Environmental Design is the pre-production specialization focused on creating the geography, architecture, and overall setting of the animation. This process defines the emotional and physical space in which the characters act, ensuring the world itself feels like a believable, functional place, whether it’s a fantastical alien city or a realistic suburban home.

This includes detailed location design, architectural blueprints, and set dressing guides. Artists use concept paintings to establish the mood (e.g., a cold, imposing castle versus a warm, cluttered kitchen) and then create specific technical drawings for the 3D modelers or background artists to follow, detailing everything from prop placement to material textures.

A well-developed environment not only looks good but also supports the story. For example, a character’s cluttered room can visually communicate their inner chaos. The final output of this stage is a set of detailed blueprints and visual guides used by the Layout department to build the virtual camera sets and by the Lighters to establish the scene’s base lighting values.