Month: November 2025

First, I planned to use tree assets in UE5, but when I looked around, I only found normal trees and couldn’t find any large, mysterious trees. So I decided to make the tree myself.

This week, I focused on creating a large and mysterious tree inside a cave.
I am good at modeling buildings and mechanical objects, but I have had little experience with modeling organic forms like trees, which have irregular shapes and delicate wood grain details. Because of this, creating this tree was a personal challenge for me, and at the same time, it became a valuable opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills.

I wanted to create a large, powerful impression, so I designed the wood grain to be somewhat coarse and with wider spacing between the grains. Also, because trees at shrines often have decorative elements, I incorporated ornaments that symbolize the sacred tree and the act of worship. The most difficult part was creating the spirally woven rope.

Through the process of creating this tree, I was able to learn how to use sculpt mode more effectively and gain new insights. Overall, it was a very meaningful and valuable learning experience.

Making Process

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Rope

In terms of this rope, I first created it in a spiral shape. Then, my initial plan was to bend the rope along a curve and wrap it around the tree.

Specifically, I started by creating a circular object, and using a modifier, I arranged it in a spiral along the Z-axis. Next, I applied a curve modifier to shape it into a circular form. Finally, I adjusted the curve mode of the object to add sagging caused by gravity, making the rope look more natural.

Paper docoration

When creating the paper decoration, I first created a flat plane. Then, I added a grid on the plane and removed unnecessary faces and vertices to shape it according to the reference.

Next, I extruded the plane in steps to make it three-dimensional. Finally, I bent the object along a curve, which allowed me to create a paper decoration that looks like it is fluttering in the wind.

Straw decorations

Creating the straw ornaments was particularly difficult. I felt that the most challenging part was expressing the detailed texture of the straw and its complex shape.
However, I tried to create them in my own way. First, I created a sphere and deleted the bottom half. Next, I extruded the deleted part to create the shape of the straw ornament. After that, I used Sculpt mode to adjust the texture and shape. Finally, I adjusted the position of the bottom face to complete it.

References

This is a Japanese traditional shrine created using Blender. In this modeling, I focused on creating a balanced and symmetrical design, as well as emphasizing the texture of the wood to convey the shrine’s sacred atmosphere. I also aimed to combine the simplicity of a temple with the elegance of a shrine, creating a building that embodies the best of both.

Throughout this process, I realized that traditional buildings are made up of many interconnected parts. For example, even in wooden architecture, the structure relies solely on interlocking wooden components, and the roof tiles differ from ordinary tiles, giving the building unique features not found in other constructions.

I also created textures using Substance 3D Painter, which I found very useful for future projects. At the same time, I feel motivated to deepen my skills in these software tools to be able to create my own original textures.

full 360° view to display the temple assets

<Torii>

<Light>

<Temple>

Texture / Material

I used Substance 3D Painter to create the textures and materials for the temple assets. I referenced traditional Japanese shrines and temples and aimed to replicate their characteristic design elements. The main body was painted with a red base color, while the windows were painted in dark green.

Through this texturing process, I was able to understand the basic workflow of Substance 3D Painter. However, I am also eager to learn more advanced techniques, such as creating original materials to achieve more customized textures. In the future, I would like to explore Substance 3D Designer as well in order to take my material creation skills to the next level.

Reference

During this week, I focused mainly on creating character animation, especially a simple walking cycle motion. Since I had already learned the basic knowledge and techniques in another class, I was able to work on this animation relatively a bit of smoothly.

I also borrowed The Animator’s Survival Kit from the UAL LCC library and checked practical tips and key points to keep in mind when creating a walk cycle.

However, I faced several problems during this process. First, I was unable to transfer the rigged character in Blender to Maya. This was because I used Blender-specific add-ons, which caused compatibility issues. As a result, I decided to complete all the animation work in Blender.

While working in Blender, I encountered another issue: the rig’s weight painting was incorrect, causing parts such as the arms to bend unnaturally. This problem occurred mainly because my knowledge and skills in rigging were still limited. I was not able to fix the issue completely, but I adjusted the rig as much as possible and managed to finish the walking animation.

Through this experience, I clearly realized the areas which I need to improve immediately, especially in rigging. I strongly feel that I need to study and develop these skills through self-learning in the future. This production process became a valuable experience that helped me identify my next challenges and goals.

When creating walking animations, I realized that weight shift is very important. In particular, the up-and-down movement plays a key role in making a character’s walk look natural and alive.

From my observations, I understood that when a foot moves forward, the other foot lifts off the ground and the body rises slightly. On the other hand, when both feet are on the ground, the knees bend and the whole body moves slightly downward. I found it helpful to imagine this up-and-down movement as a wave, which makes it easier to understand and apply.

I also noticed that the body naturally sways slightly from side to side while walking. Paying attention to this side-to-side motion makes the walk feel more natural and lively.

Through this process, I learned that it’s important to observe carefully, understand the movements, and reflect them in the keyframes. This approach helps give the character’s walk a sense of depth and realism.

Walk Cycle References

On the foot movement, it is important that the heel touches the ground first, while the toes remain on the ground until the end. In addition, the bending of the knees gradually becomes stronger and then slowly releases. This results in a more natural and realistic walking behavior.

Not only for foot movement, but also for all types of motion, I realized that space and tempo are extremely important. These elements strongly affect the speed, smoothness, and sense of weight in an animation. Therefore, I want to carefully judge and adjust space and tempo according to each movement.