Creating an Environment in UE5: A Workflow Overview

In the world of 3D visualization and game development, creating immersive environments is both a necessity and a challenge. My recent project focused on developing a realistic landscape environment in Unreal Engine 5, leveraging the latest advancements in landscape nanite and procedural content generation (PCG). Here's a breakdown of my workflow, from conception to near completion.

Step 1: Crafting the Terrain with World Creator 2023.4

The project began in World Creator 2023.4, a powerful procedural terrain generator known for its flexibility and efficiency. This tool enabled the creation of a dynamic landscape, where I could sculpt with precision and generate color mattes for later use in texturing and PCG workflows. Early previsualization of elements like lighting, water, sky, and clouds set the mood for the scene and provided a strong foundation for the environment.

Step 2: Enhancing Terrain Geometry in Blender

Using 4K, 32-bit EXR heightmaps exported from World Creator, I refined the terrain in Blender. Blender's ability to handle high-polygon geometry allowed me to add detail to displaced meshes while managing performance through decimation. This ensured that the terrain retained its richness while being optimized for the next stages of the pipeline.

Step 3: Refining the Heightmap in Nuke

The hero heightmap was imported into Nuke for further refinement. In this stage, I enhanced the fine details of the terrain to capture every nuance of the landscape. Once the desired level of detail was achieved, I resized the heightmap to 2160x2160, preparing it for integration into Unreal Engine’s landscape tools.

Step 4: Unreal Engine Landscape Creation and Horizon Expansion

The refined 2160x2160 heightmap was imported into Unreal Engine 5 to utilize its landscape features. This approach allowed access to powerful tools for sculpting, texturing, and working seamlessly with PCG workflows. To extend the environment into the far background, I created Nanite-optimized static mesh tiles in Blender. These tiles were designed to blend naturally into each other, forming a continuous and immersive horizon that complemented the main terrain.

Step 5: Building Materials with Precision

A custom landscape material instance was developed in Unreal Engine, enabling fine control over texture application, displacement, and other attributes. Techniques like triplanar projection were used to minimize tiling artifacts, ensuring that textures blended seamlessly across the landscape. The material’s flexibility was essential in creating a realistic and cohesive environment.

Step 6: Procedural Content Generation (PCG)

Unreal’s PCG tools were instrumental in populating the environment with natural details such as rocks, foliage, and ground elements. Using terrain sample data, I created multiple tailored PCG setups for different sections of the landscape. This approach added variety and realism, enriching the overall scene with carefully placed details.

Step 7: Expanding the Environment with Custom Spline Tools

To enhance the scene further, I added buildings from the Kitbash3D Enchanted pack. Custom spline tools were developed to create fences, paths, and wall sections. These spline-based elements not only added visual storytelling components but also drove additional PCG setups. This integration of handcrafted and procedural elements created a more immersive and structured environment.

Step 8: Character Integration and Simulated Details

Characters were introduced using assets from the Unreal Marketplace and Mixamo. Select elements, such as cloth, were animated using Chaos caching to achieve realistic simulations. Additionally, Niagara was used to create dynamic smoke effects, adding atmospheric depth. Rendering was handled through Unreal Engine’s Movie Render Queue, with the Nuke Foundry plugin employed to generate AOVs and Cryptomattes. These layers were crucial for post-processing, where final compositing and polishing were completed in Nuke.

Final Steps: Cinematic Composition and Finishing Touches

The project concluded with a focus on camera placements, lighting, and composition. All rendering settings were optimized in the Movie Render Queue to ensure cinematic quality. Post-processing in Nuke added subtle enhancements, blending all elements together to deliver a cohesive and visually compelling scene.

If you’re interested in exploring these techniques further, I’ve created a detailed tutorial series on my website. The series breaks down many of these steps into easy-to-follow guides, making it accessible for artists at all skill levels.