This week’s content is to integrate all the previously produced content, including the arrangement of shots and the adjustment of rendering parameters.
This week’s work mainly involves the proficiency of sequencer. Arranging the transition of shots in advance can greatly reduce the burden of post-editing, and it also takes less time to correct errors.
After some testing on the LUTS and adjusting the rendering parameters, the export was carried out
Find and set LUTs in Post Process Volume
Adjust the image effect in PS
Import LUT, and the effect in PS can be applied to UE
Enable plugins to get more render settings
Set the rendering parameters in the settings
This week, I learned about creating and adjusting materials in Unreal, as well as how to make materials more editable by creating material instances.
By creating materials and connecting the corresponding textures to the appropriate nodes, the desired effects can be achieved.
Convert constant nodes into parameters to enable corresponding adjustment effects within the material instance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In the second week of our exploration of Unreal Engine 5 (UE5), we delved into UE5
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I found a reference from Youtube
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
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.
In this part, I filmed myself as a reference for my animation. I set up my phone to capture a full-body shot and practiced taking a step to the left, just like I want my character to do. I focused on how I shift my weight before lifting my foot and how my foot moves in the air and lands. Watching it back, I slowed it down to catch all the details. This quick reference helps a lot and gives me a real movement to follow for my blocking.
Some additional tutorials are also necessary. I got some inspiring guidance from the tutorial below
Based on the references I shot, I drew the Planning.
In this part, I’m working on blocking a simple step to the left for the ball walker. First, I set the starting pose with both feet on the ground, standing straight. Then, I shift the weight over to the right leg, getting ready for the left leg to lift. This weight shift is key; without it, the character would look like it’s floating instead of grounded. Next, I lift the left leg and stretch it out to the side for the step, rotating the hips a bit to follow the movement. The right leg bends to support the body as the left foot reaches out. Once the left foot touches down, I adjust the hips slightly towards it, as if the weight is about to shift. Finally, I set the character in a resting pose with the weight now fully on the left leg, and the right leg relaxed. This is just the blocking stage, so it’s rough, but it captures the main poses and weight shifts. Later, I’ll add in-betweens to make it smooth, but for now, this gives me a clear picture of the step. Blocking like this helps me see if the main action looks good before adding details.
To complete the animation, I’ll add a forward jump for the ball along with the tail movement. First, I’ll set a jump path, usually a curved arc, and add keyframes along this arc so the ball follows it smoothly. I’ll place keyframes at key points, like the start of the jump, the highest point, and the landing. As the ball jumps, I’ll make the tail swing naturally to match. When the ball takes off, the tail will swing back a bit, then hang down at the top of the jump, and swing forward upon landing due to the impact. I’ll also add a slight delay to the tail movement to make it look more natural, so the tail lags a little as the ball moves. Finally, I’ll play the animation to check for smoothness and adjust any keyframes or timing as needed to make sure the jump and tail swing feel natural together.
In addition to principles like squash and stretch, anticipation, and overlapping action, another key point to consider is using the ball’s trajectory during its airtime as a reference for positioning the tail. When the ball is in the air, the arc of its movement can guide how the tail should follow along, creating a more natural flow. This helps ensure that the tail’s motion complements the main movement, enhancing the sense of weight and momentum. As the ball rises and reaches the peak, the tail should follow the arc subtly, trailing slightly behind. This approach not only grounds the tail’s movement in the physics of the jump but also adds cohesion to the overall animation.
In this video I can observe the motion of squirrel’s tail.
To animate the tail, start by imagining how it should move, usually with a smooth, wave-like swing. Set keyframes on the timeline for key positions, like the starting point, up position, and the opposite side. Adjust the timing between these points for a quick, natural rhythm. At each keyframe, adjust the tail’s position to create the swinging motion, beginning with the tail down, moving it up, and then to the other side. Add a slight delay between each part of the tail to make it look more wave-like. Finally, play the animation and make small adjustments to the keyframes and timing until the tail swings smoothly and naturally.