Angel City

➤Angel City is a futuristic city square with a little cyberpunk flare. In addition to the world geometry, I created a lot of animated glowing neon signs and screens to bring color and movement into this level. I achieved the feeling of wind blowing through the city with particle systems of blowing newspapers, dust, and falling leaves and blossoms.

Animated UV scrolling is a technique I use extensively through all the levels to bring motion into the world. The misty clouds, screens, neon, water ripples, and blinking lights all use this workflow.

The Bay was a fun corner of the level to create. The cargo ship model and textures are simplified and repurposed from the original game. Sign imagery, metal crates, and pallet cover objects were also simplified and repurposed from the original title.

Crash Site

➤Crash Site was one of my favorite levels to work on. It was rewarding to get a jungle environment running smoothly on mobile, complete with dense foliage, relaxing waterfalls, and lazy rivers. I used blending textures to create the soft transitions in the ground and road visuals. The crashed ship, as well as the modular cliff models, are significantly simplified and repurposed models from the console game.

I created a flapping group of birds which occasionally fly through the level from various directions. (Birds always make environments better.) Cover objects were designed to look like debris from the crashed ship.

Keeping the plants low-poly was key in allowing a large number of them to be drawn on screen. All the plants in the level also sway in the wind.

The water falls and rivers were created with UV scrolling textures and particle systems. Animated water ripples expand out from the base of the waterfalls and a wispy mist circles the level. I simplified the Prowler creature from the main game, then placed it in the level and set up paths for it to run through.

Boneyard

➤Boneyard is a harsh, sandy, rocky environment which employs a shield in the center that blocks missiles and explosive damage. Alien skeletal remains give the level its name. I also took the dragon creature, created a simplified skeleton for it, and re-animated its flying cycle. I then created flight paths for it to follow over the level.

Skull and bone models, radar dish, and the flying dragon creature were repurposed from the main game.

The center shield dome was a lot of fun to work on. I used particles, a displacement material, and lots of scrolling UVs to achieve the final effect. I also created a power-down animation and destruction hit FX for the shield.

Colony

➤Colony is a level with a moody atmosphere. I built a rain FX particle system, and this was the first level to have a weather change in it. I animated a weather change that goes from rainy and blue-tinted, to sunny with warmer lighting, and also added sun rays.

It was fun creating background farming areas on the outskirts of Colony. Modular cliff rocks of various sizes help to visually transition the tall background cliffs into the ground.

I recreated the iconic “SOS” building top from the main title, complete with burning flares. Antennas and on the outer walls and clothing lines sway in the wind.

I created a water spillway in the level which overflows at a certain point in the match. The yellow warning lights were a simple technical achievement, leveraging an additive material and scrolling UVs. Yellow rooftop textures are modified from the main game, and the background cliff tiling texture was modified from an existing texture.

I am particularly proud of the aqueduct pool and flowing water FX. I used a combination of particles, ripple geometry strips, distortion materials, and water edge cards.

Training Ground

➤Training Grounds is a desert combat training facility. Flags, trees, and bushes sway in the windy environment while dusty particle systems add to the dry mood.

I also created a friendly tumbleweed which randomly spawns and bounces throughout the world.

Environment Destructibles and FX

In setting up environment destructibles, I added another layer of immersion to the worlds. I helped design our destructible systems with the team, and then incorporated the systems in diverse ways throughout all of our levels.

Destructibles include walls and parts of buildings which can be destroyed with weapons and explosions. When neon signs or electronics are damaged, sparks spit out and cool on the ground. Trees react to explosions by swaying back, and shedding puffs of leaves or blossoms. Small bushes burst into flame, then burn out. Cracks and explosion marks appear on rooftops or the ground when damaged. I often use physics-based particle systems to achieve chunky-looking concrete explosions.



(Concrete destructible and sparks from electronics in Angel City, and subtle asphalt cracks appear on the street.)

(Trees and wall reacting to an explosion in Angel City.)

(Corner rock face destructible in Crash Site.)

(Trees sway and shed leaves from explosions in Crash Site.)

(Shield damage flicker glitch effect in Boneyard.)

(Building damage destructible and torched bush in Boneyard.)

(Tree explosion reaction and concrete wall destructible in Colony.)

(Special pumpkin destructibles for our Halloween event.)

Base Explosions

I also set up larger environmental destruction events for each level, which are triggered when the main turret is destroyed. I created the environmental damage and physics explosion objects and FX, while our FX artist created the large fiery explosions for these events. I broke off pieces of the environment to create these FX, and caused chunks of concrete, crates, and small props fly and bounce around dynamically from the explosion.

(Building breaking apart in Boneyard physics explosion.)

(Various structures breaking apart, and tree swaying and catching on fire in Training Grounds, as a result of the turret destruction.)

In creating all the environments for Titanfall Assault, I was able to design and create intricate yet optimized worlds with a lot of personality. My love for ambient details and reactive elements works to breath life into my environments in delightful and unexpected ways, resulting in a rich, immersive experience.

The post Titanfall Assault Environment Art by Josiah Munsey first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

A mysterious glowing valve in a machine somewhere deep in the universe.

This scene is arranged and running in Unity 3D. I created every aspect of this artwork including modeling, texturing, lighting, and particle FX. I created the model in Maya and the 4K Textures were created leveraging nDo. I created most aspects of the music with a microKorg.

The post Dark Energy Valve first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

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Now Available on STEAM
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Forgotten Passages // Journey down a rabbit hole of compact surreal worlds in a minimal game where you explore dreamlike environments. Weave your way to an exit, and warp to the next living painting to discover what lies around the corner.  Forgotten Passages is a zen-like visual experience designed to be played in a dark room with your favorite pair of headphones. With very simple controls, Forgotten Passages is accessible to anyone, from children to grandparents to traditional gamers.
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Forgotten Passages is my personal project running in Unity 3D. I created all models, FX, animation, textures, lighting etc. I created a level a day for one hundred days straight, most of which I accomplished before breakfast each morning. This project has really pushed me to create quickly, and has taught me techniques for design stunning visual impacts in tiny amounts of time. I had a blast creating particle FX for this project, and developed a lot of new visual techniques. Mesh particles, scrolling UV trickery, and stretched billboards are very powerful tools.
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I created this swarming fish effect by utilizing mesh particle emitters in Unity.

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I draw a great amount of inspiration from the crazy worlds under the sea. An iconic level of Forgotten Passages pushing color saturation to create a surreal atmosphere.

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Distortion shader used on particles to create heat wave FX. I have always loved shots of glowing engines in movies, so I decided to throw one together quickly.

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I grew up in and around forests, and I am in love with them. A tranquil birch forest with grass that sways in the wind.

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I harnessed the power of reflection probes and repeated simple geometry to design this glittering diamond hallway.

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I used particle emitters to create light rays that follow the character around. Mossy stone material utilizes a sweet vertex up shader to dynamically blend two textures with moss appearing on up facing normals.

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Glowing light is such a powerful way to create dramatic imagery and I use it often. One of my 100 levels of Forgotten Passages, each completed in 1-2 hours on average.

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I have always found inspiration in paper lanterns and their soothing light.

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Mc Escher and Roman aqueducts inspired level.

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A beautiful discovery on creating complex visuals with simple mesh particle systems. A constantly growing and contracting matrix of cubes. Check out the video!

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Forgotten Passages is now available on STEAM
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Feel free to contact me at josiah [dot] munsey [at] gmail.com

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The post +++ FORGOTTEN PASSAGES +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

The post +++ Creating Worlds in Sword Coast Legends – Josiah Munsey +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

+++ A foggy port in a forgotten corner of the universe. +++

Personal project artwork I created as a proof of concept and functioning demo scene. I am a bit obsessed with cyberpunk sci fi style environments. Heavily influenced by Bladerunner. Screen captured using Fraps and running real time in Unity.

Thanks to Q.K. for the base rain audio found here ( I modified it into a perfect audio loop ) http://www.freesound.org/people/Q.K./sounds/56309/

The post +++ PORT ZENN +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

When I run across happy accidents, I like to expand upon them and make them into something. Found this effect while playing with stretched particles. Video made with particle emitters. Created in Unity 3D and runs in real time. Used Fraps to capture the video.

The post +++ THE BRIGHT +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

+++ I had a lot of fun quickly creating this. An ever changing WebGL  dream visual that runs in your browser +++

+++ https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7654306/WebGL/index.html +++

The post +++ rainbow additive webgl visual+++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

image via davidblosser

Yesterday wrapped up showing Forgotten Passages at Orlando iX. This was my first public debut of Forgotten Passages ( and first time showing any game at a conference )  and it was an absolutely wonderful experience. People seemed to love the game from very casual players to hard core gamers. Many attendees played the entire demo of 30 levels all the way through, which typically took around 20 minutes to complete. Overall I estimate 200-300 people played the game over 2 days. People repeatedly told me that Forgotten Passages was beautiful and a lot of players found the game highly relaxing.

I gathered a lot of helpful feedback and have some small adjustments planned for the game. I am going to create a more intuitive control scheme and add a few subtle story points that I was previously on the fence about. I will also add some sort of radar signal from the exit portal of the level at the press of a key to help players find the exit in some of the more disorienting levels. I will probably also add the ability to turn the cellphone light off and on.

image via HULKGAMECRIT

The post +++ Forgotten Passages at Orlando iX 2015 +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

May your new year be filled with beauty, new creations, new adventures.

The post +++ jade freq +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.

This creature found in space and the depths of oceans. Full size background here.

The post +++ Living Cube Organism gif +++ first appeared on 26:PM ➜ Josiah Munsey.