Everything I learnt about Environment Art – Part 2- Materials & Shaders by Ben Keeling

This course dives into the nitty-gritty of creating believable tiling materials and advanced shaders, essential skills for any environment artist. Ben Keeling shares his hard-won knowledge, breaking down complex topics into digestible chapters with practical, real-world examples. It’s the perfect next step if you’ve got the basics down and want to elevate your environment art game.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• How to create and approach tiling materials with variations.
• Practical workflows for sculpting tiling atlases in ZBrush.
• Building base materials and adding variation in Substance Designer.
• Understanding shaders and their application in game environments.
• Creating advanced shaders in Unreal Engine, including Material Functions and Layering.
• Implementing landscape basics, decals, and foliage shaders.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Familiarity with 3D art fundamentals, basic understanding of material and shader concepts.
• Tools: Access to Blender, Zbrush, Substance Painter/Designer, and Unreal Engine 5.
• Hardware: A computer capable of running the specified software smoothly.

📝 Description

This tutorial is structured to share practical lessons learned in environment art, focusing specifically on materials and shaders. Ben Keeling guides you through each topic, starting with the theory – explaining the ‘why’ behind certain approaches and the tools involved. Then, he dives into live demonstrations, applying the concepts using examples from his own professional work. You’ll get access to PureRef files packed with extra breakdowns, links, and resources to further your learning. The course is designed for those looking to deepen their understanding beyond basic asset creation and move into more advanced texturing and rendering techniques.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Environment artists looking to improve their material creation skills.
• Game artists wanting to understand and implement advanced shaders.
• Beginners and intermediate users who have a foundational grasp of 3D art and want to specialize in environment texturing and shading.
• Anyone interested in learning Ben Keeling’s personal workflows and insights.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Ben Keeling is an experienced environment artist who brings a wealth of practical knowledge to this tutorial. He shares lessons learned throughout his career, offering insights into industry-standard workflows and techniques. His approach is grounded in real-world application, making complex topics accessible and actionable for students.

🏁 Final Result

By the end of this course, you will have a solid understanding of how to create high-quality tiling materials and implement sophisticated shaders in Unreal Engine 5, enabling you to build more detailed and visually compelling game environments. You’ll be equipped with practical skills and a deeper appreciation for the technical aspects of environment art.