Unreal engine project
Tropical Pirate Island in unreal 4.25
Tropical Pirate Island Project I made in unreal engine 4.25 using some of my 3d-models made in Blender and The Ocean Project.
Creating a tropical island in Unreal Engine 4.25
Why unreal engine?
Why is unreal engine something for a 3d modeler? There is a simple answer to why a 3d modeler likes Unreal Engine. Unreal creates amazing landscapes that stretch towards the horizon. I want my models in environments that show them their best side. Unreal solves the problem of rendering those big scenes.
Blender is very capable too, but it comes with some drawbacks. First, it takes even longer than creating the model. Second, it burns my computer to a crisp trying to render it out.
Not starting from scratch
Unreal engine is widely used and has a big community. When researching, I stumbled across something called the Ocean Project. The Environment Community Project (The Ocean Project) This project contains a lot of free stuff, including a preconfigured sky and ocean. But to create a small system of islands, I needed something more.
There are many good tools for creating landscapes. Some cost more than others. I am only human. I confess that I sometimes use paid-for plugins and have a membership to Quixel Mixer. But, I strive to make as much as I can from open software.
That is why I landed on the software TerreSculptor.It is an open software that might not be as polished as other paid-for tools but is very powerful and fully capable of the task.
Working with foliage
One key characteristic of a tropical island is lush vegetation. Quixel Bridge had many good 3d-models, but not many trees. Luckily, they had some palm trunks. With those trunks and some plants, I could create a palm tree. I bet you did not notice I only used one palm tree model for the forest.
Trees were not what almost made me quit. It was all other lush vegetation. The models within Quixel Megascans were too high in detail and would burn my computer to a crisp. Unreal has a system for creating low poly models and different LOD’s. However, that system did not work for anything with individual leaves.
I created a high-poly model of a bush using a free add-on for Blender. Then I created several versions with roughly the same shape and color. The result was good enough to create that feeling of dense, lush vegetation.
Check out some of the models I made for this scene
3d model of a cutlass
I want to showcase my models in a scene. As I said earlier, this was the reason I looked into Unreal Engine. I have to say it worked pretty well. It takes some time getting the models ready for unreal. On the other hand, a potential buyer would value this. They would see that it works in Unreal Engine. Something to keep in mind if you work
There is something to keep in mind. You need to rebuild lighting if you move something in the scene. I think this issue might have disappeared in Unreal Engine 5.0. since the introduction of Lumen. If you are interested in the Cutlass, I made another page dedicated to that model, click here or the image to get to that page.
3D model of old spanish gold doubloons
If I intended to show these coins only in this scene, they would have been seriously overworked. I made them fulfill my future need for old Spanish coins. Never again will I have the want for a model of Spanish Coin.It was also my first step to improving my skill for the small details on my models. I was trying to find a way without using tools such as Substance Painter. If you want to know more about how I made this coin, check this post out.
3D model of an old strongbox
After using my method on a coin, I wanted more. I wanted to try my method on a more complicated model. That is how I made this Strongbox. Pay close attention to the section on the front and the bolts. The project is described in more detail here.
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