Learn How This UE5 Modular Dungeon Environment Was Recreated In Unity

Introduction

Hello, 80 Level readers. My name is Berkay Dobrucali and I'm an Interior Architect. After graduating and doing my interior architecture profession for a while, I decided to throw myself into the game industry.

My path crossed with Leartes Studios, and I did many projects in Unity for about a year and a half. I tried to improve myself by watching a lot of tutorials. After improving my skills, I started working as a freelancer. Currently, I'm providing environment, lighting, and level design services to various companies.

Pros of Unity

I started with integrating my Unreal Engine projects into Unity, from environment design to material creation, from lighting to optimization, and then I was able to complete a project from start to finish. One of the features that make the engine great for beginner artists is that Unity's High Definition Render Pipeline setup gives really high-quality results and allows you to create a realistic scene.

The Unity Remake Workflow

If we turn our attention to the topic of the Modular Dungeon Environment, the team at Hivemind requested to integrate this project from Unreal Engine to Unity, and we eagerly started working on it. I was highly impressed by the Unreal render, lighting, and especially the VFX, so I couldn't wait to begin working on this exciting project.

As for the workflow, I initially placed the assets in the scene and then converted them into Prefabs. This way, when I wanted to make a change, I could do it through the Prefab, ensuring that the entire scene would be affected and saving me time.

After that, I started the level design, closely mirroring the Unreal project, and placed the meshes accordingly. Assembling the scene was not an easy task. Placing a character inside is crucial for maintaining a sense of scale.

I would recommend beginners not to forget this detail, as working with a character inside helps to preserve the concept of scale.

Lightning & Post-Process

No matter how good your models and textures are, if your lighting isn't executed well, your work can end up looking subpar.

Here's the scene with no lightning:

To illuminate the scene, I added a Directional Light with a high Fog intensity, allowing the light beams of this Directional Light to penetrate and create a beautifully misty atmosphere. To showcase the objects in the environment more intricately, I introduced fake lights. Additionally, I added Point Lights to the tips of the candles in the scene, increasing their range to cast some light onto the walls. This produced a fantastic effect.

Below is a comparison of the scene without a Directional Light and when it's added:

As for the post-processing settings, I achieved a pleasing exposure value. Then, by adding Bloom, I softened the light a bit, aiming to enhance the scene's focus by incorporating Contrast. I enjoy using Ambient Occlusion to make objects more readable, and in this project, I maintained a specific level of Ambient Occlusion to achieve shadow harmony.

Furthermore, by adding a Vignette I prevented the image's edges from ending abruptly, creating a smooth and dark transition.

Rendering

After creating an HDRP project, adding URP support to Shader Graphs is quite straightforward. Firstly, we install URP into our project through the Package Manager. 

Then, we go into each Shader Graph, selecting Universal from the Graph Inspector window. The process is that simple. After that, our shaders and materials become compatible with URP.

The Importance of VFX

The original Unreal package contained various VFX in different forms. I was about to create some of them for the first time, so I did some research and watched tutorials.

Afterward, blending my own ideas with the acquired knowledge, I brought these VFX to life by creating a shader and material for the VFX and then produced them as Particle Systems.

Conclusion

I completed the project in approximately two and a half weeks, facing two main challenges along the way.

The first one was whether I could maintain a high level of quality for the VFX. After grappling with this question for a bit, I believe I managed to produce impressive results.

The second challenge revolved around the lighting aspect and how the environment would convey a certain atmosphere. After contemplating this for a while, especially considering the dungeon concept, I concluded that there should be ample darkness, yet the interior lighting with warm tones. This decision resolved the initial uncertainty surrounding this seemingly difficult aspect.

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to follow me on LinkedIn and ArtStation.

Berkay Dobrucali, Interior Architect & Unity Environment Artist

Interview conducted by Theodore McKenzie