CGI Foundations | Digital Sketchbook

Learning the basics of Unreal Engine:

Making an obstacle course game level:

Using the basic objects I made a short obstacle course level, involving a small maze and a small parkour section.

Introduction to Materials:

Learning how to use nodes and apply textures:

Added an XYZ constant node by pressing ‘3 + Left Click’, added a texture node by pressing ‘T + Left Click’ and added a multiply node by pressing ‘M + Left Click’.

Applied textures:

Landscape and foliage tools:

Making a landscape:

Textures were added using texture nodes, also copied and pasted nodes from the metal gold material to take the macro texture and use it for my landscape:

Added grass tufts included in the Infinity Blade: Grasslands pack into foliage mode:

I then used the brush tool to paint the landscape with the grass tufts:

I then added a variation of trees, also included in the pack, one by one:

I also tried to model a very basic cabin using basic shapes and textures which I decorated using props from the Infinity Blade packs downloaded from the Unreal Store:

Lighting Basics:

Creating area lights and changing the colour of them:

With materials:

New project: Making a landscape again:

I then started adding foliage:

Introduction to Cameras:

I started by making a scene of the corner of a room with some props placed in. I then added a Cine Camera Actor and then created a sequence. I then added keyframes to the transform subsection of the Cine Camera Actor in order to make a camera movement.

I then selected the list of world blueprints icon in the toolbar and pressed ‘open level blueprint’.

I then added these nodes so that when I pressed play in the project, it would play the sequence rather than starting a game level.

Introduction to Trigger Boxes:

Making a trigger box that changes the colour of a light:

Drag a trigger box into the level:

Convert the actor to a blueprint class:

Rename the blueprint:

Open the blueprint:

Select and delete the nodes you don’t need:

Add nodes:

Use the eyedrop tool to select a point light:

Rotating cube:

Select a cube and make it a blueprint class:

Edit the nodes:

Cube must be set to movable

Edit the XYZ under Default – B:

The cube should rotate when the level is started:

Materials and Shaders – Simple Single Layer Water Material:

Making a material:

Applying it to an object:

Making a pool for the water material:

Water Material Demo:

Toon Shader:

Making a post-processing shader:

Without the shader:

With the shader:

Particle Effects:

Making a particle effect with the Niagara System in Unreal:

Video Demo:

Blueprints – Health Bar:

Creating a trap that causes a player death:

Creating a health bar that will show on the screen:

Demo of the health bar and player death:

Basics of Animation:

Downloading Model and animation from Mixamo:

Imported the model fbx file into a project:

Made an Anim Blueprint for the skeletal mesh file:

Imported the animation:

Created an animation blend space and dragged in the animation:

Assignment – Interior and Exterior:

Canyon Landscape:

I used the landscape tool to create a canyon with a stream flowing through it. I also used free assets and mega scans downloaded from the Unreal Marketplace in order to add foliage and start making the cliffs.

I started adding mega scans to create the cliffs and rocks:

I then began using the ‘Assetsville Town’ modular pack to start building the exterior of my building:

I then began experimenting with altering the textures and normal maps of the pack and placing pre-built buildings around the landscape:

I replaced the roof with a box that I applied a material to, and then also began attempting to dress the set with props from the ‘Downtown West Modular Pack’: