Let's talk about Design

When we think about design, we often tend to visualize highly complex concepts, packed with intricate details and the result of endless hours of research.

This mindset, however, frequently leads us into a dead end where we struggle to finish the work and end up feeling stuck.

From my experience, it is essential to be very clear about the purpose behind what you are designing. Is it for a low-poly game, a first-person shooter or for cinematics? Will it be clearly visible or remain in the background? And above all, how much time do you have to complete it?

Colony Break has a fully Sci-Fi mood, where building construction plays a heavy role. As you may know, there are several stylistic branches within the science-fiction genre. Some environments are extremely detailed—what I like to call BaroqueSciFi—while others rely on super-minimalist structures. I usually lean towards the latter, because I find it more natural and because I like imagining a future that feels clean, beautiful, and minimal.

That being said, I also believe that simple shapes, lines, and textures are often easier to process visually and generally easier to create (though not always). In prop design, technical constraints also influence our decisions. What is the structure used for? Does it need to be accessible? How does it relate to the surrounding buildings? Does it have maximum allowed dimensions? Studying all these questions in advance helps avoid redoing work later (although, let’s be honest, you’ll still end up going back—keep pushing).

References and Blockout

Studying references is extremely important. Even if you’re exceptionally imaginative (which is not my case), it’s always helpful to gather references—not to copy them, but to draw inspiration from them. I usually collect references that I like and that evoke some emotion. Once I’ve reviewed them, I close everything and start modelling.

For several years now, I’ve been modelling in Blender because it’s a very versatile tool and allows a solid workflow toward Substance Painter and UE5. I’m also a big fan of Plasticity, but I only use it when I need to create complex surfaces that would otherwise be a headache in Blender. There is no more efficient way to start a design than by creating a blockout. You can’t start building the house from the roof and begin designing like crazy. You need to create primary shapes to establish dimensions and verify proportions. Most of the time, I simply start with a cube… and then another one.

Vision

I believe that what you can achieve in terms of design is always tied to the visual intuition you've build in the past. Of course, it also depends on your technical skills and how well you understand your tools. The perfect design doesn’t exist, even if sometimes it may seem so. We are all influenced by trends that are considered valid in the era we live in.

Imagine showing a modern high-end car to a medieval feudal lord—he’d probably take his horse and ride on it. What I mean is: we shouldn’t get frustrated if a prop doesn’t fully match current trends or is not looking like others works. Art, like life, is beautiful precisely because it is varied. It’s also important to find your own style and feel comfortable with it.

Topology

There are many opinions regarding quads vs. n-gons, good topology vs. bad topology.

From my point of view, it’s always about finding the right balance and understanding what works and what doesn’t. Since I often work heavily with booleans (a controversial topic, I know), because it's the way is working for me, the process generates plenty of n-gons, and most of the time I fix them surgically, where it's a must and no more. However, I don’t stress too much if some n-gons remain—sometimes I simply apply a triangulate modifier and see what happens then.

What I’m trying to say is: if your mesh works even with a few n-gons, why spend extra time trying to achieve perfect topology? Is there shading artifacting? No? Then move on. I understand that in the past perfect topology was critical, also the amount of polygons you generate within a single mesh. but with current engines like UE5 it’s becoming easier to focus on design and breathe a little less technical boundaries rigidity.

Recap

With all this said, I want to express that—like anyone else—I am constantly learning, and the things I believe to be true today may change in the future.

What I mean is that each person must find the workflow and methods that feel most comfortable for them when designing. Not everything I explain here, nor everything we read on the internet, must be taken as absolute truth. It always depends on your point of view and on the experience you’ve accumulated, and most importantly, getting things done.