ZIPIT!

2024

This is a 3D environment that I created as part of an assignment for my Masters degree 'Computer Animation'.

The requirements for this assignment was to:

Create an obstacle course.
Feature a core mechanic.
Animate and rig a character.

Check out the playable build here.

The programming aspect of this project can be view here.

Below is a short video showcasing the environment and gameplay.

Inspiration:

For this project, I wanted to base the environment off a real world location. The environment was inspired by Lough Key's Forest and Activity Park in Co. Roscommon, Ireland. I was drawn to this location as it was an area I visited every year when I was a child and holds a nostalgic place in my mind.

I think this location fits the obstacle course requirement of the assignment, with the real world activities fitting nicely into the brief.

My aim wasn't to match the environments, but to take inspiration with the zipline course set in the trees and the main building housing an escape room.

The reference images were used to inspire the level and the design of it.

The placement of the building and the zipline course was decided from looking at the inspiration material. I do think the moodboard could have had more detail to make it more helpful to the design of the level.

The character design inspiration image was a composition of several images that I thought suited the aesthetics I was looking for.

Planning:

The first part of the planning phase was to create a task list. I used Scrumwise, a project management software to help give my project's development a structure. While I was the only person working on this project, I felt that using software would be a good way of adjusting to industry methods.

I created a rough level layout drawing for the escape room and zipline course with a legend to help make the drawings more understandable.

These drawings help me to create the blockout level. I felt that the use of colour was a must with this project as it was difficult to distinguish between the different elements when every element was using the standard white texture.

Development:

I created the majority of the models myself as I felt it wasn't necessary to use many third-party assets in this project.

I sourced the tree models as I struggle to create foliage models and felt this was the best choice to make for the project.

All models were modelled in Blender and textured in UE5. A list of models created for this project are listed below.

Climbing wall.
Character.
Rope wall.
Chain.
Lantern.
Trampoline.
Ladder.
Curb (Straight + Curved).
Rope.
Log steps.
Sliding platforms.
Moving walls.
Wooden platforms.
Zipline stand.
Exterior walls.
Interior walls.
Signs (9+, 14+, Danger and Warning).
Background town.

Implementation:

I started to replace the block level with the assets I had created.

I started with the main building, creating the interior first before setting up the exterior.

I then added the moving walls, trampolines, sliding platforms and rope.

When I was working on the zipline course, I implemented the trees first as the platforms the ziplines would be placed on would need to be connected to the trees. Once the wooden platforms were added to the trees, I implemented the zipline blueprint. The level was taken shape at this stage. The climbing wall, log steps and trampoline were added last to finish off the base level.

Adding Detail:

To begin adding detail and bringing this scene to life, I started by implementing bushes to the landscape and adding more hills. I added the background town to the level, surrounding the environment.

I added signs to the interior and exterior, showing age limits and warnings around the environment. I updated the placement of the climbing wall and log steps to make the traversal aspect of the level easier as it was quite difficult.

The lighting was updated to create more shadows from the trees. I added fog to help improve the lighting and the aesthetics.

Adding Detail:

Below is a small paragraph of the reflection I done on this project.

Positive:

Lighting turned out quite good.
- The lighting and the fog really brought the scene together in the final stages.

The zipline mechanic worked as intended.
- The zipline mechanic was the main mechanic and provided little issues.
Visual scripting was improved.
- I learned several methods of manipulating the player's transform and animations through blueprints.

Negative:

The level could be improved by increasing the scale of the level.
- Adding several zipline courses and a larger escape room can lead to improved replayability.
The coding requirements of the assignment took time away from the level design.
- With more time or less requirements on the coding aspect, I feel that I could have expanded the scope of the level design by expanding the zipline course and escape room, creating a better experience for players.

To finish:

Lighting combined with volumetric fog helped to bring the scene together in the final stages.
Assignment requirements hampered the scope of the level and environment.
Project was very helpful with improving my visual scripting ability.