Sector M17 MA Project

Working on Sector M17 was not just about producing a sci-fi environment, it was also about expanding my technical skillset and developing as a practitioner. Throughout the project, I gained new knowledge in software, improved my workflows and learned valuable lessons in project management.

On the technical side, I developed a much stronger understanding of terrain generation using Gaea 2.0. Prior to this project, I had relied on Unreal Engine’s sculpting tools for landscapes. Gaea, however offered far greater control through procedural erosion nodes and realistic heightmap generation. I learned how to create believable terrains and more importantly how to import and scale them correctly into Unreal. This was a completely new skill that will be essential for future projects.

Texturing in Substance Painter was another area of growth. While I had prior experience with basic PBR workflows, this project pushed me into more advanced territory. I learned how to effectively group assets into texture sets for efficiency, maintain texel density across modular structures and use emissive channels creatively. Adding emissive textures to trims and panels was particularly valuable — it showed me how textures could influence mood and guide player focus, not just surface detail.

I also grew in my use of Unreal Engine 5, especially with Lumen lighting and Ultra Dynamic Sky. Working with Lumen taught me how real-time global illumination enhances both workflow and results. Instead of baking lights, I could see immediate feedback, which allowed me to refine my scene faster. Using Ultra Dynamic Sky introduced me to dynamic weather systems, something I hadn’t experimented with before. Implementing rain and atmospheric clouds gave me insights into how weather interacts with lighting, reflections and player perception.

Beyond technical growth, this project improved my project management and adaptability. One of the biggest lessons was making trade-offs. For example, I had originally planned to create foliage in SpeedTree, but time constraints made that unrealistic. Instead, I adapted by using Marketplace Black Alder foliage. At first, I saw this as a compromise, but I realised it was a professional decision — knowing when to prioritise key areas like hero assets and texturing. Similarly, adding weather was not part of my original plan, but seizing the opportunity improved the project’s outcome.

Another area of learning was reflective practice. By maintaining regular blog posts, I trained myself to articulate my creative and technical decisions clearly. Writing about challenges and influences forced me to evaluate my workflow critically, which is a skill that goes beyond this single project.

In conclusion, Sector M17 taught me more than just new tools — it taught me how to think like a professional environment artist. I now feel more confident in modular workflows, PBR texturing and real-time lighting, but equally important, I’ve grown in adaptability, time management and reflective practice. These lessons will directly support my career ambitions and prepare me for the demands of industry-level environment art.

#major project#university#starcitizen#apexlegend#sectorm17#unreal engine5Blaze

From the beginning, one of my central creative goals for Sector M17 was to design an environment that communicates mystery, isolation and the tension between nature and technology. Every decision I made was shaped by this intent, balancing artistic vision with practical production choices.

The facility design was my first major decision point. Instead of creating a purely futuristic base, I chose to draw heavily from brutalist architecture as seen in Control. The sharp silhouettes and modular block structures gave the facility an imposing presence that immediately conveys authority and secrecy. I refined this by adding a vertical tower as a focal point, ensuring the environment felt cinematic when viewed from multiple angles. This decision was influenced not only by aesthetics but also by my plan to create a flythrough sequence — the tower helped provide strong visual compositions.

Another significant creative choice was how to texture the environment. I didn’t want the facility to look pristine, nor did I want it to appear abandoned. Instead, I aimed for a balanced weathered look that suggested active use but with signs of age and exposure. By layering edge wear, dirt and rust selectively, I was able to make the structure believable without overwhelming the sci-fi identity. Similarly, emissive trims became a core part of the design. Adding glowing strips of light to the tower and doors was a deliberate decision to suggest functionality and energy, echoing modern sci-fi design in Apex Legends and Cyberpunk 2077.

Foliage presented another key decision. My original plan was to build custom trees in SpeedTree, but time management forced me to adapt. I chose to use Black Alder foliage from the Unreal Marketplace, which fit my mood and color palette. This decision, while practical, became an artistic one too: the dark leaves contrasted well with the facility’s emissives, enhancing the overall mood. The compromise demonstrated how creative choices are often influenced by production realities.

Later in the project, I decided to incorporate weather effects using the Ultra Dynamic Sky plugin. Initially, I hadn’t planned rain, but after testing it, I realised how much it amplified the theme of isolation. The rainfall and wet surfaces made the facility feel even more remote and cinematic, aligning perfectly with my narrative of nature versus technology. This addition was inspired by Death Stranding, where weather heightens mood and storytelling.

Date: Week 10 (Research Post)

For my weather and atmosphere, I drew inspiration from Death Stranding, which is at the forefront of environmental storytelling. The game uses rain and fog not just as effects, but as narrative devices — reinforcing its themes of isolation, struggle and survival.

Although my project is sci-fi rather than post-apocalyptic, I applied similar principles. By adding rain via Ultra Dynamic Sky, I emphasized the isolation of the Sector M17 facility, hidden deep within a forest, standing against the elements.

Reflection: Studying Death Stranding reminded me that environment art isn’t only visual — it’s experiential. Weather and atmosphere carry emotional weight. By integrating rain into Sector M17, I aimed to create that same feeling of mystery and solitude.

Date: Week 10

Looking back at my planning folder and Gantt chart, I was able to keep close to my original schedule with a few key adjustments.

On Track → References, blockout, main modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing.

Adjusted → Foliage creation (original plan: SpeedTree; final decision: Marketplace Black Alder).

Added → Ultra Dynamic Sky plugin for weather, which was not in the original plan but improved the final outcome.

Date: Week 10

To add mood and atmosphere, I implemented the Ultra Dynamic Sky plugin in Unreal Engine. I enabled rain weather effects, which introduced dynamic rainfall and cloud coverage.

The rain effect significantly enhanced the mood of Sector M17, reinforcing the sense of mystery and isolation. I balanced intensity so the rain felt cinematic without obscuring details of the facility.

Reflection: This stage taught me how much weather impacts immersion. By using Ultra Dynamic Sky, I could shift the scene from static to dynamic, making it feel more alive. The rain also tied into my theme of nature vs. technology, with weather naturally interacting with the man-made facility.

Date: Week 10

To showcase Sector M17, I created a cinematic flythrough sequence using Unreal’s Sequencer. The camera path begins with wide establishing shots of the facility within the forest, moves into mid-shots highlighting emissives and structure detail, and ends with a dramatic pull-back showing the entire environment.

I used smooth tracking movements to maintain a professional presentation style and adjusted depth of field to emphasise focus on key details.

Date: Week 10

With all assets modeled, textured and unwrapped, I moved into the final assembly stage in Unreal Engine. I placed the facility, landscape, foliage, and atmospheric effects together, making final adjustments to scale and alignment.

This was also the stage where I checked for consistency — ensuring emissive strips lined up correctly, foliage density felt balanced and modular assets blended without visible seams.

Reflection: Final assembly taught me the importance of iteration and polish. Even with everything “done,” small adjustments like repositioning trees or tweaking materials made a noticeable difference in presentation.

Date: Week 9 (Research Post)

While working on lighting, I studied Halo Infinite, which is at the forefront of large-scale sci-fi environments. The game uses dramatic lighting contrasts to make alien structures feel massive and otherworldly, while still grounded in realism.

I applied similar principles in Sector M17. My directional light creates imposing shadows, while emissive strips add energy and sci-fi identity. Fog and volumetric lighting tie everything together, just as Halo Infinite uses atmospheric effects to sell scale.

Reflection: Studying Halo Infinite showed me how lighting shapes the tone of an environment. Without good lighting, even the best models look flat. Applying these lessons helped me transform my facility into a believable and cinematic environment.

Date: Week 9

The final lighting step was refining the Post-Process Volume in Unreal. I adjusted contrast, exposure and saturation to push the cinematic mood.

I slightly desaturated the environment while boosting contrast on emissive elements, making the glowing trims and panels stand out more. Bloom was also applied at a subtle level to give emissives a sci-fi glow without overpowering the scene.

Reflection: Post-processing was about finding the final polish. Small changes in contrast or saturation can completely shift the mood. This stage taught me the importance of restraint — too much post-process makes the scene look artificial, while subtle adjustments elevate realism.

Date: Week 9

To enhance the sense of scale and mood, I introduced fog and atmospheric effects. I used Exponential Height Fog with volumetric settings enabled, which gave the forest and facility a cinematic haze.

I also adjusted the fog’s scattering color to a slight bluish-grey, reinforcing the mysterious tone. The fog softened hard shadows and helped blend the facility with the surrounding forest and mountains.

Reflection: This stage reminded me how powerful subtle atmosphere is. The fog not only made the environment more immersive but also helped separate foreground and background elements, improving composition.

Date: Week 9

With the base directional light in place, I enabled Lumen Global Illumination (GI) in Unreal Engine. Lumen provided real-time bounce lighting, which helped the facility materials look more believable by simulating light interacting with surrounding surfaces.

For example, the emissive strips from my Substance Painter textures bounced subtle glow onto nearby panels, while the ground reflected cool tones back onto the walls. This made the scene feel more cohesive and realistic.

Reflection: Using Lumen showed me how advanced real-time lighting has become. Instead of baking lights, I could iterate quickly and achieve results closer to cinematic rendering. This workflow is exactly what studios at the forefront of the industry are now using.

Date: Week 9

I started lighting Sector M17 by setting up the primary directional light to simulate sunlight. I positioned the light at an angle that casts long shadows from the facility onto the surrounding terrain, giving the structure weight and grounding it in the scene.

I also enabled real-time shadows and slightly tinted the sunlight to a cool tone to match the mysterious atmosphere I wanted. This setup provided the base lighting before I layered in additional effects.

Reflection: The main challenge here was balancing light intensity. Too strong and the facility looked flat, too weak and the details disappeared. This step reminded me that directional lighting should establish mood first, detail second.

Date: Week 8 (Research Post)

While working with foliage, I looked at The Last of Us Part II, which is at the forefront of environment art for its blending of nature and man-made structures. The game uses overgrowth and natural framing to enhance mood and storytelling.

Although Sector M17 isn’t post-apocalyptic, I applied similar principles by using Black Alder trees to contrast with the industrial sci-fi facility. This creates tension between nature and technology, which was a core idea from the start of my project.

Reflection: Studying The Last of Us Part II reminded me how much foliage contributes to narrative. In my project, the forest doesn’t just fill space — it amplifies the sense of isolation, making the facility feel like a hidden structure deep within nature.

References:

Tokarev, K. (2020) How Naughty Dog Created the Immersive World of The Last of Us Part II. Available at: https://80.lv/articles/how-naughty-dog-created-the-immersive-world-of-the-last-of-us-part-ii/ (Accessed: 17 August 2025).

Date: Week 8

Once the Black Alder foliage was placed and the landscape textured, I tested different compositions and camera angles. The foliage helped frame the hero asset, with trees acting as natural borders that guide the viewer’s gaze toward the facility.

I also adjusted fog and post-processing to soften the tree silhouettes, creating a more cinematic mood. This made the facility feel embedded in its environment rather than just sitting on top of it.

Reflection: This stage made me appreciate how environment art is about composition, not just assets. Foliage placement, atmospheric fog and lighting all work together to create the mood I envisioned for Sector M17.

Date: Week 8

One of the most important steps in defining the sci-fi look of Sector M17 was creating emissive textures in Substance Painter. I added glowing trims, panel lights and subtle strips along key surfaces of the facility.

Using Substance Painter’s emissive channel, I painted light strips with bright orange tones, then adjusted intensity in Unreal Engine. These emissive details not only enhance realism but also guide the player’s eye toward important sections of the structure.

Reflection: Emissive texturing taught me how critical lighting accents are in sci-fi design. Without them, the facility felt flat and lifeless. With emissives, it suddenly looked futuristic and “powered.” This was a small but powerful detail that brought the entire environment to life.

Date: Week 8

To populate the forest area, I used Black Alder trees from the Unreal Marketplace. Although I had originally planned to create custom foliage in SpeedTree, time constraints meant I opted for Marketplace assets instead.

I placed the Black Alder trees strategically around the facility, using density variations to frame the structure without overwhelming it. Their darker leaf tone worked well with my project’s atmosphere, enhancing the mysterious and isolated mood.

Reflection: This stage reinforced the importance of time management and trade-offs. While custom foliage would have given me more control, using Black Alder trees allowed me to focus energy on hero assets and texturing. In the end, the result still feels cohesive and professional.

Date: Week 8

After finalising the terrain import, I applied the MW Automatic Landscape Material Pack from the Unreal Marketplace. This allowed me to use procedural texturing for my landscape, automatically blending different materials (rock, grass and dirt) depending on slope and height.

This was much faster than manually painting textures and gave me a natural, layered look. I adjusted the material parameters to fit the moody atmosphere of Sector M17, keeping the tones slightly muted to highlight the facility as the focal point.

Reflection: Using a procedural material saved me significant time and produced professional results. This showed me how leveraging Marketplace tools strategically can elevate a project without compromising originality.