This week, I mainly did some basic work. I focused on handling models between 3D software and Substance Painter to get them ready for texturing.
I spent quite a lot of time unwrapping the UVs of all the models I had built before and standardizing them. The process was a bit mechanical, but it was necessary to make sure that textures wouldn’t stretch when I painted them in Substance Painter .
In SP, I created a universal vintage wooden furniture smart material based on the features of Chinese furniture from the 2000s. This material had the glossy wood finish that was common back then, and I also added some light surface stains to give the furniture a more retro look.
I didn’t rush to import the models into Unreal Engine this week. Instead, I concentrated on adjusting the materials and textures first. Using the same smart material for the basic furniture is faster, and it also ensures a consistent style across the whole scene.
In-class Learning
WEEK8
In the eighth week, we explored lighting in Unreal Engine in more depth, focusing on different lighting methods such as baked lighting, dynamic (real-time) lighting, and indirect lighting. We also became familiar with several common light types in UE, including directional lights, point lights, spotlights, and skylights.
After that, we carried out practical exercises in a simple scene, where we adjusted different light sources such as skylights and spotlights to see how they affect the overall atmosphere. We also learned some useful shortcut keys for lighting, for example using Ctrl + L to quickly adjust the angle of the directional light to simulate changes in sunlight.
In addition, we learned how to set up dynamic lighting effects. For instance, applying IES light profiles can help create more realistic and natural lighting results in a scene.