One of the aspects of the challenge we wanted to address in the use of the UE4 engine was that it is not only a tool for creating movies but for the interactive applications. We knew the use of this technology in the field of architectural visualization would allow interactive engaging experiences for the user and this competition would highlight it.

The building was conceived as both floating and underground structure situated in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia Canada. It contains a wine facility, spa and hotel.

For the interactive aspect we have a third and first person playable mode for navigating the winery and several areas where trigger volumes activate motion sensor lights, text and interactive architecture. This was done primarily with Blueprints and matinee sequences. We wanted the facility to come alive with wine harvesters, robotic wine attendance and the unfolding of the architecture spaces as you walk through it. The unfolding of the architectural space was inspired by the cross section illustrations of buildings, structures and objects.

We opted to have 2 videos, and several stills. The first main video features a more traditional cinematic film style showcasing the features of the facility with a moody slower paced style. We decided to go with a second video to showcase a screen capture of the interactive aspects of the project rather than having a packaged playable demo due to time constraints. The 1 minute imposed length was interesting and frustrating LOL. Hoping to continue with the interactive portion after the challenge.

This was great experience for both Dawn and myself and hopefully UE4 can be used in next year’s Challenge. It was great to see all the awesome projects and messaging everyone to chat tech stuff.