This cinematic recreation is inspired by Dune, focusing on a single ornithopter flying through a sandstorm over the deserts of Arrakis.

The camera follows from a rear three-quarter angle, emphasizing scale, silhouette, and atmospheric depth. This project became a detailed study in real-time cinematic lighting, procedural motion, and environmental interaction inside Unreal Engine 5.

Key Focus Areas

* Precise sun positioning to shape form and highlight silhouette
* Custom sky and sun disk color adjustments for a more cinematic tone
* Recti lights added to simulate realistic sun reflections across the fuselage
* Sandstorm atmosphere using Ultra Dynamic Weather (manual override setup)
* Subtle aircraft drift driven by Perlin noise channels to simulate wind interference
* Custom heat distortion material attached to the engines to create atmospheric displacement
* Cinematic camera setup with theatrical aspect ratio and filmic rendering adjustments

The ornithopter’s movement was animated using Perlin noise to introduce natural environmental turbulence, giving the flight a sense of weight and weather interaction rather than rigid keyframed motion.

To enhance realism, I created a custom heat distortion material in Unreal Engine and attached it to the rear and side of the aircraft, simulating engine heat displacement within the sand-filled air.

This project serves as both a lighting and FX study within a real-time workflow.

Technical Details

* Software: Unreal Engine 5.7
* Lighting System: Ultra Dynamic Sky & Ultra Dynamic Weather (Sandstorm – Manual Override)
* Motion: Perlin noise-driven animation for environmental turbulence
* FX: Custom heat distortion material (engine displacement effect)
* Additional Lighting: Recti lights for controlled specular highlights
* Camera: Cinematic camera actor with adjusted theatrical aspect ratio
* Render: Real-time render captured in-engine
* Project Type: Personal cinematic study

Render & Post Pipeline

* Rendered as EXR sequence from Unreal Engine 5
* Compiled and graded in DaVinci Resolve
* Final output rendered in cinematic aspect ratio