Given more time I would like to continue this project but i as it is it still has lots of visual apeal. There are still some issues with the detailed texturing. Also the resolution im working in isnt really allowing me to put detailed alpha trees on the distant peaks.  They are so distant that they dont really change the feel of the environment.  Even if I make them slightly emissive they have negligable effect on the overall scene. I need to work more on the pagotas as well, they don't stand out against the rest of the environment.
When i continue working on this i will have to find a way to overcome the lighting and increase the saturation of just the architecture in the scene.
 

Reference

WIP

My next environment I'm working on will be a little challenging for me.  I don't have a lot of practice on natural objects.  So far Ive got a good base of unwrapped object that i think can be duplicated to make a majority of the scene.

Ive also started playing around with the lighting

However almost all of my textures are just place holders at the moment.  They are all to harsh at the moment and don't have that soft quality that the reference image has.  I hope to remedy this soon.

Also I actually vertex painted moss on the rocks but you cant see it at all.  I think i might get the right effect if i change the moss material to be slightly emissive.
 
Finished up the Undercity WOW environment.  Never got the lighting quite how i wanted nor the perspective quit the same as the reference image but overall im quite happy with the overall effect. 

Its fully navigable in UDK engine


i also finished making a portfolio page for it in the environments section and will add a short video fly-through soon

 

Reference

Current Render

So i am almost done with my environment.  All of my modeling is finished and Ive got a good general sense of the lighting but i still need to get that blown out white light coming from the ceiling to work. 


Ceiling light fix

Floor fog maybe?

Fix textures on throne

Shrink waterfall width

Chains

Make fabric move (if time)


Not sure if ill have time to finish all this but the ceiling light is first priority.  I might be able to accomplish alot of it with post processing to but there definitely needs to be more light or maybe just turn up the ones i already have.
Also i just wanted to mention what a bitch this flooring was.  I did it in two parts.  The first was this circular design which is made with lots of photoshop rotation and some dDo.  The second part is that center design which i placed with a mask but i had to recreate the entire design by hand to get it to fit the environment.
 
Also i didnt realize untill after my selection of this image that it was from World of Warcraft
New Project for 3D  envionments class.  We have two weeks to model an environment.  I think i can do this concept art in 3D inthat amount of time.  with minor variations, it should be mirrorable anyways.

Im thinking of modeling EVERYTHING in max and then doing particles and lighting in Unreal UDK.  There is a chance ill do the fabric in UDK as well, but i think ill be more comfortable modeling out the folds with soft select or something.
Here is my start, untextured of course for now. the arch still needs some work but i think im happy with the fabric, espescially when i get some textures on it.