12/08/2023

This will be my final blog post this semester. Two down, one to go! Our shots are nearly complete. Still no Abduction Bay set, but Logan has informed us that he is close to finishing. He has been doing a lot of work remodeling the set in higher detail in preparation for Unreal. I still think he can get it in next week. The real issue will be having to get into the Unreal set one at a time to layout our shots once it's ready. Thankfully, no-one in the team has any more than three shots in that set.

Working in layout has been a great primer for me in terms of learning how to work with Unreal. It took me a while to wrap my head around the FBX export system, but now that I've done it for each shot, it's becoming easier to grasp. There's a lot to learn about the level system in Unreal too - Logan set up levels for the set itself, the key lighting scenarios, and even for each individual shot. I had to open the level for the shot I was working on, load in the levels for the set and lighting, add all the assets I needed to the sequencer, and add each shot to the render queue. The whole shot production chain became less of a chore once I figured it out. I owe it all to Logan, who has been very accomodating with answering questions even under a heavy workload. My respect for him continues to climb.

All in all, if we can get all our shots rendered out, and I am confident we will, the preview screening next week will be a breeze. I can't wait to show off our work, nor can I wait to see what the other groups have been making. By the next time I make a post, it will be Jannuary of 2024! Here's to another amasing semester for Bathroom Stall Galactica - and hopefully one more to come!