Below I have written a very general outline of the workflow. In the future I may write a more elaborate and extensive tutorial which will replace or be linked in this post.


1.) Choosing A Map
Load up a very large map so that you have room to work with. I suggest using any of the void maps, such as dark_void or Huge Void XL if doing an elaborate exterior / vista. This will be your bare canvas.

2.) Disable Lighting (until you add some)
First problem you'll face is.. they're pitch black. If you want to arrange the models in the scene before creating the lighting you can right click the viewport and turn off the lighting - putting the map in fullbright.

3.) Arrange the Scene / Basic Layout
Now you can work off the general tips on that FAQ page, taking all my models and arranging them to build your own scene(s) with them! With the Ponyville models you'd essentially take all the buildings and arrange them on one of the "Ground_Canvas" models I've included.

For the Ponyville collection of assets I suggest blocking out the layout you want by simply moving the buildings around in a way that works with your animation and what you want to achieve. Start with the big parts, end with the small details.

4.) Add a Sky or Backdrop
To create the sky in my scenes I used Narry's Skycard & Skydome Pack
You can learn more about this on the FAQ[fav.me].

5.) Create the Lighting
This step does not need to be last, it's more likely you'll work on the lighting as you're figuring out the layout.

When lighting a large exterior shot like this - you're going to need a light source acting as a sun. I suggest following this tutorial to achieve this.

The sun will drive the general light direction and shadows - you would then add more lights as needed to create more natural looking light.

keep in mind, light in the real world bounces off surfaces but source does not simulate this. An effective example would be putting a spotlight with shadows disabled on the ground and aiming it up at a building in important areas or places that appear unnaturally dark.


If you have any specific questions, I'd be more than happy to help if I can.