Blending prefab assets into scenes seamlessly

[rajillustration]

Hey guys, we all know about assets, which are super handy, and can make quick work of annoying and tedious details. Problem is, it's the same prefab clip studio assets that every other person with clip studio also has. Some are used so often, that it takes me out of the story I am reading (like there's a particular Clip Studio asset of a fantasy royal room that I see used so often, I can make a headcanon that all these royalty comics take place in the same universe.)

Now I'm a creator, so I feel like...obviously I'm going to recognize these things more than an average reader, and I'm also not going to knock using these things because you need to when that deadline is right there and you just aren't getting paid enough to do more. However, they often get blown up too large so you get mad aliasing (sometimes rendering a 3d image of like a door or a wall so close up that there's jagged edges on curves.) Also I see using 3d room assets or physical assets and just....choosing not to add any color at all. Lots of gray void that I think can be easily fixed with 2 seconds of paint or even a pattern texture. --overall it lacks polish

So I decided that I thought it might be a good idea to make a thread where we talk about how we blend our assets so it feels more seamless and more unique (and polished!) Different techniques that we do that maybe don't take much time, but make a scene look so much better than just dropping a prefab art brush or a 3d object and walking away.

So, how do you guys like to use em? What's your process?

[artemficta]

I use 3d models for my BGs, but I line and color them just like I do my characters so they blend right in. It really doesn't take that long at all for most scenes to make them match.

[Kiweevil]

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[darthmongoose]

I trace over mine completely and colour them from scratch, often adding in extra bits and flourishes or changing things, because it's remarkably hard to find assets that look like modern Britain. The Clip Studio model rendering is very ugly to me, with poor antialiasing on the lines, unpleasant colour choices and greyish shadows, so I feel like even if I had a generic fantasy or modern East-Asian setting I probably wouldn't dump the assets in there without at least touching up the lines, adding some texture and at least using the tone editing tools to fix the colour grading.

Fun extra: The Chapter House Lounge Bar in Errant was built in Unity and is really quite astonishingly ugly when not drawn over, but I just needed it as a perspective guide, and had struggled ineffectively to find any premade assets that looked like a British pub, so I had to improvise with bits of assets from a "Medieval Tavern", a "Modern Bar" and creating a bar using a level design tool.

[Llyrel]

Same! I use Clip Studio assets and then trace over them/use my own colors to make them fit my style. Depending on what I need, I also tend to simplify and/or add details.

The big tombstone here for example had a bit too many lines for my taste, so I got rid of the ones that felt unnecessary. However, the rendering also ended up removing some lines that didn't need to be removed at all, so I added them back when I did my lineart. The fence in the original asset was also going to be A HUGE pain in the butt to draw (pillars? Perspective? NOPE, THANKS), so I replaced it with an "European fence brush" I found for free among Clip Studio assets :'D much easier to work with, and also a nice way to help me differentiate the scene from the original asset. It's not like the fence is a major part of the scene anyway (heck, it's barely even visible in this panel), so no need to waste so much time making it uber detailed XD

[writercynknapp]

I pretty much try to fade out the background, so the eyes focus on the characters and dialog.

To be sure, I am starting with a big talent deficient. You can accomplish good effects with multi-layers that have reduced opacity.

example "The Larks"

[ninjashira]

Same with the others here, except I don't use the Clip Studio assets. I source 3D models from SketchUp Warehouse or build them myself in TinkerCAD, then trace over them completely using lineart that matches my art style.

I am in full support of people using 3D assets to help speed up their art processes, but I think the worst thing an artist can do with that is make it look like it's a 3D render just plopped on top of their hand drawn artwork.

[Hodge]

With 3d I use a subtle texture and gradient to sort of unify everything, maybe add in more texture with hatching brushes, depends on the composition. Sometimes will extract line+posterization if it's something I want to color separately, gives it a hand drawn look, kinda sorta. Also just try to mix in hand drawn stuff if I can.

But its really just a matter of time and how much effort I want to put in.

[rajillustration]

@darthmongoose I totally feel you on how assets don't really feel like a "place" that is unique and lived in with a culture of it's own, which makes sense, because they have to be generic in order to be used. So kudos on making your own model, Once that puppy got drawn over it looks real nice! I also like that you're using shapes to act as stand ins for like the menu on the wall and the shape of the booths on the side.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Yeah...none of the assets work with my cartoony style in the slightest. Not to mention later parts of my comic are ultra sci-fi, and the majority of assets are for slice of life manga or webtoon xD

Basically I use assets as a base template and redraw everything to fit my style. So... trace and modify is the name of the game for me.

[MARNSOA]

I actually trace the 3D assets. It's convenient for me because I work in black and white, but I would think tracing 3D assets for colored comics would be a hassle,,

[Pandastrophic]

I use the LT conversion on 3D assets (it makes 3D assets into lineart) i then sliiightly blur the lines so they don't look as rough. I then colour them using my own colour palette and the lighting that fits the scene so they blend it pretty okay in the comic.

Another thing to consider, asset choice is important, some assets are very distinct, particularly the very detailed ones.
It might also be easier for comics set in modern day to find a wider variety of assets that look "basic" enough to be easier to blend in? (Like you wouldn't notice a basic looking sofa asset used in different comics but you'd notice an elaborate throne).
So I'm not sure how artists with more fantasy comics approach this, i was looking into more fantasy 3D assets and didn't find a lot.

[dreamysheep.01]

I've been experimenting with 3D models as a base for some of my backgrounds. To make them blend in with everything else I adjust the colours, overpaint, and add new elements as needed.

This is one of the backgrounds for Chapter 3 (sorry it's uploading so dark, it's actually only a fraction darker than the unedited version below so I'm not sure what's happening there but i hope it's not too difficult to see.)

And this is it before overpainting but after I'd adjusted the colours (I didn't save the entirely unedited vers sorry)

[An_Alias]

Hello! I'm a 3D artist and I just wanted to drop in some resources in case anyone was looking for free/low-cost models to use since OP mentioned seeing the same assets over and over.

You can find free models in varying art styles at these sites:

https://www.turbosquid.com

Sketchfab - The best 3D viewer on the web

CGTrader - 3D Model Store

https://3dexport.com
etc.

You're going to typically want the .fbx files if you want to keep their textures on unless your drawing program prefers .obj's.

If you're looking for realistic references of an object try searching for photogrammetry of it. These models are typically unoptimized/high poly (large file) with the lighting baked in.

I can't find anything on what 2d programs poly/tri limits are, so make sure you save before importing any models just incase they crash your program.

You can also find free 3D textures here, though you do have to make an account first:
https://www.textures.com/

The Unreal game engine is also free to use if anyone needs a program to set things up or change textures/lighting/render passes in. It's probably the most user-friendly option. It's also pretty easy to gray-box sets in if you don't want to mess with models. You can make things cel-shaded. There's also always Blender.

[kavaj]

Cause i have the misfortune of choosing the fantasy genre, i have to sketch the entire sceneries/landscapes and buildings myself because it’s not based on western fantasy or anything based on real earth really. I naively spending my time looking at rocky mountains and the nature and wilderness pictures a lot. And imagine the backgrounds and settings from that