Cinematics R&D
Work in progress. 2025.
Unreal Engine 5.6, Megascans, Houdini.
Additional assets modelled as needed in Maya, Substance 3D.
*Preview is in-engine screenshots. Cinematics to be rendered with Path Tracing, OCIO for correct colour and shadow translation.
Cinematics R&D is an ongoing series leveraging Unreal Engine’s capabilities to create believable, cinematic scenes inspired by photography and cinematography.
︎︎︎ Its creative focus is on environment mood, shape and lighting, and veers towards surrealism, isolation and the uncanny. It is a part of a wider research into immersive storytelling, spatial research, and Unreal Engine’s integration in filmmaking for previs and VP.
︎︎︎ The project is an opportunity to build optimised technical tools including -
- PCG and Blueprints - scatter and combine assets to populate and shape outdoor landscapes; program weather systems;
- Atmosphere and Post-process volumes & shaders - composit, colour-grade in real time without external LUTs;
- Shaders (including Substrate) - create optimised foliage and landscape auto-materials with layers and procedural grass, integrating terrain masks generated in Houdini;
- Sky - clouds VDB simulated in Houdini;
- Explore Metahumans and retarget animation for previs;
- Incorporate 3DGS;
- Configure nDisplay.
Inspired by Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Focus on lighting, atmosphere, camera, procedural tools.
PCG graphs used to scatter grass types, trees, fence.
Path cut through PCG actor by curve Blueprint.
*Street and billboard textures to be added.
Inspired by The Substance
Focus on lighting, camera, Metahuman retargeting.
Animation, Substrate shaders, post-process in progress.
*Foliage painted by hand for preview. To be replaced with PCG.
Inspired by Days of Heaven
Focus on cinematography, realistic sky, Niagara (sprite for preview).
Houdini VDB clouds, fluids FX, shader with masks in progress.
Photographs
The below series explores composition, silhouette and surrealist lighting.
Landscape auto-material with procedural grass types applied.
Terrain generated in Houdini.
