As mentioned before, one of my main focuses for this artefact is my establishing shot and the environment. Initially, I planned to render the environment in Houdini using the Arnold render engine. However, due to time constraints, I decided to move everything to UE5 and create a digital matte painting.
Creating a digital matte painting in UE5 involves leveraging the engine’s real-time rendering capabilities to build highly detailed and dynamic environments. UE5 offers a range of tools and features, such as Nanite for handling complex geometries and Lumen for real-time global illumination, which can significantly enhance the visual fidelity of the scene. This approach allows for quick adjustments, making it easier to experiment with different compositions and lighting setups. Additionally, UE5’s integration with other software and its support for ACES colour space ensure that the final output maintains a high level of colour accuracy and realism, essential for creating immersive and believable environments.
One of the most important aspects of matte paintings is colour accuracy. For this project, I rendered everything in ACES colour space, which is known for its wide colour gamut and accurate colour representation. This step was crucial in ensuring that the colours in my scene were true to life and consistent across different devices and screens.
After rendering, I moved the renders to Nuke for compositing. Compositing in Nuke adds realism and depth to the shot by combining various elements seamlessly and enhancing the overall visual impact. The next step will be finalizing the shot that takes place on the Star Destroyer. This will involve ensuring that all the elements come together cohesively and that the environment looks polished and professional.