Exinade Race Track
Credits for Star Atlas:
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Art Director - Marcel Van Vuuren
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LD - Dane Kubicka
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ENV Art Lead - Ed Denton
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3d Art - Ainsley Langford
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3d Art/ ENV Art - Ethan Pflugh
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Tech Art - Alexander Kovyazin
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Tech Art - Ivan Leon
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Houdini - Oleksandr Kratinov
01
Exinade
Set on the Sogmian home planet, this race track winds through a vast wetland environment filled with waterfalls, open flats, caves, and dramatic overhangs. I led the Level Design process for this map, guiding it from an initial flat 2D layout to the fully realized version shown here. This project became one of my personal favorites—countless hours of iteration, playtesting, and feedback shaped every corner of the course. There were many late nights spent fine-tuning details and wondering how players would respond. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and although the map is still in its final art phase, it’s already proving to be a fan favorite.
02
The Layout
The track began in this early form, and after numerous tests and scale adjustments, we arrived at the layout that felt the most balanced and enjoyable. Through extensive playtesting, lap time analysis, and multiple rounds of recorded feedback sessions, we refined the course until it achieved the flow and pacing we were aiming for. With just a few final adjustments, the team agreed to move forward into the Level Design phase, confident in the track’s core layout and gameplay potential.
03
A focus on wow factor
I used grand scale and vertical composition to immediately capture the player’s attention, employing towering structures to help maintain orientation as they navigate the canyons of Exinade. The Keyhole City section serves as a large, circular hub—a bustling market district where racers speed through at over 300 mph, crashing through stalls and weaving between obstacles as they battle for position. The map also supports combat racing, where players can strategically use environmental cover placed throughout the track to evade opponents and stage counterattacks, blending high-speed racing with intense, tactical engagements.
04
Grand Stands
The starting area features fully explorable grandstands and pit stalls, giving players a sense of scale and immersion right from the beginning of the race. The track is designed to be playable in both directions—a significant challenge due to the need for alternate routes, jumps, and flow considerations that function seamlessly forward and backward. With ships reaching speeds of over 300 mph, a full lap takes just over two minutes to complete across an expansive 36-square-kilometer environment
05
Alternate Routes
The track featured three distinct layout variations, with plans for additional routes in future updates. The expansive environment lent itself perfectly to this approach, allowing multiple tracks to coexist within the same area—each reusing key sections in creative ways. This not only enhanced replayability but also proved to be an efficient use of resources, maximizing gameplay variety without requiring entirely new assets.
06
Real World Influence
Using PureRef, we gathered an extensive library of reference images from various real-world locations to ground the environment in believable detail. One of these locations I personally visited, and a section of the map was directly inspired by what I observed during that trip. Incorporating real-world elements helped reinforce the sense of scale and authenticity while maintaining the artistic direction of the world.
