The release of Unreal Engine 5 was momentous. With the dynamic LODs provided by Nanite and the automatic shadows/AO generated by Lumen, level design is easier than it’s ever been. Inspired by these new tools, I set out to learn the basics of environment design in UE5.

This level was created while following the gamedev.tv course Unreal Environment Design. I started with a basic landscape brush pass, then blocked out the playable area using cliffs and rocks available on Quixel Mixer. Once the landscape and boundaries were in place, trees and foilage were placed and painted around the scene. Finally, a few unique assets and decals were added to give the centerpiece boulder more intrigue.

I’m really excited at the new possibilities UE5 brings. Look forward to similar projects posted here!