I’ve started working on a Tang dynasty–inspired scholar interior diorama in Unreal Engine.
The first image shows my main reference and structural observations. The second image is my scene breakdown, where I divided the space into sections and created an asset inventory to stay organized and approach this in a modular, production-minded way.
I’m currently moving into the architectural blockout phase, starting with the beam and window framing system before building props.
Would appreciate any early feedback on the planning approach and structural prioritization.
• Created modular assets: bamboo blinds, lattice windows, grilled panels, straw blinds • Completed UVs and applied materials (including opacity for light filtering)
• Assembled interior scene layout based on reference
• Focused on lighting using Directional Light, Skylight, and fog • Iterated on exposure vs light intensity (learned to balance instead of relying on exposure)
• Improved shadow definition using window patterns and blinds • Adjusted directional light angle to achieve diagonal sunlight and better shadow behavior
• Refined contrast between lit areas and shadows
• Ensured light interaction works with materials (especially semi-transparent surfaces) • Current focus: matching light direction and shadow length more closely to concept
• Next step: make the more detailed incense spheres and the tea pots and then add foliage one-sided to introduce natural green bounce into the scene • Key learning: lighting direction and material interaction are more important than just brightness
please refer to the link below for the whole progress report pdf
Focused on environment production including asset modeling, material creation, lighting refinement, and cinematic presentation. The goal was to push the scene toward a portfolio-ready quality level with strong visual storytelling.
Key Contributions
• Modeled and textured key assets: wooden plaque, bookcase, kang table, swag curtains, divider curtains.
• Created PBR material maps (Base Color, Normal, Roughness, Metallic, AO). • Improved UV layout and texel density consistency.
• Enhanced lighting using directional sunlight and shadow composition. • Refined scene composition and prop placement.
• Rebuilt cinematic sequences; re-exported and edited video output. • Added white placeholder blocks to track pending assets.
