This cinematic and striking scene was created by one of our incredible VFX artists while working on a radical cyberpunk, futuristic style game. While part of a much larger effort and collaboration, we’ll just delve into this piece, what went into it, and how our talented VFX artist put it together.
Inspiration for this Game VFX
The aesthetic was very unique for the project and our VFX artist said they were struck by the references provided by the client. They were inspired by the surrealist imagery that evoked reality, confusing power or events. Cars and creatures hovering ominously into the air while bystanders looked on worried they might be plucked from the earth next.
The palette in particular was shades of blue, saturated but very low-key in its execution with some splashes of color for car lights or a shining moon. A glitch effect was quite common and something that would be part of the game so our artist drew some further inspiration from the recent Spiderverse films. A beautiful mash-up, a glitch and comic effects are executed fantastically which our VFX artist utilized as inspiration. Some of the hue shifting was drawn from the Spiderverse glitching but they added additional features on top.
Lastly, our artist also wanted to sharpen their skills regarding camera movement and emulating cinemascope formats using the in-engine camera settings. The goal was something of a more hand-held feel, to make it look grounded and not just a static camera on a tripod. With these references giving our artist a strong baseline, they set to work!
Pipeline and Tools for Creating 3D Game VFX
For jumping into camera controls and tools, our VFX game artist consulted an old colleague who has a lot of photography experience. This was a fantastic resource as both a person of expertize, which we often deliver to projects, and in the providing of a wealth of materials. Camera settings, how certain camera shots evoke different emotions, how to achieve a dynamic shot or an intimate one based on settings and framing.
Our VFX artist started with the main scene setup and general blocking. Thanks to the references and initial exploration, they already had a strong idea for the final look and camera positioning. The most difficult part, according to them, was the lighting setup. Achieving the right rim lights on the trees, setting up practical light on the scene, implementing invisible meshes so that light could be blocked and the right shadows achieved at specific junctions.
A lot of iteration time went into the camera movement and its timing. Initially, there was only a 35mm camera lens emulated by the engine. In time, our VFX artist had a switch into a 45mm for some close-ups for an intense zoom, and then a return to the 35mm for the explosive impact.
Unreal Engine 5 was used to create the scene setup and the whole scene was rendered in UE5 using the FFmpeg encoder. Blender was utilized to create some custom VFX meshes and Substance Designer was used to create all of the textures utilized in this piece. Finally, the environment was actually done using mega scan assets and a character from Paragon assets by Unreal.
Biggest Challenges and Learning Opportunities
The biggest challenge, according to the VFX artist, was the camera settings. Some rendering issues also cropped up but this was all down to trial and error, the gentle course of correcting one piece at a time. To learn something new, they said, you have to get your hands dirty. The VFX game artist also said that they knew a lot of it would come down to the timing of the shot and preparing some post-processing shaders due to the volume of parameters to be adjusted throughout the sequence.
As for things learned, they mentioned that camera movement will definitely be more prominent in their minds going forward. Intentional camera movements are a great way to elevate a piece of VFX. Like sound effects, they can help sell or really drive home a powerful or impactful piece of VFX.
Tips for other Real time VFX Artists
As a final point, this incredible VFX artist had some pointers for other artists trying to achieve this kind of result.
“Take it slow, have good references, and a vision of the final product. Never forget the fundamentals of VFX. Keep a sense of timing, colors, shapes and, now that I’ve learned, camera movement is king! If you have a final product and quality in mind, you’ll have a goal to reach. It’s a good way to keep focused.”
If you liked this piece of game VFX, check out our ArtStation for more in our portfolio! If you’d like to leverage our game VFX services, art production, full-cycle game development, video production, or any other of our comprehensive offerings, get in touch today!
