Technical Artist Unreal Fellowship: Worldbuilding 2023

I worked with the Epic Games educational team as TA helping other artists and film-makers get the most out of the engine. People love losing themselves in magical worlds—but only if they are well considered. That special feeling that breeds franchises and theme parks can easily fall apart if the pieces don’t fit. That’s why we’re helping industry vets learn to do it faster (and more freely) with real-time tools that are made for creating worlds people want to be in. Our method is the Unreal Fellowship: Worldbuilding workshop, which is specially designed to help experienced 3D/CG artists, production designers, concept artists, and more find their real-time footing. And over the course of three weeks, they did, creating an eye-catching short film with the help of Epic Ecosystem tools like Unreal Engine, Datasmith, and Quixel. Just take a quick watch of our latest sizzle reel and tell us you don’t want to see more! The fellowshop also offered insights into real-time asset integration, lighting, and rendering to give participants a full window into that process. That goal also meant the fellows were taught how to enhance models using Nanite and additional workflows for landscape, foliage, and water for even more flexibility. Some great examples include: Sam Goldwater’s New Moon world, which was set at night and lit from above by a massive moon Nicole Jansen’s fantasy-inspired indoor environment, which was brought to life by light cascading through a multi-colored stained glass window, waterfalls, and a magnificent blue butterfly Rishab Nanda’s An Evening at Miniatureland, which provides a ground-level look into an intricately detailed and asset-packed diorama on display Ellie Cooper’s The Heist Room, which tracks a crime-in-progress using environmental storytelling and visual aids like poker chips, tools, and a pallet of gold bars