The Rural Lake Cabins Project

Personal Project

Cinematic Trailer

Engine Type

Unreal Engine 4

project type

Personal Project

Start Date

February 12, 2021

completion date

April 23, 2021

project duration

2 months

The Rural Lake Cabins

This project aimed to create a small-scale, non-post-apocalyptic environment focused on a rural park set in the USA. The goal was to showcase a current-day, realistic depiction of a park, utilizing limited assets to test the feasibility of building a believable environment with minimal resources.

Roles & Responsibilities

Role: Visual Level Designer | Team Size: Personal Project

Learn how to Set up Fortnite water features for realistic interactions.
Learn how to Implemented dynamic footstep sounds based on surface materials.
Refined lighting and color composition to enhance atmosphere.
Optimized performance while maintaining visual quality.

Key Features and Goals

Footstep System:
Implemented a dynamic footstep system that changes sounds based on the material the player walks on (e.g., grass, gravel, dirt), enhancing immersion and realism.
Asset Limitation:
Restricted the number of assets used to test the ability to create a convincing environment with a small selection of props, highlighting the importance of effective asset reuse and modular design.
Lighting and Composition:
Focused on understanding the impact of lighting and color composition, experimenting with color variations to enhance the atmosphere and mood of the park. Learned how subtle changes in lighting can dramatically affect the scene’s overall feel.
Water Features in Unreal Engine 4.26:
Gained hands-on experience with water features in Unreal Engine 4.26, experimenting with water levels and adding rivers to improve realism and enhance the natural flow of the environment.

Gameplay Walkthrough

Level Development

Map Designs Gallery

No items found.

Intentions

Create a Realistic and Inviting Environment:
Design a rural lake cabin setting that captures the peaceful and serene atmosphere of nature, focusing on realism and attention to detail in every aspect of the scene.
Enhance Immersion through Sound and Interactivity:
Implement a dynamic footstep system and other interactive elements, like ambient sounds, to improve the player’s immersion in the environment.
Focus on Lighting and Composition:
Utilize effective lighting techniques and color composition to evoke the right mood, ensuring that the lighting reflects the time of day and natural environment of the lake.
Optimize Performance:
Ensure the scene runs efficiently with limited assets while maintaining visual fidelity, testing my ability to balance aesthetics and performance.
Experiment with Water Features:
Explore and utilize Unreal Engine's water system to create realistic water features like lakes and rivers, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the environment.

Constraints

Asset Limitations:
Restrict the number of assets used to create the scene, testing my ability to build a visually appealing and believable environment with minimal resources.
Performance Optimization:
The project must run efficiently on a variety of systems, which requires balancing visual detail with performance to ensure smooth gameplay or exploration.
Realism vs. Artistic Freedom:
While aiming for realism, there may be a need to compromise or stylize certain elements to enhance the scene’s appeal or fit within technical constraints.
Lighting Constraints:
The lighting system must effectively convey different times of day and weather conditions, while considering the limitations of the engine and hardware.
Single-Player Focus:
The project is designed for a single-player experience, limiting the scope for multiplayer interactions or large-scale environmental changes.