So I jumped back into Unreal 5 again for my next TV production. This is my second time using it for a broadcast project this year and the reasoning was broadly the same but with some additional considerations.
I had already designed and produced a 10s title sequence in C4D and redshift for the show which included GI, AO, volumetrics, motion blur and depth of field. Any additional graphics for the show would need to be in keeping with that aesthetic.
Rendering nice DoF with bokeh, motion blur and volumetrics with Redshift comes at a cost in terms of render time and we only had a very short deadline. I knew the requirements for supporting graphics on this show would evolve almost on a daily basis and it would be an iterative process. Unreal 5 delivers everything I needed in real time and offers a close approximation to the Redshift render quality in a fraction of the time (and I really mean a fraction, about 1/50th of the render time or faster if I dialed down the samples for quick reviews). For example, rendering the titles in Unreal on my RTX PC averaged about 180s/frame in Redshift. Unreal renders a comparable result in 4s/frame. Real-time if I dial it down a little for review copies. Ok, it's not quite as good a result but the loss in quality is more than made up for by speed of production and the renders can be done in a single pass and finished in Resolve. Given the budget and time available, this was an acceptable compromise and still delivered a pleasing result with a high production value feel.
I love working in Unreal, it is a fantastic (sometimes frustrating and mind boggling) tool for designing motion graphics with real time GI, AO, volumetrics, complex materials, real time dynamics, advanced particle systems, lens effects and much more. It can handle an ACES workflow, EXR, direct linking to 3D modelling apps and god knows what else, I feel like I'm only just scratching the surface.
It does however come with a steep learning curve, at least it is for me. Takes a bit of getting used to, feels quite different to operate compared with other 3D apps I've used before like C4D, Houdini (in itself quite different), Maya and Max. Some things that are super easy to do in a traditional 3D app are annoying and frustratingly complex to do in Unreal.
However, consider this - Unreal Engine is currently completely FREE. Also, access and use of the asset library that Epic acquired recently (Quixel) is also free and directly linked inside of Unreal for easy and immediate use in your project. On top of that there's an active user base to learn from, a marketplace and what seems like a commitment to develop and improve the product.
Creating motion graphics inside of Unreal feels like the future and makes apps like After Effects look obsolete. Look, I know AE is a very versatile and powerful app. I use it A LOT, but come on, why is it still necessary to hit space bar to render a RAM preview? Even Apple's Motion has been real time rendering on the GPU for at least 10 years and Nuke is way more flexible and stable.
Finally, now I mention it, I have found Unreal Engine to be very stable and reliable. Working in Unreal all day and late into the night without a single crash is normal. I certainly can't say the same about After Effects which is a total bag of shit when it comes to stability.
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