Creating 3D Environment Concepts with Mood & Story by Andy Walsh

Learn how to effectively communicate stories and evoke emotions with your 3D environment concepts. In this 4.5-hour workshop, Concept Artist Andy Walsh shares the process he has refined over a decade to design environments that captivate audiences and establish an emotional connection.

Starting with reference gathering and quick sketches, Andy guides you through gauging the direction of the environment and determining what needs to be created in 3D. Using a combination of Adobe Medium, 3D-Coat, Blender, and a touch of ZBrush, he assembles an intriguing story moment designed to spark curiosity in viewers. You’ll learn how Adobe Medium can be used to effortlessly block in an entire environment and how 3D-Coat can quickly and effectively add realism to your digital sculpts. Additionally, you’ll practice using Quixel MegaScans to blend your 3D creations with natural assets. Andy’s workflow includes a straightforward process for inserting characters with the help of Mixamo and Sketchfab.

Once the environment takes shape, Andy demonstrates how to render it in Blender and export it into Photoshop for the final layer of storytelling, finishing details, and polish. It is in this final phase where all the real magic happens! This workshop is designed for artists familiar with Blender who may struggle with adding living characters and organic, handmade props.

The grim and gruesome assets Andy creates in this workshop are provided as downloadable project files for subscribers.