensuring up-to-date and industry-relevant content

May require prior knowledge of Unity's interface and basic game development concepts

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Activities

Coming soon We're preparing activities for Unity Environment Design. These are activities you can do either before, during, or after a course.

Career center

Learners who complete Unity Environment Design will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Environment Artist

An Environment Artist is a professional who designs and creates virtual environments using 3D modeling, texturing, and lighting software. This course would be a great foundation for anyone looking to start a career in environment art. It would provide you with the skills you need to create stunning environments in Unity, one of the most popular game engines in the industry. You would learn how to use Unity's new Terrain Tools, create realistic ground materials, and setup post processing to make your environments look awesome.

See salaries and explore the career path for Environment Artist

Level Designer

Level Designers are responsible for creating the levels in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create environments that are both fun to play and visually appealing. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of level design and how to use Unity to create your own levels. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Level Designer

Game Designer

Game Designers are responsible for the overall design of video games. They work closely with other team members to create the game's story, characters, levels, and mechanics. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of game design and how to use Unity to create your own games. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Designer

Technical Artist

Technical Artists are responsible for creating the technical assets used in video games, such as 3D models, textures, and shaders. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to ensure that the game's assets are both visually appealing and efficient. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of technical art and how to use Unity to create your own assets. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Artist

3D Artist

3D Artists are responsible for creating the 3D models used in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create characters, objects, and environments. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of 3D modeling and how to use Unity to create your own 3D assets. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for 3D Artist

Lighting Artist

Lighting Artists are responsible for creating the lighting in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create environments that are both visually appealing and realistic. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in lighting art. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic lighting in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Lighting Artist

Visual Effects Artist

Visual Effects Artists are responsible for creating the visual effects used in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create effects such as explosions, fire, and water. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in visual effects art. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic visual effects in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Effects Artist

Game Programmer

Game Programmers are responsible for programming the game's logic and behavior. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to ensure that the game is both fun to play and visually appealing. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of game programming and how to use Unity to create your own games. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Game Programmer

Software Engineer

Software Engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining software applications. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to ensure that the game is both functional and efficient. This course would be a great way to learn the basics of software engineering and how to use Unity to create your own games. You would learn how to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Animator

Animators are responsible for creating the animations used in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create characters and objects that are both visually appealing and realistic. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in animation. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic animations in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Animator

Character Artist

Character Artists are responsible for creating the characters used in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create characters that are both visually appealing and realistic. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in character art. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic characters in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Character Artist

Concept Artist

Concept Artists are responsible for creating the concept art used in video games. They work closely with the game's designers and artists to create characters, objects, and environments. This course would provide you with the skills you need to create stunning environments, add objects and characters, and script the game's behavior.

See salaries and explore the career path for Concept Artist

Producer

Producers are responsible for overseeing the development of video games. They work closely with the game's designers, artists, and programmers to ensure that the game is completed on time and within budget. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in game production. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic environments in Unity.

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Project Manager

Project Managers are responsible for managing the development of video games. They work closely with the game's producers, designers, artists, and programmers to ensure that the game is completed on time and within budget. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in game project management. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic environments in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers are responsible for marketing and promoting video games. They work closely with the game's producers and designers to create marketing campaigns that will generate interest in the game. This course may be helpful for anyone looking to start a career in game marketing. It would provide you with the skills you need to create realistic environments in Unity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Reading list

We've selected 11 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Unity Environment Design.

Unity in Action, Third Edition