How to Balance Efficiency & Creativity in Procedural Art
In the past, “procedural” mostly had a negative connotation – words like “generic” and “computer-generated assets” would come to mind. But tools like Substance Designer have proved otherwise for materials, and now Houdini is doing the same for environments. As a result, more and more developers are recognising how procedural tools can power and streamline their pipelines.
Bringing it back to Forge Studios, there’s no one better equipped to walk us through its complexities than Jeroen Jansen, our Lead Environment Artist. In this interview, he breaks it all down – from how Houdini has transformed his manual workflow, to the value of learning new tools, the evolving role it plays in game development, and more.
Welcome to our interview series, Jeroen! Tell us a little bit about yourself and what led you to join Forge.
Hi, I’m Jeroen! I lead and manage extremely talented teams of artists on various projects at Forge Studios. In my spare time, I’m a loving husband and father. In my spare time, I am an avid gamer and still dreaming of one day creating my own video game.
Before joining Forge in 2012, I was an environment artist in Holland at several companies. This is how I met Stefano Pinna, when we worked together at Streamline Studios. While this was only for about a year or two, that connection was what led me to join Forge – they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I grabbed my suitcase, jumped on a plane to Rome, and haven’t looked back since.
What an awesome path that led you to Forge! What are some projects you’ve worked on, and how have they shaped your approach to environment art?
At Forge, I’ve had the chance to contribute to a wide range of projects, including:
- Ryse: Son of Rome,
- Homefront: The Revolution,
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare,
- Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock,
- RuneScape,
My work ranges from environments to props, weapons, and vehicles, across both realistic and stylized styles. Each project comes with its own challenges, whether it is adapting to a new art style, refining workflows, or tackling technical limitations. Along the way, I picked up new techniques and tools that shape how I approach environment art today.
What an impressive list! What would you say your go-to 3D software is, and what makes it essential to your workflow?
It has evolved quite a bit over the years. I started out with mainly 3ds Max and Photoshop, heavily relying on photo-sourced textures and layered files. It was a slow and manual process – constantly switching between 3ds Max and Photoshop, exporting, reloading, and fixing seams by hand.
ZBrush was one of the first big additions to my toolkit as it became a standard in the industry. It completely changed what was possible, allowing for high detail sculpting with a tablet in a way that traditional 3D software couldn’t match. At the same time, I picked up 3D Coat, a great tool for stylized painting directly on models in the viewport, something that wasn’t common back then.
When Substance Designer entered the picture, it introduced a new way of working: node-based texture generation that was much more technical than traditional texture painting. That shift really pushed me toward a more procedural mindset.
Over time, I picked up on new tools to either improve my workflow, or because they were industry standards; Maya, Marmoset Toolbag, Substance Painter, Rizom UV, Unreal Engine, Unity3D, and more. I also started writing and using scripts to speed up repetitive tasks and improved efficiency.
More recently, I’ve been diving into SideFX Houdini, which quickly became my favourite tool. It has everything: node-based workflows, proceduralism, engine integrations, simulations, scripting, material creation, and more. It really opened new ways to handle complex or repetitive tasks, which I really appreciate.
That said, 3ds Max is still a core part of my workflow, almost an extension of my arm. Other tools I use is either an industry standard or enhances my workflow.
That’s fair. We’ve seen Houdini making headway in environmental art. How has it changed your workflow?
I’ve only used Houdini professionally on a smaller scale so far, but even that has really opened my eyes to how useful it can be for environment art, especially when it comes to procedural systems and generators.
In the past, I would have hand-built things like rock faces, canyons, buildings, bridges, or cable kits (overall a slow and tedious process). With Houdini, I can focus on the core building blocks and set up a system that generates those assets for me.
I can also expose parameters for endless variations, making procedural tools useful and flexible. I’ve also found it great for modifying existing models, such as adjusting UVs, adding vertex colours, tweaking normals, or optimizing meshes, all in a procedural way.
Since Houdini is node-based, I can set up a process once and apply it to a batch of models – saving me a lot of time and speeding up my workflows in return.
Makes sense! Many studios are also adopting Houdini for VFX like smoke, water, explosions etc. How do you see its role evolving in procedural environment generation?
Although Houdini had mainly been known for VFX like explosions, smoke, and water, many game studios have been using it for years. It wasn’t until more recent versions that I noticed its potential for environment art. SideFX made big UI improvements, making it much more accessible and artist friendly.
They also introduced game tools and Houdini Engine for Unreal and Unity, which really showed their commitment to game development.
As a result, I believe it will keep playing a major role in procedural environment generation for all kinds of projects, big and small. I can only see it evolving into an even more complete toolset for game development.
Very insightful! Now, what was the most challenging about learning these tools, and how would you recommend approaching them?
When I first opened 3ds Max, I closed it right away and didn’t touch it again for months. It felt like staring into a black hole – it was way too overwhelming. Eventually, I bought some books and gave it another shot, starting with the basics like modelling an apple. Progress was slow, but I kept going because I knew what I wanted to do with this.
Learning Houdini felt similar at first. It’s a massive, complex tool that felt intimidating. But this time, my curiosity kept me going. What I saw people creating with it blew my mind, and I wanted to be able to do the same, to implement it in my own work. So, I started following content creators, looking for tutorials and courses online.
These tools aren’t as intuitive as picking up a pencil and trying to draw. With 3D software, you are put in front of an overwhelming interface where you have no idea what any button does. That is why it is important to start small, follow structured tutorials, and build your knowledge step by step.
I recommend looking into tutorials, courses, and documentation online. Find like-minded people, as there are plenty of communities full of experienced artists who are willing to help. The sheer amount of learning material can also be a challenge when starting out. Not all materials are good – take your time to do research before diving in. Look for tutorials or courses that cover topics you are interested in. If your goal is procedural environment art, fluid simulations would not be the best place to start.
We can’t agree more. Last question: how do you balance these tools with artistic control to create unique and realistic environments?
The goal with any tool is to create beautiful art, whether it’s unique, inspired by other realistic or stylized works, or somewhere in between. Procedural software like Houdini and Substance Designer are just as capable as any other tool. They might seem technical from the outside, but understanding these programs can turn it into very artistic process.
Artistic control comes from how you design your procedural content. As you build tools or graphs, you add controls that affect the output in ways that are predictable and manageable. The key is making your content art directable, so it can follow the original vision. This way, you can craft beautiful, intentional work while still maintaining control over the result.
Jeroen, thanks so much for sharing your invaluable insights with us! It was awesome learning from you the tools that shape procedural generation.
For more information about Forge Studios and the services we offer, feel free to send us an e-mail at business@forgestudios.com and check out our Art Station portfolio here.