Category: Project 2

Serra Lesson

The final render came out successfully in terms of animation and effects, with the ship movements, environmental particles, and overall composition translating well from the sequencer to the output. However, a clear discrepancy emerged between what was visible in the viewport and the final rendered result, particularly with the lighting and post-processing.

Despite setting up the post process volume and fog to enhance mood and depth, these visual elements appeared either muted or altered in the render. This suggests potential issues with render pipeline settings or post-process volume not being fully used by the Movie Render Queue.

The side-by-side comparison reveals a noticeable contrast between the viewport (left) and the final render (right). While motion blur was successfully implemented to convey speed and the chaos of the storm, the render appears to suffer from a significant loss of detail, particularly in the fog layers and overall colour depth.

This issue may stem from how post processing effects, colour grading, or fog parameters are being interpreted (or potentially overridden) during render export, especially when using formats like EXR. The presence of motion blur, though effective, could also be amplifying these losses in visual fidelity. It’s an area that warrants further investigation and experimentation, particularly when fine-tuning cinematic sequences.

Overall, this project was enjoyable, from developing the initial concept to assembling the environment in Gaea. The workflow allowed for creative exploration, blending procedural landscape generation with cinematic storytelling. Building the terrain in Gaea provided a unique foundation, especially with its node-based approach, which gave the project a sense of realism and depth that worked well once integrated into Unreal Engine 5.

Serra Lessons

In the final stages of production, rendering in Unreal Engine 5 was set up to ensure the animation could be presented with the highest possible visual fidelity. This involved configuring the Movie Render Queue for cinematic output, adjusting settings like anti-aliasing, output resolution, and sample counts to achieve a polished look. To elevate the visual tone further, atmospheric fog was introduced into the environment. This added depth and mood, enhancing the sense of scale across the vast landscape.

In tandem, the post-processing volume was adjusted to refine colour grading, contrast, exposure, and bloom effects. These adjustments helped unify the scene’s lighting and visual atmosphere, providing a more immersive and cohesive final presentation. Experimenting with these tools offered an opportunity to shape the emotional tone of the animation while adding subtle layers of cinematic quality.

Geroge Lesson

Working on body mechanics and facial animation has been a valuable part of developing a complete understanding of character performance. The process of finding strong reference material was both enjoyable and insightful, helping to break down how the body and face work together to create believable motion

Body mechanics allowed for experimentation with weight, balance, and timing, revealing progress over time and showing how much intention can be conveyed through well-planned movement. Facial animation, representing the acting component, proved to be one of the most intricate challenges.

Small details (particularly in the eyes and eyebrows) carry significant emotional weight and are crucial in making a character feel alive. These subtle expressions often do more storytelling than dialogue itself. While progress is evident, it’s clear that convincing character animation requires ongoing practice and attention to detail, particularly in facial performance, where the illusion of life is most fragile.

Serra Lesson

Week 8 marked the beginning of finalising each animation shot, focusing on polish and cohesion across the sequence. Each scene was reviewed to ensure visual clarity, with attention given to the final parts of the animation.

With the animation nearing completion, early post-production also began. This involved refining environmental lighting, enhancing colour grading, and running render tests to push the cinematic tone. The project is now entering its final stage, where atmosphere and detail play a crucial role in delivering a believable and compelling space chase.

While efforts were made to improve the overall animation quality—particularly in smoothing out motion curves and adjusting timing—the core of the project remained rooted in experimentation. There was a conscious decision not to over-polish or diverge too far from the original goal of exploring new workflows and tools. Balancing animation refinement with the use of procedural tools like Gaea and Niagara allowed the project to retain its exploratory nature while still aiming for a visually compelling result. This approach offered valuable insight into the strengths and limitations of blending technical experimentation with storytelling in real-time environments.

Serra Lesson

Week 7 focused on enhancing the realism and visual clarity of the space chase. One key addition was the implementation of rocket boosters on the spaceships. This grounded the ships within the environment and provided a stronger sense of propulsion and direction. The visual feedback from the boosters helped sell the movement, making the animation feel more intentional and responsive.

The boosters were integrated alongside existing animation paths, complementing previous weeks’ rotations and speed adjustments. Their glow and particle emissions also added to the overall VFX layer, tying into the stormy environment built with Niagara. These refinements collectively improved the visual storytelling, making each ship’s presence more dynamic and readable within the wide, Gaea-generated landscape.

Serra Lesson

Week 6 continued the development of the scene, shifting focus toward animating the spaceship movement. The process was straightforward and enjoyable, primarily involving the adjustment of ship rotations along the Cinematic Rig Rail to match the pacing and direction of the space chase. This added an extra layer of realism and energy to the previously established flight paths.

The white lines in the photo represent the different rail rig paths the ships will take, utilising the entire environment to showcase a variety of angles and animation opportunities within the wide landscape. This highlights the benefit of using Gaea, as its layered terrain adds depth and flexibility for cinematic movement and scene composition.

In parallel, improvements were made to the Niagara VFX system. While the initial snowstorm provided a good base, it lacked the dynamic quality seen in real-world references. Many of these references highlighted the importance of wind gusts in measuring the environment’s intensity.

In this reference, Over the Mountains showcases the winds and snowstorm.

To replicate this, wind effects were layered into the particle system, introducing sudden bursts and directional flow that added complexity and believability to the storm. Achieving this required using a particle system capable of generating a large volume of particles to ensure the effect was visually impactful across the expansive landscape.

The sprite size of the particles was increased so they wouldn’t get lost within the scale of the environment, maintaining visibility and presence on screen. Additionally, adjustments were made to particle velocity and shape, allowing for a more natural, gust-like movement that better matched the visual references and conveyed the chaotic energy of a wind-driven snowstorm.

Serra Lesson

Week 2 focused on project setup and moodboarding, establishing the narrative structure and visual direction. The concept revolves around a sci-fi space chase featuring rocket ships, creating opportunities for dynamic movement and high-energy sequences.

During the reference-gathering phase, the release of Andor Season 2 proved unexpectedly valuable. Key sequences from the show offered precisely the kind of animation reference needed, particularly in terms of ship movement, atmosphere, and framing. These visuals became a foundational influence, helping to shape the storyboard and inform pacing and shot composition.

A Screenshot of the sequence used as a reference

The project also takes advantage of Unreal Engine 5’s FAB materials, using modular, mix-and-match assets to streamline the construction of spacecraft and environments. This combination of strong references and flexible assets created a solid base for building the upcoming animation.