A New Chapter

I’m in the early stages of exploring the art of world-building in Unreal Engine 5, navigating the intersection of my traditional creative practices and emerging digital tools. The images below depict a "digital beach sketch" I created after following a tutorial by Magnet VFX, using assets from the Megascans Nordic Beach collection. For this experiment, I focused on experimenting with the engine’s ocean feature, and explored the use of fog and Lumen lighting to enhance the atmosphere and add depth to the scene.

For future projects, I plan to explore how storytelling can be conveyed without words. How can objects, materials, and textures communicate the weight of an environment's history, evoking emotion through their presence and details? I’m also curious about how the user or player might impact such a scenario.

Though I often struggle to find the right words to express myself, I’ve found that in the world of set dressing and environment art, the objects themselves speak volumes, creating a narrative without needing dialogue.

It’s a fascinating and beautiful experience to say nothing at all, yet still feel the weight of a space — to let the environment itself tell the story, speaking through its atmosphere and every carefully placed detail.

My next challenge is translating my ceramic knowledge into the world of digital modeling. I’ve started a new project in Blender where I’m modeling kitchen assets and texturing them using Adobe Substance 3D Painter. I plan to apply the same storytelling questions I’ve been exploring to this new space, infusing it with history and emotion.

Once this project is complete, I aim to create a more open, immersive, and playable environment. I’m still hammering out the details of the set, but the creative process is definitely flowing. :)

I’m excited to share this work with you all soon!

Abby