This week, I studied the binding in UE and learned the basic rig principles and techniques.
Control rig can help me to make animation in unreal.
Rig is implemented by setting the parent set and adjusting the weight
Week 6: Control Rig
Category Archives: 3D Animation Fundamental
Week 9: Body Mechanics Spline
This week, I learned how to take reference videos, capturing as much detail as possible from different angles.
This video gives 9 important tips
- Keep the same angle
- Capture different perspectives
- Only the front and side view
- Lock down your camera
- Use mirrors to get more space
- Ensure continuity of the action
- Make the actor focus what they are playing
- All the behavior of character do have a purpose
- Put post-it notes on body to track motion
My reference
Week5: Ue5 Physics
This week, I learned how to implement simple physics effects in UE5.
Shatter
First, I learnt the physical simulation of destruction effects.
By creating a geometry collection, physical properties were assigned to objects.
Then, I added fracture effects to simulate the physical destruction.
Constraint Component
A connection was established between two objects using a Constraint Component to achieve the effects of the Constraint Component.
Week8: Walk Cycle Polish2
This week, I made further adjustments to the details of the walk cycle.
The toes don’t only rotate when the foot leaves the ground; additional motion can be added during landing and mid-air phases to make the entire animation look more dynamic and exaggerated.
After the foot leaves the ground, it also rotates along another axis, which is determined by the structure of the human body.
Finally, the motion curve of the main body was optimized to make it smoother.
Week7: Walk Cycle Polish
This week, I focused on adjusting the body’s center of gravity in the walk cycle animation. At different stages, the center of gravity shifts to different positions, requiring adjustments to ensure the animation flows more smoothly and logically.
Center of Gravity
During the production process, the object was rotated and moved based on the center of gravity of the main body.
Curve
At the same time, attention must be paid to the speed curve of the main body. Since the walk cycle involves uniform motion, the curve on the Z-axis needs to be a straight line.
Final
Week 3 UNREAL Exploring: Sequencer
This week, we explored two important aspects of Unreal Engine 5: Virtual Production and Sequencer, both of which play a key role in creating high-quality cinematic content.
1. Virtual Production
Virtual Production (VP) combines the physical and digital worlds, allowing real-time interaction with virtual environments. It uses tools like Sequencer, VCam, and Take Recorder for smarter recording and enables real-time editing and VR-based scene scouting. Everything from recording to editing and post-production can be done directly within Unreal Engine, streamlining the entire workflow.
2. Sequencer
Sequencer is Unreal Engine’s non-linear editing tool used for creating, editing, and managing cinematic sequences. It supports workflows like master scenes with multiple cameras, nested sequences for non-linear editing, and collaborative editing for large teams. Sequencer makes it easy to create both film-quality cinematics and in-game cutscenes.
3. Translating Film Concepts into Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine recreates traditional filmmaking elements in a virtual setting. Stages, sets, and props are built as levels and sub-levels, while cameras and lights work like their real-world counterparts. Dynamic effects are achieved using tools like Niagara, making the transition from physical to digital production simple and effective.
Week 2 UNREAL Exploring
In the second week of our exploration of Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), we delved into UE5
1. Lighting and Environmental Improvements
UE5 introduces tools like the Environmental Light Mixer, Directional Light, and Volumetric Clouds. These features allow developers to create realistic lighting setups and control environmental effects efficiently.
2. Quixel Bridge Integration
Quixel Bridge allows easy import of assets directly into UE5 using drag-and-drop. It supports textures, 3D models, and characters, including MetaHumans, making asset integration fast and straightforward.
3. Nanite Virtualized Geometry
Nanite improves handling high-polygon 3D models by automatically managing detail levels (LOD) and reducing rendering overhead. This is especially useful for creating complex, highly detailed scenes.
4. Lumen for Dynamic GI and Reflections
Lumen provides tools for real-time global illumination and reflections. Developers can control lighting effects such as mesh distance fields and hardware ray tracing for more realistic visual results.
5. Virtual Shadow Maps
UE5’s virtual shadow maps offer dynamic, real-time shadow rendering that works well across different scales. This replaces older shadowing techniques, improving both quality and workflow efficiency.
6. Advanced Modeling and UV Tools
With built-in modeling tools, UE5 allows users to edit, adjust, and create 3D meshes without relying on external software. The updated UV tools also make texturing more precise and convenient.
7. Worldbuilding Innovations
Features like World Partition and Level Instances help manage large scenes by organizing assets into sections. Data Layers allow for testing variations in design without duplicating content.
LosING: Week6 The Heart Material
The idea behind this mechanical heart was to combine the look of industrial machinery with the form of a human heart. It represents the cold and oppressive nature of a city. Inside the heart, there are pipes, gears, and various mechanical parts. Each of these elements symbolizes the pressure and restrictions that the city places on individuals. This heart is not only the city’s power source but also a symbol of its emotionless and mechanical operation. The goal of the texturing process was to express this feeling of coldness and oppression visually.
To achieve an industrial look, I used dark gray and black as the base colors. The metal texture was created with a combination of shiny and rough areas. This contrast made the surface feel more realistic, showing how light reflects off polished parts while worn-out areas stay dull. Scratches, rust, and dirt were added to make the heart look aged and heavily used, as if it had been operating under pressure for a long time. These small details made the heart feel more grounded and believable as part of a tough industrial environment.
The glowing red parts of the heart added a sense of technology and life. The cracks and joints emitted a red light, representing the energy flowing through the heart. This also created a strong contrast with the dark base, making the heart look more striking. The glowing effect was made using an emissive texture, with a gradient that fades outward, giving the impression that energy is leaking from inside. The red glow not only emphasized the technological aspect but also added a cold and dangerous feeling, which fit well with the oppressive theme.
For the pipes and gears, I used the same metallic textures as the main body but added small adjustments. The pipes were given a slightly greasy and dirty look to show their connection to the heart’s inner workings. The gears were textured to feel heavy and solid, with a shiny surface to show their strength and durability. These details helped make the structure of the heart more believable and added more layers to the design without making it feel too chaotic.
Week6: Walk Cycle Blocking
Reference
I found a reference from Youtube
Planning
Planning from The Animator’s Survival Kit
I drew this Planning based on my understanding. Planning was made based on the reference of the walking cycle
Processing
The key to a walking cycle is the loop from one contact pose to the next. In the contact pose, the character’s legs are almost straight, and the center of gravity is in a balanced position. In the subsequent transitions, the most critical intermediary actions are Up and Down, where the character’s center of gravity reaches its highest and lowest points, respectively. At the lowest point, the front foot is fully grounded and bearing the weight, while the back foot has just lifted off the ground, with bent knees adding a sense of weight to the character. At the highest point, the front foot pushes the body forward, and the back foot swings to its highest position, giving the movement a light and fluid feel.
Final
LosING Week5: The HEART Modeling
In this project, I designed and built a “mechanical heart” as the core power source of a dark, industrial city. This heart isn’t just a machine; it’s the “pulse” of the world, symbolizing a cold and controlling force. Here’s a breakdown of my modeling process and design ideas.
Concept
The idea for the mechanical heart combines industrial machinery with the form of a human heart. I wanted it to convey a sense of coldness and oppression. The heart is filled with pipes, gears, and various structural parts, each symbolizing the pressure and confinement the city imposes on individuals. This heart is not only the city’s power source but also a representation of its unfeeling operation.
Process
For modeling in Blender, I started with basic shapes like cylinders and spheres. Then, I used Boolean operations to merge, cut, and layer different shapes, gradually forming the heart’s main structure. This approach made it possible to create a complex, layered look that feels both compact and detailed, capturing the industrial style I was going for.
After building the main structure, I added various pipes and connectors around the heart. These details make the mechanical heart feel more realistic and three-dimensional. Every pipe, gear, and part is carefully placed to show that this machine is not only complex but also vital to the city, as if each component plays a role in maintaining the city’s cold, relentless pulse.
To bring the mechanical heart to life, I added a skeletal structure to the model, which allows for easier animation. By adding bones, I can control specific parts of the heart and create subtle movements, making it appear as if it’s “pulsing” or “breathing” in a mechanical way.
The finished mechanical heart has a complex, industrial look. Every detail symbolizes the city’s control and oppression. It beats at the core of the city, representing the loss of humanity in this world. Through this model, I want to express a sense of “anti-human” coldness, making the viewer feel the loneliness and helplessness the main character experiences in this environment.