Market Alley

Summary

Stylized game environment inspired by Central Asian / Persian bazaars, created with Houdini, Maya, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine 4. Includes custom 3D models, textures, and materials. Several hero shots were post-explored with AI to art-direct mood and background parallax, then curated to match the practical set.

Inspiration

For centuries, markets across Samarqand, Bukhara, and Isfahan served as hubs of trade and culture. The goal was to capture that energy in a compact, performative UE4 scene suitable for real-time walkthroughs and portfolio presentation.

Inspiration reference board

Reference photos — Google Images

AI Aided Design

To quickly explore atmospherics and set dressing beyond the playable alley, I composited UE renders with AI-generated plates, then refined color and depth so they read as one scene. These comps help communicate mood and direction when lighting or level dressing is still in flux.

UE4 render — front view

Project render in Unreal Engine

AI-refined front view

Project image refined with AI

UE4 render — pottery section

Project render in Unreal Engine

AI-refined pottery section

Project image refined with AI

UE4 render — alley view

Project render in Unreal Engine

AI-refined alley view

Project image refined with AI

Production

Unreal Engine 4

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Houdini

The pottery section was built with procedural HDAs to iterate quickly on silhouettes and historic styles. Parameterized forms let me explore families of vessels, then lock in hero shapes for texturing and layout. A photogrammetry pass of a small wooden camel added grounded detail to the set.

Houdini procedural pottery GIF

Procedural pottery via NURBS curve manipulation in Houdini (GIF)

Process — materials pass Process — layout pass Process — lighting pass Return to Portfolio