Advanced Techniques for Visual Refinement in Unreal Engine

Post-Process Volume

The post-process volume allows for fine-tuning and polishing the visual aesthetics of a scene, either within a specific region or across the entire scene. To adjust the scope:

• Bounded Option (Off): Applies effects within a defined area.
• Unbounded Option (On): Applies effects to the entire scene, though this is computationally expensive.

By default, post-processing uses a standard algorithm, but higher-quality outcomes can be achieved with more resource-intensive options. This tool enables adding effects like:

• Lens flare
• Bokeh
• Vignette
• Dirt masks

It also provides options to modify camera settings (similar to those available directly in the camera), as well as advanced colour grading.

For optimal results in colour grading:

1. Use professional tools like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.
2. Export images in EXR format for 16-bit colour depth.
3. Perform colour grading on a monitor calibrated to accurately approximate Unreal Engine’s sRGB colour space. This ensures consistent colour representation across different displays.

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SM_Color Calibration

The SM_Color Calibration asset is available within the engine content files. To use it:

1. Place the calibration cube in the scene, ensuring it is perpendicular to the Z-axis and facing the main light source.
2. Align it with the main light source by copying and pasting the rotation values of the light into the cube’s settings.

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Adjustments for Visual Fidelity

• Film Slope: Adjust to fine-tune the darkest parts of the scene, such as dense shadows or dark forest corners.
• Film Toe: Adjust for the brightest highlights in the scene.
• White Balance: Calibrate using the white section of the colour calibration cube. Adjust the colour temperature based on the scene’s lighting conditions (e.g., for a bright sunny day, set the temperature to around 5500K).

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Global Settings

Within the global settings of the post-process volume, you can make detailed adjustments for balanced colour grading:

• Saturation: Adjust the intensity of colours.
• Contrast: Define the difference between light and dark areas.
• Gamma: Refine midtones.
• Gain: Enhance highlights.
• Offset: Modify shadows.

Screenshotting via Command Line

Capturing screenshots in Unreal Engine can be automated using the command line, allowing precise control and batch processing.

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Colour Correction with Photoshop (PS)

Enhance your visuals using Photoshop for colour correction:

1. Perform adjustments in PS and export the result.
2. Open the LUT (Look-Up Table) file with these settings:
   • Mip Gens Setting: No Mip Maps.
   • Texture Group: World.
3. Apply the LUT to the Post-Processing Volume under the Color Grading LUT section for impactful colour grading.

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Post-Processing in Camera

• Customize the field of depth within the camera settings for cinematic effects.

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Rendering Cube

• Ensure proper rendering setup for cube maps to maintain visual accuracy.

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Managing Levels

• When working with multiple levels, always set the maps to always loaded to avoid runtime issues and ensure seamless transitions.

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Anti-Aliasing Tips

Anti-aliasing helps smooth out edges and improves visual quality.

• Spatial Sample Count:
  • Adjust for better edge smoothness.
• Temporal Sample Count:
  • Increase for moving objects (e.g., characters) but keep it set to 1 for static environments.
• Note: Use odd numbers for these settings, as even numbers may cause errors in the engine.

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Game Overrides

• Use game override settings to customize rendering and performance for in-game visuals.

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Console Variables Editor

• Access and modify Unreal Engine’s console variables for fine-tuned control over visual effects and performance.

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Colour Output

• Manage the output colour profile to match your project’s artistic or technical needs.

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Engine Scalability Settings

• Adjust the engine scalability settings to balance performance and visual fidelity based on your hardware and project requirements.

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Post-Processing Volume
The post-processing volume is a powerful tool in Unreal Engine for controlling visual effects.

• Specify the Region: Define the region where the volume will apply its effects. Selecting “unbounded” makes the effects infinite in scope but can be computationally expensive.
• Recommendation: It is advised to work with a post-processing volume instead of relying solely on the camera’s post-processing settings.

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Mobility Settings for Lights
Lighting in Unreal Engine can be configured based on mobility settings, each offering distinct performance and functionality:

• Static:
  • Precomputed lighting baked into lightmaps during the build process.
  • Performance-friendly, with shadows baked directly into textures.
• Stationary:
  • A hybrid of static and movable lights.
  • Some lighting is baked, but properties like intensity and colour can be adjusted at runtime.
• Movable:
  • Fully dynamic lights with real-time calculations for lighting and shadows.
  • The most performance-intensive option, requiring careful use in large-scale projects.

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Directional Light

• Example Use: The sun within the scene (default name: “Directional Light”).
• Key Properties:
  • Source Angle: Adjusts the size of the sun.
  • Temperature: A computationally efficient way to define ambience and light aesthetics without relying on post-processing volumes.

Creating a Moon from the Sun:

1. Lower the source angle until the sun disappears (shrinking into pixels).
2. Reduce the light intensity.
3. Create a material for the moon by first making a master material and an instance of it (useful for sky texturing).
4. Use a primitive sphere, texture it, and place it over the altered sun.

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Spot Light
Spotlights are the least expensive light type to use in a scene.

• IES Profiles:
  • IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) profiles can only be applied to spotlights.
  • These pre-optimized functions enhance performance and realism.
  • Download IES Light Profile Packs from Fab to access optimized light functions and materials.

Key Adjustments for Spotlights:

1. Increase intensity.
2. Adjust the inner cone angle.
3. Change intensity units to the lumen.

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Sky Light

• Skylights provide global illumination and are essential for realistic reflections.

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Reflections

• Access and adjust reflections via the post-processing volume.

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Baked Lighting

• Baked lighting is precomputed and stored in lightmaps, improving performance by eliminating runtime calculations.

First Thought and Start of the Ideation Process

Deconstructing Familiar Environments

My initial thought was an image of war—collapsing buildings, deconstructed familiar living spaces, and destruction. The man-made landscape is being torn apart by bombing and bombardment, with architecture falling to ruins.

I quickly realized I didn’t like this idea. Scenes of horror, suffering, and terror caused by war are still present today, and I didn’t feel inspired to create something rooted in such darkness. I appreciate the beauty in life, and since there’s already a scarcity of it, I didn’t want to dwell on or reflect on the uglier aspects of human existence.

I think at the back of my head I was referring, to the exhibition I’ve been to in the past “Fragile Brutalism”, exploring the future of the Ukrainian urban landscape affected by the result of the war. More info here Fragile Brutalism | Goldsmiths, University of London

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What’s Possible?

As a complete beginner, I faced the limitations of not knowing what was possible to achieve. In the first week, we were shown some examples, and as the weeks progressed, I discovered more and more possibilities. I was encouraged by the idea that almost anything can be brought to life in Unreal Engine. However, I also became acutely aware of the vast amount of knowledge I lacked.

I knew it would take time and effort to learn how to implement my ideas. Discussing this with Serra, we both agreed that my decision to approach the project experimentally was reasonable and justified.

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What is a Familiar Environment?

It’s the places we live, love, and laugh in. The world around us—nature, the countryside, landscapes.

I started off thinking generically. But the key word for me was “environment.” While reading 3D World magazines, I often came across terms like “environmental artists.” That’s what I wanted to learn: how to create worlds.

I wanted to think big, so manually placing assets wasn’t an option. Instead, I explored ways to optimize my workflow. I discovered procedural techniques for populating terrains with objects such as rocks, trees, and foliage. Most of my inspiration came from other artists’ work, especially those featured in 3D World magazine.

Initially, I thought the concept of the familiar could be boring. It needed deconstruction to make it exciting. Unreal Engine offers a platform to create far beyond regular landscapes, so I thought—why not aim high?

Soon, I became inspired by surrealist aesthetics, particularly paintings with surreal themes. I was drawn to the works of Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński, whose art I was fortunate to see last summer in Sanok. Examples of the Beskinksi work are pasted for reference below.

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Exploring Surrealism

This led me to explore methods for visualizing the unconscious mind, inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theories. Freud famously disapproved of surrealist aesthetics, yet his ideas about the unconscious deeply influenced the surrealist movement.

The unconscious often produces surreal visuals that lie between the real and unreal, resulting in distorted yet sophisticated aesthetics. These visuals are often odd, mysterious, and compelling. To me, this felt like an interesting way to deconstruct familiar landscapes.

Salvador Dalí, for example, used techniques to manipulate his perception. One of his methods involved waking himself from sleep just as he entered the deep phase, by letting a plate fall and create noise. This allowed him to capture distorted perceptions of the room around him.

I became fascinated with these ideas—perhaps too fascinated—and spent far too much time reading about Freud, Jung, and the surrealist movement. Eventually, during a conversation with my mentor about my project’s progress, I realized my true goal was to learn Unreal Engine. So, I moved on to practical studies and decided to incorporate only a few surrealist concepts into the art direction of the project.

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World Creation

For this project, we were advised to use assets from Fab (formerly Quixel Bridge). Essentially, the world was our oyster. However, I was hesitant about using someone else’s entire project. I wanted to create something of my own, even if it might not look as visually impressive.

More than anything, I was interested in techniques rather than visual appeal. I decided to focus on functionality first and add the “icing on the cake” later. My approach was similar to developing a minimum viable product (MVP): start small, iterate, and improve.

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Terrain

The foundation of any world is its terrain. Unreal Engine includes a landscape mode for sculpting environments. Using a brush, the terrain can be shaped manually. However, most tutorials recommend using heightmaps instead.

I experimented with this. First, I generated a Perlin Noise heightmap in p5.js and used it to create the terrain. It worked to some extent.

Then, I tried digital drawing in Adobe Fresco, creating black-and-white images with brushes scattered across the canvas. This method also worked, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with the results—or the process.