I decided to work with three subgroups based on architecture associated with varying levels of wealth. These became Peasant Hovel, Vassal Townhouse, and Crown Castle. Each material set, even though it is born of distinct inspiration, will work quite happily with materials from the others. Each set features at least a single floor, wall and a roof material. On top of that, I added a couple extra somethings to each set that fits the character.

From a technical point of view, I found myself really digging deeper into the power of parameters than I have before. Usually parameters in my materials serve as simple switches or minor adjustments to get different yet specific variants from a Substance file. This works perfectly fine for my own needs; I’m more than happy to go and edit the graphs themselves or create parallel branches to get the various appearances I might need.

For this set, however, I really wanted to make sure that end users were going to be fully empowered to create exactly the look they wanted from each material by using the parameters alone. Most of these materials can be adjusted to create very distinct styles.

Chapter One: Peasant Hovel