Unreal – Scene set up
To complete the unit assessment successfully, I set up the scene in Unreal Engine.
In the process of constructing my project, I organized the entire level by breaking it down into distinct components.
To start, I sculpted a landscape, molding hills and mountains based on a front view to emphasize its vastness. The landscape material which downloaded from Quixel Bridge, originally designed for moss. However It underwent adjustments to portray a dark blue hue, setting the deep underwater.
Incorporating buildings from the Marketplace (modular-building-set), I plan to replace them with my models after completing the main character, due to the expensive static meshes.
Next, I introduced seaweed models (luckily, I could get animated ones from blueprint file which I got wave surface material) converted into foliage type, painting them around the scene(However, the building models will be modified, so it’s just for checking the atmosphere.)
A Cinematic Camera was added to evaluate the look, with importing cat model.
Now, I am focusing on creating the underwater ambience. Initially, a directional light with a blue tint was introduced. Despite trying to apply a water system’s wave material, I encountered difficulties achieving an underwater view. Similarly, attempts to create a water ripple material using online resources (Water shader) could not solve it. Eventually, I got a blueprint file from the internet, obtaining the surface material for the waves.
After setting it, I added decal to set the water caustic(previous blog post.)
To enhance the scene’s color, a Post Process Volume (PPV) and skylight were added. Continuous adjustments were made to brighten the scene, and a lens distortion effect was applied using a material, following guidance from a tutorial video. Addressing an issue of the scene becoming monochromatic, I modified certain nodes, ensuring the material only affected distortion. Additionally, I adjusted the ‘Detail Strength’ on Local Exposure for a slight blurriness.
For a touch of radiance inspired by a reference, another directional light was added, creating a shimmering effect by enabling the ‘Light Shafts’ option. Height fog with volumetric cloud option helped to create the scene’s depth and strong light shimmer. Although I haven’t learned about the Niagara system, I found a floating particle template when I create a new Niagara system. Utilizing ‘Hanging Particulates,’ I made adjustments to make them ascend. The system’s general structure, reminiscent of particle systems in After Effects, facilitated easy editing.
As I haven’t learned about rendering, I captured the video roughly. You can check out the atmosphere of my project.
With these additions, the overall atmosphere of the scene has been established. Further development is underway, with considerations for potential changes to the storyboard following a conversation with Emily—perhaps introducing a short story to enhance the project.
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