Research Focus

For Voyage, I researched hard-surface modelling as a production method for building believable sci-fi assets. This was important because the film included multiple mechanical and manufactured objects: the robot companion, spaceship, sci-fi pistol, pendant and environment props.

My aim was not only to model visually detailed assets, but to create assets that were readable, efficient and suitable for a realtime Unreal Engine pipeline.

Industry Context

Hard-surface modelling is commonly used for mechanical objects, vehicles, weapons, props and architectural forms. Unlike organic modelling, it depends on clear geometry, controlled edges and precise surface transitions. Industry discussions often emphasise that good topology is not about making every surface perfectly quad-based, but about whether the model serves its production purpose: clean shading, stable baking, readable silhouette and efficient performance.

Polycount’s topology resources define topology as the arrangement of vertices and edges across a mesh, and connect good topology with realtime performance. This was relevant to my project because Unreal Engine assets need to look strong in camera while remaining technically stable.

I also researched face-weighted normals and bevel workflows. Polycount describes face-weighted normals as a method for improving hard-surface shading by combining bevels with adjusted vertex normals. This influenced my modelling approach because many sci-fi assets need crisp edges, but completely sharp edges can look unrealistic under cinematic lighting.

Application to Voyage

In the film, I used hard-surface modelling to support both world-building and production efficiency.

The robot companion required a balance between mechanical construction and emotional appeal. Its body needed to feel engineered, but its proportions and face screen had to remain cute and readable. Therefore, I focused on simple large shapes first, then added smaller mechanical details only where they supported the design.

The sci-fi pistol and spaceship used a more industrial design language. For these assets, I focused on silhouette, panel separation, bevel consistency, and functional details such as handles, vents, bolts, seams and material breaks.

The pendant was smaller, so the design needed stronger shape readability. At small scale, excessive detail can become visual noise, so I prioritised clear forms and controlled surface detail.

Production Workflow

My asset workflow followed this structure:

1. Blockout — establish silhouette, proportion and function.
2. Hard-surface modelling — refine panels, bevels and mechanical forms.
3. Detail pass — add seams, vents, bolts, decals and secondary shapes.
4. UV preparation — organise texture space and maintain consistent texel density.
5. PBR texturing — create material separation through roughness, metallic values and edge wear.
6. Unreal Engine testing — check lighting response, scale, readability and render stability.

This process helped me avoid treating modelling as an isolated task. Each asset had to work inside the wider cinematic system: lighting, materials, camera distance and realtime performance.

Realtime Considerations

Because Voyage was produced in Unreal Engine, I also researched realtime asset optimisation. Unreal Engine’s Nanite documentation describes Nanite as a virtualised geometry system designed to render high detail and high object counts by processing visible detail efficiently.

However, this research also reminded me that optimisation is not only about using one technology. For a student film, I still needed to make careful decisions about mesh density, material count, texture size and scene organisation. Hero assets could hold more detail, while background props needed simpler geometry and stronger silhouettes.

This helped me separate assets into production categories:

• Hero assets: girl character, robot, spaceship, pistol
• Secondary assets: pendant, equipment, smaller props
• Background assets: environment set dressing and repeated details

This hierarchy helped me spend time where the camera would actually notice it.

Reflection

This research changed how I approached hard-surface modelling. I learned that a successful asset is not simply a detailed model. It must have clear design logic, clean shading, efficient structure and a purpose inside the film.

The most important lesson was that modelling decisions affect every later stage: UVs, baking, texturing, rigging, lighting and rendering. A poorly planned model can create problems throughout the pipeline, while a clean asset supports smoother production.

For future projects, I want to improve my modular asset workflow further. I would like to build reusable sci-fi parts, shared trim sheets and stronger asset libraries so that production can become faster and more consistent.

Research Links

Polycount — Topology
https://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Topology

Polycount — Face Weighted Normals
https://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Face_weighted_normals

Polycount Forum — Topology Standards for Hard Surface Modeling
https://polycount.com/discussion/208575/topology-standards-for-hard-surface-modeling

80 Level — Hard-Surface Modelling and Lighting in UE4
https://80.lv/articles/high-voltage-hard-surface-modeling-and-lighting-in-ue4

Unreal Engine — Nanite Virtualized Geometry
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/unreal-engine/nanite-virtualized-geometry-in-unreal-engine

Polycount Forum — Game-Ready Asset Modelling Workflows
https://polycount.com/discussion/234552/questions-about-game-ready-asset-modeling-workflows

Research Focus

For Voyage, I researched how PBR materials and look development could create a consistent visual world across characters, robots, props and environments. The aim was not only to make each asset visually detailed, but to ensure that all surfaces responded believably under Unreal Engine lighting.

This was important because the film combines stylised sci-fi design with cinematic realism. The girl character, robot companion, pistol, spaceship and alien planet needed to feel part of the same world, even though they used different material types: fabric, painted metal, rubber, glass, emissive screens, plastic panels and worn hard-surface details.

Industry Context

PBR, or Physically Based Rendering, is a material workflow based on how light interacts with surfaces. In Unreal Engine, physically based materials use inputs such as Base Color, Roughness, Metallic, Normal and Ambient Occlusion to produce more consistent results under different lighting conditions.

Adobe’s Substance PBR guide explains that the metal/roughness workflow relies mainly on Base Color, Metallic and Roughness maps, while also using Normal, Ambient Occlusion and Height maps when needed. This helped me understand texturing as a controlled material system rather than only a painting process.

Marmoset’s PBR writing also emphasises consistency as one of the key reasons to use measured material values. This is especially relevant in team-based production, because consistent materials make assets easier to art direct and more predictable in different lighting environments.

Application to My Project

In Voyage, I used PBR research to guide the look development of the main assets.

For the robot, I focused on painted metal, rubber joints, small scratches, edge wear and emissive screen details. The aim was to make the robot feel functional and manufactured, but still cute and approachable.

For the girl character, I used material contrast to separate soft fabric, hard suit panels, helmet glass and technical equipment. This helped the character remain readable in both close-up shots and wider cinematic compositions.

For props such as the sci-fi pistol and robot pendant, I used layered roughness variation, subtle damage and decals to suggest usage and scale. These details helped the props feel integrated into the world rather than appearing as clean isolated models.

Material Decisions

The most important material decision was controlling roughness. I learned that roughness has a major effect on how cinematic a material feels. A surface with no roughness variation can look flat or artificial, even if the base color is detailed.

I also avoided painting strong lighting information directly into the base color. PBR research suggests that Base Color should describe the material’s color, while lighting and shadow should come from the renderer and environment. This helped the assets remain flexible under Unreal Engine lighting. Adobe also notes that data maps such as Roughness, Metallic, Normal, Ambient Occlusion and Height should be treated as linear data rather than regular color textures.

For the final look, I used a stylised-realism approach: the forms and colours are simplified enough to feel designed, but the materials still follow believable physical logic.

Reflection

This research changed how I approached texturing. Before, I mainly thought about whether a texture looked detailed. Through PBR research, I began thinking more about material behaviour: how glossy a surface should be, whether it is metal or non-metal, how it reacts to light, and whether it remains consistent across the film.

The main lesson was that look development is not just surface decoration. It is part of world-building. If the robot, character and props share a consistent material language, the audience is more likely to believe they belong to the same cinematic universe.

For future improvement, I would like to develop a more organised material library for the project, with shared smart materials for painted metal, rubber, fabric, glass and emissive screens. This would make the workflow faster and more consistent for future production.

Research Links

Epic Games — Physically Based Materials in Unreal Engine
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/unreal-engine/physically-based-materials-in-unreal-engine

Adobe Substance 3D — The PBR Guide Part 1
https://www.adobe.com/learn/substance-3d-designer/web/the-pbr-guide-part-1

Adobe Substance 3D — The PBR Guide Part 2
https://www.adobe.com/learn/substance-3d-designer/web/the-pbr-guide-part-2

Marmoset — Physically-Based Rendering, And You Can Too
https://marmoset.co/posts/physically-based-rendering-and-you-can-too/

Polycount Wiki — PBR
https://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/PBR

Epic Games — Real Shading in Unreal Engine 4, SIGGRAPH Notes
https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/Resources/files/2013SiggraphPresentationsNotes-26915738.pdf

Research Focus

For Voyage, I researched how a customised MetaHuman workflow could support a production-ready digital character in a realtime cinematic pipeline. The goal was not only to create a visually appealing girl character, but to make her technically reliable for animation, facial performance, Sequencer shots and mocap retargeting.

This research was important because digital characters are not just models. In production, they must work across rigging, deformation, animation, materials, lighting and rendering. Therefore, I treated the MetaHuman system as a technical foundation, then adapted it to fit the visual style and production needs of the film.

Industry Context

MetaHuman is widely used because it provides a high-quality digital human structure with established rigging and animation tools. Epic’s documentation shows that MetaHumans can be animated with Control Rig and IK Rig, which made it suitable for a small production needing reliable character performance.

I also researched Unreal Engine’s IK Retargeter workflow, which allows animation data to be shared between different characters without rebuilding animations from scratch. This was important for Voyage because retargeted mocap and existing animation assets could speed up production while still allowing manual refinement.

Application to My Character

The girl character used a customised MetaHuman integration workflow. I kept the core rigging advantages of MetaHuman, but adjusted the look development, material response and costume design to better match the sci-fi world of Voyage.

The main production decisions were:

• use MetaHuman as a stable digital human base
• preserve compatibility with mocap and retargeted animation
• refine the character visually beyond the default MetaHuman look
• use Control Rig for shot-level animation correction
• test the character inside Unreal Engine lighting and Sequencer
• keep the workflow flexible for future animation changes

This allowed the character to remain both artistic and production-ready.

Technical Research and Problem Solving

A key part of the research was understanding that retargeting is powerful but not automatic. Forum discussions around MetaHuman retargeting show that artists often experience issues such as incorrect arm positions, hand deformation or animation mismatch when transferring motion between skeletons.

This helped me approach the workflow more carefully. Instead of assuming animation would work immediately, I treated retargeting as a test-based process. I checked skeleton compatibility, animation quality, body proportions and final shot performance before committing to the final cinematic setup.

The research also showed me that community forums are useful because they reveal real production problems that official documentation may not fully explain. This made my process more practical and less idealised.

Reflection

This workflow changed how I understood character creation. A strong digital character is not only defined by appearance, but by how well it performs inside the production system.

Through this research, I learned that MetaHuman is valuable because it provides a reliable base, but artistic control still requires customisation. The challenge is to balance standardisation and individuality: keeping the rig stable while making the character feel specific to the film.

For future development, I would like to improve this workflow further by exploring MetaHuman Animator for facial performance capture and MetaHuman for Maya for deeper character customisation and technical fixing.

Research Links

Epic Games — MetaHuman Animation
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/metahuman/animation

Epic Games — IK Rig Animation Retargeting
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/unreal-engine/ik-rig-animation-retargeting-in-unreal-engine

Epic Games — Create a Custom IK Retargeter for MetaHuman
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/metahuman/create-a-custom-ik-retargeter

Epic Games — MetaHuman Animator
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/metahuman/metahuman-animator

Epic Games — MetaHuman for Maya
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/metahuman/metahuman-for-maya

Unreal Engine Forum — MetaHuman Retargeting Issues
https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ue5-mannequin-metahuman-retargeting-deformation-ik-rig/541543

Rokoko — Retargeting Rokoko Animation to MetaHuman
https://support.rokoko.com/hc/en-us/articles/19390947288465-Unreal-Engine-5-4-and-prior-Retarget-a-Rokoko-animation-to-a-Metahuman

For Voyage, I researched how realtime production workflows can support a small-scale cinematic animation project. Instead of using Unreal Engine 5 only as a rendering tool, I treated it as a central production environment for layout, lighting, animation, camera work, look development and final output.

This was important because the project involved multiple connected elements: a customized MetaHuman character, a robot companion, hard-surface props, PBR materials, mocap retargeting, Sequencer and final cinematic rendering. As Lead 3D Artist and 3D Generalist, my role was not only to create assets, but also to ensure that these assets could function reliably inside a shared realtime pipeline.

The Unit 3 brief asks us to discuss process, research, collaboration, development and individual contribution, so this research became a key part of how I evaluated my production role.

Industry Context

My research was influenced by Epic Games’ Virtual Production Field Guide, which presents realtime production as a method for making visual decisions earlier in the filmmaking process. This helped me understand Unreal Engine as a space for active creative testing rather than only final rendering.

Compared with a traditional offline CGI pipeline, realtime production allows lighting, materials, animation and camera composition to be tested together. This was especially useful for Voyage, because the emotional tone of the film depended on atmosphere, scale and quiet companionship rather than fast action.

For example, the girl character and robot companion needed to feel small within a large alien environment. Testing them directly inside Unreal Engine allowed me to judge their scale, silhouette and emotional relationship more effectively.

Application to My Project

This research shaped several production decisions:

• Unreal Engine was used for early look development and shot testing.
• Sequencer supported cinematic framing, pacing and camera planning.
• PBR materials were tested under final lighting conditions.
• Assets were prepared with realtime performance and render stability in mind.
• Render previews were used to communicate visual direction within the group.

Through this process, I learned that realtime workflow is not simply faster; it changes how creative decisions are made. The pipeline allowed me to iterate quickly, compare visual options, and identify technical problems earlier in production.

Reflection

The main lesson from this research was that pipeline design directly affects artistic quality. A model may look strong in isolation, but it must also work inside the full film system: animation, lighting, camera, materials and rendering.

This changed my thinking from asset creation to production integration. Instead of only asking whether a model looked good, I began asking whether it worked reliably inside the cinematic workflow.

This was one of the most valuable outcomes of the project. It helped me understand the role of a 3D artist not only as a maker of visual assets, but also as someone who contributes to technical structure, workflow stability and production efficiency.

Research Links

Epic Games — Virtual Production Field Guide
Useful for understanding realtime production and virtual production workflows.
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/virtual-production-field-guide-a-new-resource-for-filmmakers

Epic Games — Welcome to Virtual Production
Useful for understanding Unreal Engine as a production environment.
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/paths/Pv/welcome-to-virtual-production

Epic Games — Sequencer Documentation
Useful for researching cinematic shot layout and camera control.
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/sequencer-basics

Epic Games — Movie Render Queue Documentation
Useful for final cinematic rendering and high-quality output.
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/movie-render-queue