This project was part of an open-ended assignment for my Virtual Enhancements course. While we spent most of the semester learning Cinema4D, our professor encouraged us to explore any 3D tools we wanted for this project. Many of my classmates were experienced in Houdini, Unity, and other platforms.

So I thought—why not take this as an opportunity to dive into Unreal Engine? And why not learn Substance Painter too while I’m at it?

Stepping out of my comfort zone, I challenged myself to learn these new software and it turned out to be the most rewarding experience I’ve had on any school assignment.

Ironically, I’m a bit squeamish about blood in real life—I get queasy from a paper cut and have to look away when getting blood drawn. There were definitely some late nights where I felt a little… unwell working on the more graphic parts of this project.

So why create such a bloody, graphic scene?

I’m fascinated by horror as a genre—more for its structure and psychological elements than the content itself. Back in 2018 as a freshman, I even wrote a paper on it. You can check that out here!

In short:

1. Learning new tools is fun.

2. 3D modeling is oddly relaxing—when not under a time constraint!

3. The horror genre is fascinating.