UE4 Gray Box

I felt I made a mistake here by not having the base color in much consideration at this point. Looking back at it I think I would have paid more attention because the Base Color of the models highly affect the lighting which ultimately impacts the overall look, feel and atmosphere of the image.

As a result, the impression of the scene changed when I started working on the textures. For my next project I will definitely put more emphasis on the Base color during blocking out or even use Substance Painter to make some quick simple textures closer to the final outcome so that I can work more smoothly on the assets without changing the impression/direction of the scene as I progress.

How did you create the 3d models for your scene? How many elements did you have to make? How did you approach the optimization of your 3d asset pack?

By adding more things to the scene, it may get better but I wanted to avoid making more than required and instead try to push for quality in a realistic and practical way. I fixed the main compositions and from there decided on the props to make.

Once the Grey box progressed to a certain level, it became easy to spot the required missing assets that would aesthetically enhance the scene.

These are 2 images before and after the props are decided.

I added things that would positively impact the overall look of the scene yet are not technical hassles. For example, the gold fonts, books on the shelves, green panels on the ceiling etc. I also changed the direction of the Directional Light slightly and this whole process was done with the help from Yap, offering his advice on composition and lighting, bringing out the points of focus in the scene.