‹ All ProjectsCabotage
Student Project · Virtual Production / ICVFX
2023
NAD — Student project
Studio L, MELS 3
A fisherman’s hut by the sea, built as a real-time set for a virtual production shoot at MELS.
Role
3D Environment Artist — Scene Assembly, Modeling, Real-Time Controls & Compositing
Tools
Unreal Engine 5Substance 3D PainterBlueprintsNiagaraFluid Flux
Overview
Cabotage was my final project for the intensive Unreal Engine 5 and virtual production training at NAD. The environment was projected for filming at MELS on June 28, 2023. The brief called for a hut, fog and an ocean horizon, with a target of 60 fps on an NVIDIA RTX 2060 and a project smaller than 30 GB. The work extended beyond the digital scene: it had to come together with an actor, practical props and lighting on set.
My Contribution
- Assembled the coastal environment from Marketplace, Quixel and personal assets.
- Modeled the modular fisherman’s hut and lighthouse, textured the lighthouse and integrated them into the scene.
- Prepared a sequence for each camera position, activating the elements needed in that view, and Blueprint controls for camera sequences and environment parameters during filming.
- Tested water systems and used an HLSL shader / Niagara approach on set to limit the real-time cost; animated scene elements with autoplay sequences and a Blueprint actor for the buoy.
- Prepared an animatic as a reference for the actor and the mood, then added compositing and color correction to the final montage.
The environment combines my own work with existing assets. The shoot was a collaborative exercise with an actor, mentors, classmates and the MELS crew.
Pipeline
- Environment assembly and modular modeling
- Water-system tests and scene optimization
- Camera sequences and live scene controls
- Actor and mood animatic
- Virtual production shoot at MELS
- CG renders, compositing and color correction
Technical Challenges
- Challenge — the hut, fog and sea had to share a limited real-time budget while remaining adjustable for the camera on set.
- Production response — I organized scene activation around camera positions and chose a water treatment that did not require a full simulation during filming.
- Production distinction — the published montage also contains CG renders. Fluid Flux was used for the introduction and credits, while the on-set water used HLSL / Niagara; the montage is not a raw performance capture of the real-time scene.
Project Impact
The studio footage was recorded in a two-hour session. The final montage, environment breakdown and pre-shoot animatic document the project from preparation through filming.
Project Credits
André Comiré — actor; Rémi Lapierre — Unreal mentor; Ifaz Matoub — 3D generalist advisor; Vincent Ladouceur — virtual production mentor; Simon Girard — tracking; Patrice Puiberneau — lighting designer / mentor; Alexis Sénécal — lighting assistant; Nicolas Fournier — technical director and camera operator at MELS; Jérémy B. Raymond — sound co-design; Michel De Silva — making-of. Thanks also to Pascal Lavallée, Guillaume Beauchamp, Aran Beik, Nicolas Lachance-Brais and Vivianne Proulx for their help with optimization, logistics, water tests, focus and practical assets; Élyz Bouchard for make-up; and Frederic Vicaire for advice on set.
See the project on ArtStation ↗