Improving texturing skills in UDK

Albeit, it is a very technical process to learn "Mesh Paint" in UDK, the purpose of it is to provide myself with the possibility to express my artistic imagination even more on the work I create.
Mesh Paint allows one to paint multiple textures over a surface in very distinct and unique manners. For instance, my goal was to be able to paint dust in cracked areas of a wall. That will provide a more believable look and you can stylize anyway you want.

Advanced Mesh Painting in UDK from 3DMotive sets quite an intensive learning curve as there is MUCH to understand about the process. It involves setting up your materials in quite a unique way.

Here are some pictures showing the logical, but craazy node system I've ended up creating and re-creating several times:

With the help of this new tools at my disposal, I have more control over how colors and texture patterns behave/appear on my game levels. Once you practice and research the technical elements enough, it all becomes art again and the tool is just second nature.

Here is a test scene, showing exactly what I am able to achieve with Mesh Paint:

UDK is starting to make more sense now, becoming more familiar and understandable as I peek into the inner workings of various tools. There is still and always be a lot more to learn, but as your capabilities grow, you feel more confident.

Practicing with UDK

I have been making some good progress with UDK. Thanks to the 3DBuzz tutorials, I am understanding the basics of the program.

I have finished studying the next three chapters:

1. UDK:   Part 2 - Creating a Simple Level 
2.           Part 3 - Lighting (Introduction)
3.           Part 4 - Geometry Mode

After using programs such as 3DSMax and Maya, understanding the basic workflow of UDK has not been hard at all.

Without doing any static mesh import, I have created a practice scene with some very basic elements. I have only used models which can be found in the Content Browser. There are a lot of modular ones, so I just legod some things out, examining the advantages of modular assets.

First blockout

The blockout was done using only BSP brushes. I have tried to be very clean about my units, so everything is evenly positioned from the center point with proper scale.

I have looked at static meshes that emit light, by baking the lighting information into the textures around them. The little lights on the walls are meshes like that. Also, I've added a post-production effect as well to the second room of the building. I've also been able to slowly transition this effect, so that the color changes don't just pop, instead they slowly fade in and out.
I created a basic trigger for the door as well, so that when a player approaches it, it opens with proper sound effects. I've created these via Unreal Kismet and Matinee.

Very cool stuff indeed, I`m very eager to continue with the tutorials and start practicing with some very unique designs.