The Elder Scrolls Online

Professinal Work // Game Art

As an Environment Artist, my work on the project included modeling and texturing assets such as buildings, props, caves, as well as full dungeon sets.

Software: 3D Studio Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, CrazyBump

Presentation: In-Game Screenshots

Thieves Guild Dungeon Set

With the Thieves Guild Content Pack came a new dungeon set. The modular design of the assets continued, however this set had to provide ways for the player to sneak and peer into neighboring areas. Designed with a Redguard flair, and located beneath the sands of Hew's Bane in Tamriel, these dungeons help tell the story as the player makes their way through the famous Thieves Guild expansions storyline that the Elder Scrolls series is known for.

The Making of a Modular Dungeon

The shots below are taken from the 3D Studio Max viewport, and show how a dungeon can be created in game using modular parts. In this case, for the Thieves Guilds Redguard Dungeon, the set is divided between rooms (made up of upper and lower walls), hallways, and secret tunnel hallways. All of the parts must snap to the grid, and have interlocking doors or transition pieces that allow the player to seamlessly travel from one portion of the set to another.

Dark Brotherhood Set

With the Dark Brotherhood Content Pack came a new area for players to explore and set the mood of the dark and sinister storyline.

Imperial City Dungeon Set

With the Imperial City Content Pack came a new twist on an existing dungeon set. This modular set had to have damage and show the Cold Harbor invasion beneath Cyrodiil.

Standard Dungeon Set

While these dungeons were not for one specific culture within the Elder Scrolls like other dungeons, they still had to work alongside them. The set had to be diverse in configuration, but subtle enough so they could be decorated to fit various story lines. Some were world-built to be old and abandoned, while others were new and populated.

Nord Dungeons

Players of Skyrim will immediately recognize these dungeons, they often contain the ancient tombs of the Nords and Draugr. This set was remade for ESO but was heavily based off of the look and feel of the Skyrim pieces.

Cave Sets

The order was in, create a library of cave rooms and tunnels that were interchangeable, and could be used for a variety of moody set pieces. The sets had to be interesting, but also a bit subdued to cover all those bases. Many of the textures from these sets were used throughout the game on various rocks and cliff pieces as well.

The Making of a Modular Cave Set

The shots below are taken from the 3D Studio Max viewport, and show a sample of how a cave can be created in the game using modular parts. In this case, for the Mountain Caves, the set is divided between rooms and hallways. All pieces must snap to the grid, and have matching openings that allow the player to seamlessly travel from one portion of the set to another. Transitions pieces are also created to allow various cave types to be mixed and matched together, for example, changing from a mountain style to a sandy, desert style cave.

Textures

A majority of the production art on the project used tiling textures, especially the various cave and dungeon sets. These are just a sample of textures that I had the opportunity to work on during the course of the project.

Daedric Dungeons and Architecture

The Daedra, with their brooding designs, had a unique set of architecture which was also adapted to a dungeon set. The diverse designs of the main features proved challenging to adapt for modularity, but in the end designers could create their own rooms and halls without any noticeable changes between pieces.

The Making of a Colovian House

The shots below are taken from the 3D Studio Max viewport, and shows a sample of how an architectural piece is typically divided up and constructed. As noted, parts were modeled and textured by Steve Nelson, Neal Jany, and other members of the fixture team. Various structures within the set were then divided up and build using these parts. I was responsible for creating the final version of this house along with others from various culture sets.

Props

Props and other small assets are the final touch to an environment. The Elder Scrolls Online has a rich and diverse library of assets that our world builders used to prop zones and tell a story. These are just a few I had the opportunity to work on.

Disclaimer

Any plants, trees, grass, characters, creatures, weapons, or FX shown in the above images were done by other artists on the development team. Any crates, skulls, treasure chests, or banners were done by other artists on the Fixture team.
The Elder Scrolls and The Elder Scrolls Online are copyright ZeniMax Media Inc.