During this week, I made a series of modifications to the landscape I created in Unreal Engine, including making the height of the mountains on both sides of the river more balanced and adjusting the coverage area of vegetation and the texture of the mountains. At the same time, some adjustments have been made to the size of the waves on the water’s surface to make the overall environment look more balanced and harmonious.
This week I finished the port deck, little cabin, and cargo carrier model for the scene
In the conception of my “Journey to the Baidi City” project story, I hope that the boat will gradually leave a small port. The style and appearance of the port are more ancient. There are some cabins at the back of the port. There is smoke rising from the cabins, and the boat is sailing. After a while, you will pass through a gorge. On both sides of the gorge stand two giant statues of ancient gods. Temples and courtyards of different sizes are located throughout the mountains. At the same time, waterfalls pour down from the mountain stream.
I first referred to a lot of the landforms of the Three Gorges area in China, which is where my story begins, and then started to restore the landscape of the Three Gorges in Unreal Engine 5 which the scene includes mountains, trees, grass, river, and lake.
The name of my final major project is Journey to the Baidi City. The story background is inspired by a poem written by Li Bai in 759 A.D. from the Tang Dynasty of China, one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. The original poem is called Leaving white Emperor City at Dawn.
Full Text of Leaving white Emperor City at Dawn
At dawn amid colored clouds, I left White Emperor City.
A thousand miles to Chiang Ling I was there in a day.
Chattering apes on the cliffs, no end to their bawling.
So, the light boat slipped past the ten thousand mountains.
The background of the creation of this poem is that the poet was exiled for committing a serious crime and was pardoned by the emperor when he was passing through Baidi City. As a result, the trajectory of his life changed and he started a new chapter in his life. This poem also became a part of the poet’s life to record turning points and proud moods.
What I’m trying to do is to use Unreal Engine 5 to recreate the scene in the poem where the poet’s boat crosses the gorge, to create an epic scene, and at the same time to add more detailed artwork on the sides of the gorge, adding palaces and giant stone statues of the gods to increase the element of metaphysical adventure.