The project began with a simple yet striking idea: a retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic train station, a place that was once full of movement but is now frozen in time.
Our challenge was to reimagine this forgotten space through the lens of virtual production, combining physical design and digital craftsmanship to create a world that feels both tangible and cinematic.
We aimed to use the XR Stage not merely as a digital backdrop, but as an active and responsive environment that breathes and reacts to the story.
From the beginning, we established four creative guidelines:
Our initial pitch deck was shared with the Production Design class, who began gathering reference images, architectural sketches, and texture inspiration on a collaborative Mural board. From there, the concept evolved through ongoing discussion, blending the visual language of mid-century futurism with the decay of post-apocalyptic ruin.
Our challenge was to reimagine this forgotten space through the lens of virtual production, combining physical design and digital craftsmanship to create a world that feels both tangible and cinematic.
We aimed to use the XR Stage not merely as a digital backdrop, but as an active and responsive environment that breathes and reacts to the story.
From the beginning, we established four creative guidelines:
- Include at least one interactive moment with the environment (the train door) to emphasize real-time interaction.
- Keep the scope ambitious yet achievable, considering the technical and temporal constraints of the LED stage.
- Maintain minimal dialogue, allowing visual storytelling to drive the narrative.
- Design a story that is immediately understandable while remaining visually distinctive.
Our initial pitch deck was shared with the Production Design class, who began gathering reference images, architectural sketches, and texture inspiration on a collaborative Mural board. From there, the concept evolved through ongoing discussion, blending the visual language of mid-century futurism with the decay of post-apocalyptic ruin.
1. Retro-Futurism Meets Decay
- Inspiration: 1920s-1940s train stations (Art Deco architecture)
- Post-Apocalyptic Layer: Moss, rust, broken marble, reclaimed by nature
- Color Palette:
- Rich marble: Ebony black, sage green, dark emerald
- Metallic accents: Copper patina, rusted steel
- Atmospheric: Dust particles, volumetric light
2. Materiality as Storytelling
Every surface tells a story:- Cracked marble floors speak of abandonment
- Rusted railway tracks hint at journeys never completed
- Weathered copper inlays reveal decades of neglect
- Moss-covered concrete shows nature's reclamation
3. Interactive Environment
Not a static backdrop:- Moving platform doors
- Dynamic lighting that responds to character movement
- Practical elements (debris, props) that actors can touch
- Seamless blend between physical and virtual elements
The storyboard and previsualization stages connected creative vision with technical planning.
Set design from ideation to action.
With multiple team menbers contributing simultaneously, consistent version control was essential.
We established a collaborative workspace using Perforce, Unreal Engine’s preferred source control system.
Perforce became the backbone of our workflow, enabling synchronized asset sharing, quick rollbacks, and reliable scene integrity across different machines. In a hybrid production environment, it ensured that every department worked from the same foundation.
We established a collaborative workspace using Perforce, Unreal Engine’s preferred source control system.
Perforce became the backbone of our workflow, enabling synchronized asset sharing, quick rollbacks, and reliable scene integrity across different machines. In a hybrid production environment, it ensured that every department worked from the same foundation.
Once the virtual stage was ready, the Unreal Engine team began constructing the environment.
The process started with a simple blockout made from modular kitbashed assets to establish scale and layout.
At the core of the workflow were three Master Materials:
All materials were designed to be interactive and adjustable. During production, directors and lighting artists were able to modify parameters such as roughness, tiling, and color intensity directly within Unreal Engine, responding instantly to on-stage feedback.
Virtual cameras were also calibrated to match physical camera lenses, ensuring that focal length and perspective remained consistent between the digital and real spaces.
The process started with a simple blockout made from modular kitbashed assets to establish scale and layout.
At the core of the workflow were three Master Materials:
- PBR UV Material for standard surfaces such as metal, glass, and painted panels.
- Triplanar Material for geometry without clean UVs, allowing seamless texture projection.
- Blend Material for layered surfaces, combining dust, rust, and weathering effects through vertex masking.
All materials were designed to be interactive and adjustable. During production, directors and lighting artists were able to modify parameters such as roughness, tiling, and color intensity directly within Unreal Engine, responding instantly to on-stage feedback.
Virtual cameras were also calibrated to match physical camera lenses, ensuring that focal length and perspective remained consistent between the digital and real spaces.
The environment was developed through a structured asset pipeline that connected modeling, texturing, and look development tasks.
Each artist was assigned specific components of the train station, including rails, props, and signage.
Assets followed a uniform workflow:
This systematic process resulted in a cohesive and optimized asset library that supported both flexibility and visual quality.
Each artist was assigned specific components of the train station, including rails, props, and signage.
Assets followed a uniform workflow:
- Model cleanup, including re-topology, pivot correction, and scale adjustment from inches to centimeters.
- UV mapping and material assignment, dividing complex models into multiple sections for modular shading.
- Texture standardization, packing occlusion, roughness, and metallic maps into a single ORM channel for efficiency.
- Photogrammetry integration, incorporating scanned debris piles, posters, and surface imperfections from the physical set to enhance realism.
This systematic process resulted in a cohesive and optimized asset library that supported both flexibility and visual quality.
Performance optimization was a central part of production.
Our goal was to achieve a stable 90 frames per second, allowing the XR Stage to run smoothly with synchronized tracking.
To meet this target, the team implemented several strategies:
These optimizations were applied continuously, even during filming. Whenever performance issues arose, the team adjusted settings immediately to maintain real-time responsiveness without compromising visual fidelity.
Our goal was to achieve a stable 90 frames per second, allowing the XR Stage to run smoothly with synchronized tracking.
To meet this target, the team implemented several strategies:
- Replacing Point Lights with Spot Lights to reduce GPU load.
- Removing redundant and overlapping light sources.
- Adjusting texture resolutions and refining reflective surfaces.
- Simplifying volumetric fog and god ray parameters.
- Disabling Nanite on specific meshes and fixing transparency conflicts.
These optimizations were applied continuously, even during filming. Whenever performance issues arose, the team adjusted settings immediately to maintain real-time responsiveness without compromising visual fidelity.