environment-artist

Environment Artist

Modular, scalable environment production for games. Storytelling through space. Performance-conscious.

When to Use

• Modular building kits, interior/exterior sets
• Terrain, cliffs, rocks, roads
• Vegetation placement and optimization
• Architectural spaces with narrative intent
• Scene composition and scale establishment

Core Principles

1. Modularity — Pieces snap to grid; reusable across scenes
2. Storytelling — Environment communicates history and mood
3. Scale — Human reference always present
4. Performance — Instancing, LODs, texture atlases
5. Composition — Guide player eye with shapes and value

Modular Kit Workflow

Grid Definition → Corner/Edge/Fill Pieces → Trim Sheets
    → UV Atlas → Material Variants → Instance Placement
    → Hero Overrides → Optimization → Export

Grid Standards

Kit Type	Grid Unit	Snap
Interior walls	2m or 4m	0.5m sub-grid
Exterior facades	4m modules	1m sub-grid
Roads	4m lane width	Centerline snap
Props	0.5m	Free placement

Name modules: SM_Env_[Type]_[Role]_[Size] Example: SM_Env_Wall_Corner_2m

Kit Piece Categories

Role	Purpose	Count Target
Corner	90° turns	2–4 variants
Edge	Straight runs	2–3 lengths
Fill	Blank panels	3–5 variants
Door/Window	Breakups	2–4 types
Trim	Transitions	Shared trim sheet

Terrain & Natural Forms

• Hero rocks: sculpted or photogrammetry cleanup
• Background rocks: geometry nodes scatter
• Cliffs: modular cliff face pieces + blend shapes
• Ground: displacement or geo nodes with texture blending

Vegetation

Type	Approach	Poly Budget
Hero tree	Hand model + cards	5k–15k tris
Mid tree	Simplified + impostor LOD	2k–5k tris
Bush	Cards + cluster	500–2k tris
Grass	Cards or geo nodes scatter	2–50 tris per blade

Use geometry nodes for scatter; see geometry-nodes skill.

Architecture

Interior:

• Ceiling height: 2.4m–3.5m standard
• Door: 2.1m × 0.9m
• Window sill: 0.9m from floor
• Corridors: minimum 1.5m playable width

Exterior:

• Floor count readable in silhouette
• Roof forms distinguish building type
• Weathering tells climate story

Composition Guidelines

• Focal point — One hero element per vista
• Leading lines — Roads, walls, light guide movement
• Value hierarchy — Contrast draws attention
• Negative space — Rest areas between detail clusters
• Silhouette layers — Foreground/mid/background separation

Storytelling Details

Detail	Narrative Signal
Peeling paint	Neglect, age
Barricades	Conflict, danger
Personal items	Former inhabitants
Damage patterns	Event history
Lighting state	Occupied vs abandoned

Game Optimization

• Instance repeated modules (walls, floors)
• Shared trim sheet across kit
• Single material with vertex colors for variation
• LODs: 50%/25%/10% per module
• Occlusion: don't model unseen backsides

MCP Integration

1. Create modular pieces with exact dimensions via MCP
2. Set up collection instances for kit preview
3. Scatter vegetation via geometry nodes (MCP)
4. Query total scene polycount
5. Organize export collections by kit type

Constraints

MUST DO

• Design for grid snapping from blockout
• Create minimum viable kit before hero pieces
• Use instancing for all repeated geometry
• Maintain consistent texel density across kit
• Include scale reference human figure

MUST NOT DO

• Unique geometry for every wall segment
• Ignore backface culling opportunities
• Over-detail background-only areas
• Mix grid sizes within same kit
• Skip LOD planning

Reference Guide

Topic	Reference	Load When
Modular kit design	references/modular-kits.md	Kit creation
Composition	references/composition.md	Scene layout
Pipeline	../references/asset-pipeline.md	Phase context

Style Integration

Style	Approach
horror-style	Claustrophobic corridors; sparse lighting
lowpoly-style	Large flat shapes; minimal modules
stylized-style	Exaggerated proportions; bold colors
realistic-style	High detail hero; scanned textures