Recreate Existing Level

 THIS BLOG POST WILL BE UPDATED AFTER THE ASSIGNMENT IS COMPLETED:

REF IMAGES: 

Tech Art – Homework #4: Blueprints

For this assignment, I created two interactive Blueprint systems in Unreal Engine 5: a Dynamic Material and an interactive gate.

Dynamic Material

For the first Blueprint, I created a Dynamic Material Instance using the Construction Script. I stored the material instance in a variable so I could change its parameters during gameplay.

In the Event Graph, I used the G key to control the material. A Flip Flop switches between two values:

• First press: Emissive changes to 50
• Second press: Emissive changes back to 0

This allows the material to change dynamically when the player presses G.

Interactive Gate

    For the second Blueprint, I created a gate that opens when the player enters a trigger volume.

    The Blueprint uses Begin Overlap to detect when the player enters the trigger and End Overlap when the player leaves. I also used a cast to make sure the actor entering the trigger is the player.

    I used a Timeline to control the gate's movement. The Timeline works with Lerp nodes to smoothly transition the gate between its closed and open rotations.

Player enters → Gate opens
Player leaves → Gate closes

What I Learned

This assignment helped me practice:

• Dynamic Material Instances
• Blueprint events and input
• Trigger volumes
• Timelines
• Lerp nodes
• Object rotation
• Creating interactive elements in Unreal Engine 5

GATE BP

 

Module 2 Week 04 Crates And Barrels Project

 

Level Design 1 – Real-World Space Blockout

For this assignment, I was tasked with recreating a real-world location that I currently have access to and turning it into a blockout in Unreal Engine. I decided to recreate The Bridge, the FIEA conference room.

I wanted to choose something that would challenge me, especially when it came to accurately recreating the room's shape, stairs, seating, and curved walls. It definitely ended up being a challenging space, but it also gave me a good opportunity to practice my level design and blockout workflow.

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Concept and Planning

Before starting the blockout, I went to The Bridge and took as many reference photos as possible. I wanted to capture the room from different angles so I could understand its layout and proportions while working in Unreal.

I also needed a way to estimate the dimensions of the room without having access to professional measuring equipment. I counted the number of steps it took me to walk from one side of the room to the other and used the length of my foot to create an approximate measurement.

To help with scale, I also took a reference photo of myself standing next to one of the doors. Since I know my height, I could use myself as another scale reference when building the environment.

For the blockout, I focused on the main elements that define the space:

• The overall room dimensions
• The tiered seating
• The stairs leading toward the front
• The tables and chairs
• The presentation area
• The curved walls
• The general layout and symmetry of the room

Reference Images

Here I included the photos I took of The Bridge from different angles.

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Development Process

I created the blockout in Unreal Engine using the Modeling Tools. Since I only had about 3 hours available to work on the assignment, I focused on getting the overall proportions and layout as accurate as possible instead of spending time on details.

I started by creating a simple chair and using the Unreal Engine mannequin as a scale reference. The mannequin was slightly shorter than me, but it gave me a consistent reference for checking the height of the chair and other objects.

Once I had a better idea of the chair's proportions, I used it as a reference for the rest of the room. From there, I began blocking out the tables, seating areas, floor levels, stairs, and walls.

I worked through several different shapes and approaches until I found a workflow that worked best for the room.

One of the more important parts of the process was getting the curved walls to work correctly. To create the curve, I used a Boolean Union between a cylinder and the floor geometry. This allowed me to create the curved section of the room while keeping the blockout relatively simple.

After completing roughly half of the room, I used a Mirror modifier to duplicate the geometry and create the other side. Since the room is symmetrical, this saved time and helped keep both sides consistent.

Blockout Result

Here I included a screenshot of my final Unreal Engine blockout.

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Challenges and Solutions

The biggest challenge for me was the curved walls. Creating them accurately was more difficult than I expected, especially while trying to keep the rest of the room aligned with them.

I solved this by experimenting with the Unreal Modeling Tools and eventually using a Boolean operation with a cylinder to create the curved shape.

The stairs and different floor levels were another challenge. The room has a fairly specific layout, so I had to pay close attention to the reference photos and my measurements to get the different elevations as close as possible.

Another challenge was simply time management. The assignment gave me one week, but because I had other projects and deadlines, I only had around 3 hours to work on the blockout. This meant I had to prioritize the major shapes and layout instead of trying to make everything perfect.

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What I Learned

This assignment helped me become more comfortable with the Unreal Engine Modeling Tools and with approaching a real environment from a level designer's perspective.

One of the most useful parts of the process was realizing how important real-world references and scale are when creating a believable environment. Using the room itself, my own height, the mannequin, and simple measurements gave me enough information to create a reasonable approximation even without professional measurements.

I also started to identify some of my own strengths and weaknesses. I became more comfortable experimenting with different modeling approaches, while also seeing areas where I still need more practice, especially with more complex shapes and architectural forms.

Overall, this assignment gave me a better understanding of how I can take a real space, break it down into simple shapes, and rebuild it as a playable environment blockout.

Technical Art – Basic Lighting

Technical Art – Basic Lighting

For this Technical Art assignment, I worked on lighting a dark fantasy harbor environment in Unreal Engine.

The original scene was provided with very little environmental lighting, so I developed the lighting setup from the ground up with the goal of creating a spooky nighttime atmosphere in a harbor surrounded by the ocean.

 What I worked on:

• Added exterior lighting throughout the harbor to improve visibility and establish the nighttime mood.
• Added interior lighting to the buildings.
• Adjusted the fog and directional lighting to create a dark, atmospheric environment.
• Added light function materials to create moving caustic effects that simulate light interacting with the water.
• Added a flickering light to simulate a candle and make the lighting feel more natural.
• Used warm interior and environmental lights to create contrast against the darker surroundings.

Goal

My main goal was to create a consistent nighttime atmosphere while keeping the environment readable. I focused on using lighting not only to illuminate the scene, but also to create mood and guide attention toward the buildings and other areas of interest.

This project helped me gain more experience with Unreal Engine lighting, fog, light functions, and atmospheric lighting, while also giving me a better understanding of how lighting can affect the overall presentation of an environment.

Software: Unreal Engine

Wooden Crate

 

Polypaint

REFERENCE

War of The World + Ratchet & Clank

 This is an assignment for the Digital Asset Creation class where Artist collaborate with Level Designers (me). In this class we have ti recreate a scene basing our references in the movie War of the Worlds with the art style or Ratchet and Clank in a 8 weeks period.

As level designer we have assigned to create one room per designer that fit this themes. We meet up the entire team and plan on art pillars and how we will develop this assigment. 

We encounter right now a big challenge. We noticed that the group focused a lot in the art but way to little in the level design, this created the issue of overscooping and poor syncronization as a team. We plan on solving this issue by scheduling a meeting to put the project together and plan between all 3 level desginers how we play to move the player around and guide them through the level.

Pending to be added:

* Level Design Document

* Map of the level

* Blockout 

* Walkthrough video of the level