Hi!

This is Republic RT. The tool that keeps me busy and the one I hope to finish at some point before the end of 2022.

I will be updating this post while I continue to add other features.

I hope you like it ^_^.

* For more details, check Unreal Engine Forums Post:

https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/republic-rt-real-time-lookdev-tool-for-ue5/562560

Featuring Models: 

"Ashinna" by Ernest Nemirovskiy - https://www.artstation.com/nerikson

"Cat Chubby" by Jose Díaz - https://sketchfab.com/JoseDiaz

Music: "Withstand" by Kevin Graham - Artlist

UPDATE 01:  In runtime, "One click" Turntable Render

Featuring Model:

Paladins of Dawn "Itrek" by Ernest Nemirovskiy - https://www.artstation.com/nerikson

Music: Brightness  by Lane King - Artlist

UPDATE 02:  Stencil / Render Layers (Optional)

Featuring Model:

"Wooden Chair" by Megascans

Music: It All Begins Here by Borrtex - Arlist

UPDATE 03:  Transfer light-rig values from Runtime to Editor using Sequencer.

Featuring Model:

Sia - The Elf Barbarian by Ernest Nemirovskiy - https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/sia-the-elf-barbarian-0f6851b07b5f47ed87edfbfb1fda9a77

Music: Heimweh by Fjodor - Artlist

UPDATE 04:  "Context" and "Basic Sequencer Control"

Featuring Set Assets:

"Medieval Dungeon" by Infuse Studio

https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/a5b6a73fea5340bda9b8ac33d877c9e2

Music:

Boreís by Antionetta - Artlist

UPDATE 05:  Uncut Demo "Current state of the tool"

Featuring Models:

Epic Games Marketplace free assets.

  I basically do not stop watching youtube tutorials, checking what could be useful for me... The problem is that I want to approach a lot of stuff at the same time... Too many indeed for a lifetime. From  Blender branch, almost everything seems "sadly" very interesting, from modeling sculpting, surfacing, character rigging animation, layout, grease pencil... From RT side, UE4 also offers so many possibilities and expertise areas... dam... What the hell to do next? So many fronts open...

  I am always too focused on creating my own content, as I am lighter... I do my job when others have finished all their nice work "for me" to enjoy. But can not create a whole nice looking set with good modeling and surfacing as fast as I would like (could take me years...) so finally I have decided to put some priorities somehow and grabbed this nice  City Subway Train - Modular from Dekogon Studios, and let's do some lighting first. 

  After several "tests" done for videogame Studios (Ubisoft, Naughty Dog, Starbreeze...) I do finally start to understand the very basics of UE4, especially how assets, maps, and projects are managed... So this return to UE has been a lot more pleasant than before, and also do not have any deadlines, so that gives me good comfort to keep going without drinking too much coffee.

Here a quick screenshot of the current "progress" after blocking a couple of lights and a reflection Sphere. I do hope I can learn how to use most of the advanced UE lighting focused features used in the original scene that seems a great knowledge source.

I decided to tackle a daylighting inside the metro wagon, let's think about it like if it was Brussels tram that goes in and out from the underground :].

First, deleted all the PP and any light and reflection probe in the scene and starting from scratch, see how far I can go until the lighting tweaks do not get any further and I get a solid base.

Doing some tweaks and adding a few new features. Still all quiet rough, but managed to get a bit of "ambience". Have to get rid of the warm exaggerated reflections coming from the emissive board. No postprocessing tweaks yet, I understand that it's better not to go for it until lgt is almost done.

I always go a bit nuts with cameras and exposure, not understanding very well what is going on. Essentially, why my renders do not look like in viewport and so on, I did figure out years ago... but now I do not remember... Going with Preview Quality. Still, my laptop seems that is gonna blow.

Finally, after many youtube (thanks to all the gentle people over there that share their knowledge), I managed my exposure issues with the sequencer rendering and did a clean up of the project (and a backup...). This renders where after computing Lighting in Medium Quality what took around an hour... My computer is screaming to be retired.

Figured out how to use the "new" HDR Backdrop properly and finally managed to do some renders with the sequencer. Minor tweaks in the lighting and volumetrics and plenty of time wasted with unexpected results due to the lack of knowledge.  The most satisfying part was placing the camera after the biggest technical issues were solved, especially the "rat view" shot which was fun to do and to imagine :]. Finally seems that I won't dig much more in the project and just test some few things more before moving on, maybe, to another Free to use Environment, somewhere dark where I can not use a Directional as a base of the lighting. In any case, pretty happy to give a shot to unreal again and "stop wasting time" dreaming about what amazing sequences would come from the set that I will never finish to do...

Took a while to start getting some decent sampling renders... Tweaked volumetric and many render settings. Playing a bit with PostProcessVolume. I won't go much further with this project by now, I will try some few things more and let's pass to something else.

Latest lighting tweaks and setup. Project "Finished" !!! :]. Added some particles, even if they do not work very well yet... I did prefer to leave them over there. ""Final"" result:

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/5XWEPE 

*Downloaded this model from Sketchfab. Base Model and Normal map by Karol Miklas:

https://sketchfab.com/karolmiklas

My modeling with the Tug Boat goes slow and I could not wait to continue doing some surfacing on something... I found this excellent low-poly model and could not resist starting to work on it. I wanted to give a go to Quixel Mixer with his new Smart Materials and after some ID map baking and some model and normal map tweaks here and there, I finished doing very basic work in Mixer and went to test the maps in Blender as fast as I could. I did some flew details/patches in Photoshop, what it is something I would like to avoid as going back to the maps in 2D has been rendered already in the past as not a very good idea, seems best to do the 99% in Substance or so... In any case, I want to add more 3D details to the model and model the interior also so I have stopped having fun with the few lights and volumetrics, it is time to continue the thing...

I really love Eevee render, it is so neat for any look dev or even final representation :]. It is a playground for anybody interested in surfacing or lighting.

Finally, I put it in-game inside DCS, as this was also one of the goals; to create/share a Ridged Template Blender Scene that can be reuse to get vehicles in-game without struggling with the "tricky" rigging process and Quaternios rotation animations.

I will like to continue with the model and surfacing, maybe create an animated human driver, and add some props inside. But, I think, I will leave it like so for the Example/Mod for DCS as I think the script functionality and the rig template do achieve their purpose already.

Here the rig with the Animation Actions and the Arguments already set up.

A little video showing the van "on the move" :]. The "Swinging" movements might be a bit exaggerated, but tweaking the rotations will not be a big deal.

Worked a bit in the destroyed model, this time I struggled for a couple of days to continue with Mixer, but the performance in my little laptop is really bad and also kinda buggy sadly. Finally, I went back to Substance and "finished" the job in 20 minutes... Changed that pointy finishing of the glasses as they were too cartoony.

In-game Shot. Destroyed model ready and almost there for the release, not satisfied at all with the surfacing but you have to know when to finish something and keep going. 

This one just for fun... It does remind me  a lot of MudRunner... :]. Indeed, if at so point I feel more comfortable with modeling I would love to tackle a Mod for SnowRunner, as I do like it and supports all good stuff like PBR, has beautiful environments and textures, and... has direct *.fbx implementation. These guys really know how to please modding community.

Finally, I managed to put all together and release the tutorial and Mod/Example files. Feels good every time a project is finished :]

Still, struggling with the modeling, really slow progress, but as I am very stubborn... it will be finished properly someday. I prefer to block out most of the shapes even if references are quite clear as it does give me some sort of progression and I can start to test scale and script functionality in-game on an early stage.

95% Blocking so far...

Trying to keep it as Lowpoly as possible without losing detail. Lack of knowledge/practice makes things "complicated".

Second test in-game inside DCS. Most of the target features in *.lua script file already working.