In just 8 weeks the Master of Animation and Visualisation students at the UTS Animal Logic Academy immersed themselves in Unreal Engine 5 to create a short film for Epic’s ‘Unreal Engine Short Film Challenge’.
Set in a futuristic neo-Venice, ‘Robo Ramen’ tells the story of a dishwashing robot who dreams of becoming a top chef. But only when the owner has an unexpected accident, does he get the chance to step up to the plate. After some failed attempts, he stumbles across a secret ingredient that keeps the customers coming back for more – and saves the Ramen shop from financial ruin.
Thrown in the deep-end as part of the emerging visualisation technologies subject, students had to upskill quickly using dedicated online training, then adapt quickly to solve a range of creative and technical challenges that emerged during the 8 week production schedule.
Students used a combination of ready-made assets from Megascans and original models, to animate the MetaHuman characters using motion capture. The project also used Unreal Engine 5’s virtualised geometry system Nanite to render highly detailed assets efficiently. Lighting was created using Lumen for dynamic global illumination to bring the cyberpunk-inspired city to life.
The Academy’s Technical Lead Chris French led the project and commented:
“It was incredible what the 28 masters’ students produced in such a short period of time. Unreal 5 had only recently been released, so students were learning on the fly, just as they would when faced with new technology challenges in Industry”.
Check out the full film below:
The UTS Animal Logic Academy offers accelerated, industry-focused education for careers in CGI, Animation, VFX and Visualisation. Located within the University of Technology Sydney city campus, the Academy is a professionally equipped, custom-built digital production studio space, offering a one-year accelerated Master of Animation and Visualisation, as well as undergraduate subjects, short courses, and research and PhD programs.
To apply to for the Master of Animation and Visualisation, please visit – https://www.uts.edu.au/study/find-a-course/master-animation-and-visualisation
Or for further information, please check out our website – https://animallogicacademy.uts.edu.au/