Category: 1.1 Unreal Engine

The project’s editing process required using DaVinci Resolve to fine-tune the animation and improve its presentation with minimal colour grading and sound effects. The goal was to create a unified and professional final result that enhanced the storytelling.

Sound design was crucial in creating a more immersive atmosphere. With no pre-existing sound effects to draw on, fresh audio pieces were created to accompany the graphics. Layering sound effects, such as environmental ambience and character activities, helped to bring the animation to life. Voice acting was also used to enhance narrative weight and emotional impact. Bringing together language with character movement necessitated precise time and pace.

The editing process offered difficulties, particularly in achieving the proper balance of audio and visuals to retain immersion. creating a realistic arrival scenario was particularly difficult because every sound cue has to be exactly aligned in order to successfully portray the sensation of movement and setting.

Rendering in Unreal Engine 5 provides a chance to experiment with the usage of Luts to improve visual realism. LUTs are a vital tool for changing colour grading and creating cinematic tones in a scene. Various moods and atmospheres were tried using different LUTs, demonstrating the transforming impact of slight lighting and colour changes on the final render.

Using Photoshop Importing pre-made LUTs and applying them to the scene using post-processing volumes. Adjustments were made to match the lighting conditions of the scene, with a focus on tone consistency and depth. Colour saturation and contrast had to be balanced carefully to avoid over-stylization, which could detract from the scene’s natural aesthetic.

The study emphasised the significance of mastering colour theory and post-processing technologies in producing visually appealing representations. By efficiently integrating LUTs, the project gained a more polished and professional appearance, hence increasing the storytelling potential of Unreal Engine 5.

the transition between shots in the rendered sequence presented challenges. The cuts between angles felt abrupt and lacked fluidity, creating a noticeable disconnect that disrupted the visual flow. This issue underscored the importance of aligning lighting and post-processing settings consistently across all shots to ensure smooth transitions and maintain immersion.

Rigging Paragon characters in Unreal Engine 5 proved difficult, especially when using the Mannequin rig on such complex models. The Paragon characters’ skeletal structures and different elements caused compatibility concerns, resulting in misaligned bone hierarchies and erroneous deformations during animation.

Joint misalignments, unnatural movement, extra meshes, and parts showing technical differences between the Mannequin rig and Paragon character models made attempting to retarget animations and align the rigs difficult. These problems highlight the complexity of working with advanced assets and the need to maintain rig and model compatibility during the animation process.

Adding additional animations and experimenting with different camera views creates a richer, more dynamic appearance. Using Maya abilities, animators may import and apply new animation sequences to the UE5 mannequin, using keyframing, timing, and movement knowledge to achieve smooth transitions. While the UE5 interface differs from Maya’s, the sequencer and animation tools provide exact control over the mannequin’s actions, allowing for complex movements and interactions.

A couple more tweaks and extra shots will finish the animation, allowing us to start populating the environment with foliage, while also improving the horizon and general beauty of the animation. Introducing paragon characters could be a step forward. While preserving the essential part of the animation, the challenge is ensuring that the audience understands what is going on.

Character rigging is an essential process in animation, involving the creation of a skeletal structure that allows for controlled movement and poses.

However, when initially applying rigs to characters, the animation can often appear choppy, with abrupt transitions between keyframes or poses. This lack of fluidity usually results from insufficient smoothing of motion between frames or misaligned keyframe timing.

The graph editor is difficult to use, which can disrupt the intended natural flow. Fine-tuning the rigging and refining keyframes with careful easing adjustments is crucial to achieving smooth, lifelike transitions, ensuring that the character’s movements feel continuous and immersive within the animated sequence. This will make the rigging of new characters for the animation difficult.

Introducing physics materials into Unreal Engine 5 introduced new dimensions to the project but also unexpected challenges. Working with breakable objects and experimenting with weights allowed for more interactive and realistic scenes, enhancing the visual storytelling with elements like destructible walls or falling debris.

However, setting these physics simulations caused performance concerns on the home computer, resulting in delays and crashes. The computational demands of rendering breakable items taxed the hardware.

slowing progress and making it harder to evaluate changes in real-time. Believing that the project does not require this feature, which could improve performance/focus in different areas.

When creating the animation, care is taken to test several camera angles and select crucial images that best convey the required tone and storytelling aspects. Testing various camera angles and framing strategies, such as the rule of thirds, is critical for achieving a cinematic atmosphere. The sequencer can be difficult to understand because of its tiered timeline and numerous parameters, which can appear daunting to individuals unfamiliar with controlling complicated animations.

This week for the UE5 class focused on material editor which demonstrated different techniques for the required material effect with in the editor. this lesson could be convenient for any material editing require later within this project.

the focus shifted to understanding materials in Unreal Engine 5, using quxiel bridge for material examples. The learning covered the fundamentals of creating materials and explored the use of material instances, which allow for quicker adjustments and variations without needing to recreate entire materials from scratch.

Gaea is being used to generate landscapes, allowing for the creation of highly detailed and realistic terrain. Gaea’s procedural landscape generation tools provide flexibility in designing complex environments with natural-looking elevation, erosion, and textures, which can then be integrated into Unreal Engine 5.

editing and refinement of the Unreal Engine 5 animation project, shifting from environment creation to character animation. the project could include more environments as initially planned but unfortunately due to time constraints this had to be put aside.

The possibility of scrapping the current idea and pursuing a different direction is being considered. A new approach may provide a better opportunity to focus on the core principles of animation and create a project that aligns more closely with those goals.

Learning the sequencer for this week provided a boost to the animation project as it was a good starting point to create camera, sequencer and test different camera angles within the project which allowed for a greater built idea.

However beginning scene create was priority, This process begins by accessing the quixel bridge or using built-in assets to create a rugged environment. Once the assets are imported, the terrain is constructed by arranging rocks, cliffs, and other landscape elements to form a natural, uneven surface. Various tools, such as landscape sculpting and painting features, allow for further customisation, adding detail to the terrain, such as textures, vegetation, or lighting effects.

With the scene established, the next phase involves experimenting with the camera. Using the cinecamera in UE5 offers control over focal length, aperture, and depth of field, allowing for the creation of cinematic shots. Reviewing the lecture and references to see the techniques used for camera and character animations. This experimentation is key to understanding how to frame shots, control the visual storytelling, and capture the intended atmosphere within the scene.