Sci-Fi Shotgun

The core objective of this project was to increase the fidelity of dynamic lighting and material look development in Unreal Engine 5.6.1, leveraging high-quality assets to accelerate the pipeline.

By strategically leveraging existing assets, I dedicated maximum development time to refining the final material look-and-feel of the hero prop, balancing dynamic shadows, and preparing the asset for future animation.

Look Development & Material Deep Dive
The "Krusher" shotgun served as the primary subject for a detailed PBR material study, focusing on realistic wear and metal interaction under intense light.

Surfacing: Substance 3D Assets provided the foundational smart materials, which were then heavily customized in-engine for specific grime and edge wear accumulation.

Environment Base: The foundational grit, including the high-resolution, scratched metal floor texture, was sourced directly from Quixel Megascans to immediately establish the industrial atmosphere.

Dynamic Lighting Methodology (UE 5.6.1 Lumen)
The entire scene runs on a fully dynamic Lumen Global Illumination solution, emphasizing contrast and drama.

Key & Fill: The overall illumination uses soft Rect Lights with large source radii to mimic studio softboxes, creating smooth ambient light while still defining volume.

Exposure Control: Used Local Exposure volumes to precisely manage the high dynamic range, preventing crushing of blacks in the shadows or blowout in the metal reflections.

Cinematography via Rim Lighting
The strong, defined outline around the weapon is achieved through careful placement for maximum visual separation:

Light Placement: A narrow, high-intensity Rect Light is positioned almost directly behind and slightly above the "Krusher."

Settings: The light’s angle is tightly adjusted to catch only the highest edges. It was set to a pure, cool white and pushed to a high intensity (15,000–25,000 lumens) to ensure it cuts through the shadows with a crisp definition.

Rendering Pipeline (MRQ Render Graph)
This project marked my first venture into using UE's Movie Render Queue (MRQ) Render Graph. While there was a slight learning curve, the flexibility it offered compared to the standard MRQ setup was a major workflow advantage. It allowed me to customize the output passes (e.g., separate reflection, ambient occlusion, and lighting channels), which was essential for the precise compositing and final color grading I planned to execute externally in After Effects.

Asset Integration Credits
Leartes Mega UE Bundle: Used the Cyberpunk Shotguns as a geometry foundation for the weapon concept, and integrated props from the Military Boxes and Military Rockets packs for high-fidelity environment set dressing.

Substance 3D Assets: Core source for material library and PBR texture map bases.

Quixel Megascans: Source for the detailed floor background material.

VFX: EasyFog and EasyAtmos by William Faucher (https://www.artstation.com/will_faucher)