Charlotte's blog

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Unreal Engine

Week 5 – project ideas

This week, I had a one-on-one conversation with Serra, where we took a closer look at my project ideas and discussed what is realistically achievable and what might be too ambitious. It helped me better understand the scope of the project and where I should focus my time and energy.

Alongside that, I spent time working on a storyboard. Breaking the idea down into separate shots made the concept feel more concrete and manageable, and it gave me a clearer direction for how the final result could come together.

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 4 – Materials

This week was all about materials and how they affect the look of our scenes in Unreal Engine. We learned how to assign materials to objects and experimented with building them up inside the material editor by connecting different nodes together. It was interesting to see how adjusting small values or links could completely change the surface of an object. Working with materials felt more technical, but also very creative.

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Unreal Engine

Week 3 – Cinematics

This week, we dove deeper into Unreal Engine, with a strong focus on the Level Sequencer and creating cinematics. We also used FAB for the first time, which made finding and adding assets to our scenes a lot easier.

Besides working in the engine, we talked through our final project ideas with Serra. My inspiration is moving in a slightly darker direction. I’m thinking about a cat that slowly transforms into a zombie, inspired by The Walking Dead. I like the idea of using cinematics to really show that transformation and set a strong atmosphere.

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Unreal Engine

Week 2 – Exploring Unreal Engine

During the Unreal Engine lesson, we took our first steps inside the software. We navigated through the workspace, learned where everything is located, and experimented with the basic tools. We also looked at how environments are built up step by step, and how combining different elements brings a world to life. After that, we were able to try things out ourselves by setting up our first simple interactions.

Categories
Unreal Engine

Week 1 – Introduction

In the first week, everything revolved around getting to know each other. We met our classmates and teachers, and during these lessons we also received our first introduction to Unreal Engine. To break the ice, we played a game where I had to draw the person sitting next to me using my non-dominant hand.

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Maya with Ting

Week 12 – Intro to cinematography

This week focused on the basics of cinematography, looking at how camera composition, shot size, angle, and movement help tell a story. We explored the idea that the camera acts as another character, guiding the audience’s attention and emotional response through how a shot is framed and moves.

We studied concepts such as the rule of thirds, golden ratio, different shot sizes, and how camera angles (high, low, eye-level, Dutch) can change how a character is perceived. We also looked at basic camera rules like the 180-degree rule and the importance of motivated camera movement.

The assignment was to storyboard a scene, analysing how camera language is used to express emotion and narrative.

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Maya with Ting

Week 11 – WIP spline

I attached the hands to the block, which helped the character move as a single unit. This made the motion feel more stable and consistent, and reduced the sliding problem I was struggling with before.

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Maya with Ting

Week 10 – Body Mechanic Shot Polish WIP

This week focused on pushing the body mechanics shot further into polish, while still reviewing both stepped and spline versions alongside reference. The goal was to refine the motion while keeping the original intent and weight intact.

I concentrated on smoothing transitions, cleaning up arcs, and improving timing without losing the clarity established in blocking. Comparing the spline pass with the stepped version helped ensure the movement still felt grounded and physically believable.

This stage highlighted how important it is to polish carefully and deliberately, building on strong foundations rather than overworking the animation.

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Maya with Ting

Week 9 – Body Mechanic Shot WIP

This week focused on continuing the body mechanics shot and submitting a work-in-progress in both stepped and spline versions, alongside video reference. The aim was to compare how the motion reads in each stage and identify areas that need improvement.

Working in stepped mode helped me focus on pose clarity, weight shifts, and balance, while the spline version highlighted issues with timing and arcs. Reviewing both versions side by side made it easier to spot problems in the motion and refine the performance.

This process reinforced how important it is to move gradually from blocking to spline, using reference and clear poses to maintain believable body mechanics.

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Maya with Ting

Week 8 – Rough Blocking WIP

This week focused on creating rough blocking for a body mechanics shot. The aim was to establish clear key poses and breakdowns that communicate weight, balance, and believable movement before refining the animation.

I concentrated on making the poses readable and ensuring the character’s centre of gravity felt grounded throughout the action. Keeping the animation in rough blocking allowed me to focus on overall motion, timing, and physical logic without worrying about polish.

This stage highlighted how important strong foundations are in body mechanics. Clear poses and solid blocking make it much easier to push the animation further in later passes.