Month: January 2026

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.

After finishing the overall scene layout, I focused on making the main assets in the scene this week, including the birthday cake and coffee table.

As I had already planned all the shots during the storyboarding stage, I knew the coffee table and the things on it were the key part of the whole scene. The coffee table has an important close-up shot in the video. So when I was modeling it, I paid special attention to small geometric details and surface realism, to make sure the audience could fully feel the story’s atmosphere.

The birthday cake and candles were the most important parts for telling the story this week. I used the Curve Tools to carefully draw the cream patterns on the cake. I also looked at many old-style whipped cream cakes from the early 2000s, so that the cake could have a real retro look.

For the coffee table’s design, I chose a simple style with some retro features. I hoped it could fit naturally into the whole feeling of a Chinese apartment in the 2000s, and become a visual part that brings out nostalgic feelings.

In-class Learning
WEEK7

In the 7th week’s class, we focused on learning how to use the built-in rigging tools in Unreal Engine. After mastering the basic operations of the tools, we first used them to create specific effects like death animations. Later on, following Serra’s guidance, we selected a hunting dog model as the object for hands-on practice. By building and adjusting a series of related nodes, we successfully achieved procedural quadrupedal movement. Afterwards, we also made targeted attempts to tweak various relevant parameters, so as to make both the movement posture and trajectory of the hunting dog look more natural and smooth.

1. Core Content: Period-Specific Asset Creation and Layout

1.Asset Modeling and Uniqueness: The core setting of my project is the interior of a Chinese apartment from the early 2000s. Since most commercially available asset libraries are dominated by Western or contemporary styles, it is nearly impossible to find furniture that captures the specific texture and “soul” of that era. Consequently, I have had to manually model and craft the majority of the core assets from scratch to ensure period accuracy.

2.Layout Logic and References: Designing the overall layout of the room proved to be the most significant challenge this week. To avoid the space feeling hollow or structurally illogical, I conducted extensive research, consulting a vast array of old photographs, authentic floor plans from the period, and interior design case studies of vintage apartments.

3.Personal Connection and Realism: During the design process, I drew heavily on my own memories of the apartments I lived in during my childhood. This memory-based recreation not only helped me determine a realistic flow for the room—such as the characteristic narrow hallways and cramped living areas—但 but also imbued the scene with a sense of “lived-in” realism. This authenticity is crucial for achieving the cinematic visual impact I am aiming for in the final render.

In-class Learning
WEEK6

In the sixth week, we learned about physics simulation in the Unreal Engine and explored several methods to achieve it, including the simulation effect for chain-like suspension. By setting the parent-child relationships between different objects and adjusting relevant parameters, we restricted the objects from moving randomly in all directions, thus creating effects similar to hinges and chains. In addition, we mastered the methods of baking physics effects in UE5, which allows us to apply physics simulation results in the engine more conveniently. We also learned to create object destruction effects, and successfully shattered a cube into fragments during the class.

This week, my main focus was to further develop the storyboard based on the written version completed in Week 4. I started to draw the storyboard by hand and organise the overall timeline of the animation.

At this stage, I translated the written descriptions into visual compositions, including camera distance, the relationship between the character and objects in the frame, and the approximate duration of each shot. Drawing the storyboard helped me to understand the pacing of the story more clearly, instead of relying only on written ideas.

While sketching the storyboard, I marked an estimated duration for each shot, such as 2–3 seconds or 3–4 seconds, and began to separate slower moments from faster, more emotional sections. For the middle part of the animation, where the mood changes, I plan to use shorter shots and simple transitions, such as black frames or quick cuts, to create a tighter rhythm.

Through this process, I realised that some shots that worked in the written storyboard were not necessary when visualised. After drawing them out, a few shots felt repetitive or disrupted the pacing, so they were either removed or combined during the timeline planning stage. This helped me understand that storyboards are not only a storytelling tool, but also an important way to control pacing and workload early in the production process.

Overall, Week 5 helped me gain a clearer understanding of the structure of the project and prepared me for the next stage, which will focus more on animation and shot testing.

In-class Learning
WEEK5

This week’s tutorial helped me further clarify the presentation method for my project. Serra advised that I don’t have to rely on specific characters to tell a story, as objects and spaces themselves can also serve as “characters”. By documenting the changes of the same scene at different times — such as the disappearance of food on the table before and after a party — human presence can be implied without directly depicting people. Serra also suggested that I treat the process of change as a visual study through repeated shooting or time-based footage. This discussion made me realize that I need to simplify the format and focus more on the relationship between change, absence and narrative.