Unreal Engine is the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences by Epic Games. The latest generation, Unreal Engine 5, was launched in April 2022. One of its major features is Nanite, an engine that allows for high-detailed photographic source material to be imported into games. The Nanite virtualized geometry technology allows Epic to take advantage of its past acquisition of Quixel, the world’s largest photogrammetry library as of 2019.

Lumen is another component described as a “fully dynamic global illumination solution that immediately reacts to scene and light changes”. Lumen eliminates the need for artists and developers to craft a lightmap for a given scene, but instead calculates light reflections and shadows on the fly, thus allowing for real-time behavior of light sources. Virtual Shadow Maps is another component added in Unreal Engine 5 described as “a new shadow mapping method used to deliver consistent, high-resolution shadowing that works with film-quality assets and large, dynamically lit open worlds”. Virtual Shadow Maps differs from the common shadow map implementation in its extremely high resolution, more detailed shadows, and the lack of shadows popping in and out which can be found in the more common shadow maps technique due to shadow cascades.

There are several reasons why learning Unreal Engine 5 can be a valuable skill:

Growing Demand: As real-time 3D technology becomes more prevalent in industries such as film, television, architecture, and game development, there is an increasing demand for professionals who have experience with Unreal Engine.

Versatility: Unreal Engine can be used in a wide range of industries to create a variety of content, including games, films, architecture visualizations, and more. This means that learning Unreal Engine can open up opportunities in a range of fields.

Real-time Rendering and GI: Unreal Engine is a real-time rendering engine, which means that it allows you to see changes in your content as you make them. This makes the creation process faster and more efficient than traditional rendering methods.

Community: Unreal Engine has a large and active community of users who create tutorials, share knowledge, and collaborate on projects. Learning Unreal Engine means that you can tap into this community and benefit from their knowledge and experience.

Creativity: Unreal Engine is a powerful tool for creative expression. Learning Unreal Engine allows you to bring your ideas to life in a more interactive and immersive way, and to create content that engages and inspires others.

Through the Internet, you can find a pile of lessons, courses, trainings and articles, both free and paid. Free resources are very popular and affordable to anyone. At the same time, they lack consistency, proper explanation, methodology and are not following one learning path. You can spend a great value of time, trying to achieve some result, while a person who had a proper training has already started working using obtained knowledge, both theory and practice.

By the end of this course, you will have learned the fundamentals of the UE5 by creating your own photorealistic environment from start to finish with easy follow along videos.

Throughout the training, we will create 3 cinematics with varying complexity. Two environment scenes and one interior scene.

The course should have something for everyone, no matter the skill level. It is definitely well suited to give newcomers a great base to build on while also having a little gem here and there for everyone who has done similar things for years already.

Usage Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine is a powerful game engine and content creation tool used by game developers, filmmakers, architects, and other professionals to create interactive experiences, real-time simulations, virtual reality experiences, and other types of digital content. Here are a few examples of how Unreal Engine is used:

Game Development: Unreal Engine is widely used in the game development industry to create 3D games for consoles, PC, and mobile devices. Game developers use Unreal Engine to create complex game mechanics, AI systems, character animations, and more.

Film and Television: Unreal Engine is increasingly being used in film and television production to create virtual sets, pre-visualization, and virtual cinematography. With Unreal Engine, filmmakers can create complex environments and effects in real-time, allowing for faster and more cost-effective production.

Architecture and Design: Unreal Engine is used in architecture and design to create real-time 3D visualizations and virtual walk-throughs of building designs. Architects can use Unreal Engine to create interactive simulations of buildings, allowing clients to explore and interact with their designs in a more immersive way.

Education and Training: Unreal Engine is used in education and training to create interactive simulations, virtual reality experiences, and serious games. Educators and trainers can use Unreal Engine to create simulations that allow students and trainees to practice skills and learn in a more engaging and immersive way.

Advertising and Marketing: Unreal Engine is also used in advertising and marketing to create interactive ads, product visualizations, and virtual showrooms. Brands can use Unreal Engine to create immersive experiences that allow customers to interact with products in a more engaging and memorable way.

Where I can download and install Unreal Engine 5?

• First you should install Epic Games Launcher https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download.
• Login with your Epic Games account in the launcher.
• In the Launcher go to the right top corner and press the orange button “Install Engine”.
• In some cases it is not working properly. After pressing the button nothing happens and the “plus” button is greyed. You should go into ‘Samples’ and grab for example the free “City sample”, upon returning to the “Library” tab select the engine version and press “Install”. Downloading and installing UE5 takes approximately 40 minutes.

How you can make money with Unreal Engine

There are several ways to make money with Unreal Engine, a popular game engine used for developing video games, virtual reality (VR) experiences, architectural visualizations, and more. Here are a few ideas:

• Full CGI video and Cinematics creation: Using UE 5 and Quixel Assets you can easily create high-quality full CGI videos and quickly render them inside the software. 
• Game development: You can use Unreal Engine to create your own video game and sell it on platforms like Steam or the Epic Games Store. You can also make money by licensing your game to other companies or through in-game purchases.
• Virtual Reality experiences: Unreal Engine is widely used in the development of VR experiences. You can create and sell VR content on platforms like Oculus, Steam, or Viveport.
• Architectural visualizations: Unreal Engine can also be used to create interactive walkthroughs of buildings or other spaces. You can offer your services to architectural firms or real estate companies to help them showcase their properties.
• Education and training: Unreal Engine can be used to create educational content or simulations for training purposes. You can sell this content to schools, training centers, or other organizations.
• Freelance work: You can offer your skills as an Unreal Engine developer to other companies or individuals who need help with their projects. Freelance platforms like Upwork or Freelancer can be good places to find work.
• Working in studios: UE is a very popular CG software. Many famous VFX studios use it in the main pipeline. 
• Marketplace assets: If you are proficient in creating 3D assets, animations, or other digital content, you can sell your work on the Unreal Engine Marketplace. This can be a good way to earn passive income while continuing to work on your own projects.

These course are for you if you want to

• learn how to work in Unreal Engine 5;
• learn the theoretical basics of lighting and composition;
• create different types of FullCG video and Cinematics;
• create environment, interior, exterior scenes inside UE5;
• work with Visual Effects;
• setup render and make postprocessing inside UE5;

Learning process

The training is divided into 4 logical chapters. They are pre-recorded. After payment, we immediately open you access to the recorded lessons online via YouTube (so that you can use subtitles). We will create an individual support group in Telegram (download link) for your class, where you can ask questions about the material or homework. Once a week (on weekends or any other day – this is discussed with the students of each class), the instructor make a webinar with live communication, answers to questions and analysis of homework. Therefore, the whole training can be completed faster depending on your individual abilities and skills.

• You can start learning immediately after payment at any time.
• Each chapter is designed for 2 weeks. The whole training lasts 8 weeks (but you can do it faster if you want).
• Every week we hold a live webinar where we answer questions, give feedback and open access to the next block.
• Groups of up to 10 people, which will provide more individuality and attention to each student.
• Access to lessons can be obtained from anywhere in the world and take place at any convenient time.
• In each block you get homework – a real task in CGI. At the end of the course, you will collect your demoreel.
• During the courses and after they are completed, you receive feedback from the teacher – ask specific questions and get answers.
• The tools are mastered in order of importance. From primary to secondary. Your goal is to develop the right mindset and skills that will produce more results in less time.

Technical specifications

• year of creation: 2022;
• author: Oleg Verenko;
• version of programs used in the course: Unreal Engine 5.0;
• total lessons in the course: 79;
• total duration: 16h 11m;
• size: 17.5 Gb;
• video specifications: file type .mp4, frame size – 2560*1440 pixels;
• number of live webinars with students – 9.

About the author

Oleg Verenko – CG Generalist.

Hello! I’m a Senior CG Artist and visual effects creator working on commercial, television, cinematic and feature projects. While working many areas of the VFX pipeline, I specialize in 3d modeling, FX, compositing, procedural systems, scripts, tools, and dynamic simulation of particles, liquids, smoke, fire, rigid bodies, and destruction. Check out my showreel and portfolio to see a bit of everything. Since 2004, I have worked in 6 VFX companies and have held positions from an CG artist to a Supervisor.

IMDB account https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4819605

Behance Portfolio https://www.behance.net/olegwer

ArtStation Portfolio https://www.artstation.com/olegwer

Cg Generalist Reel –

Course content

A total of 79 videos are split into different sections that build on one another.
All the videos will have logical naming and are numbered to make it easy to find exactly the ones you want to follow.

Works of our students

What is the price?

You can pay for the entire training (all discounts are valid) at once or each block separately (discounts do not apply).

The cost of the “Lessons only” package is $330.

The cost of the “Base plan” is $599 (or each chapter – $150).

The cost of the “VIP plan” is $950.

Please, provide us your Youtube account mail in registration – we will give you access for lessons using this mail. You can watch the course with your native language subtitles. If you have any questions, write us – info@cg-school.org.

FAQ:

I am a beginner. Can I understand the lessons? Yes. The lessons are designed for users both beginners and intermediate levels.

What is the duration of the course? 8 weeks (2 weeks per chapter).

What is the difference between Courses and Tutorials? Tutorials does not include any feedback with instructor but have a lower price.

Courses are primarily support with the teacher, control of your learning and the opportunity to make demoreel and receive a certificate from the school.

What is the difference between your courses and the rest of similar content on the Internet? Our lessons are made by the experts, who have completed a lot of projects in the CG industry (check). At the present time we are working with real projects.

I want to buy course. How can I do it? Select the plan that you are interested in and press the button above. Or, please, write us: info@cg-school.org.

Are the lessons live? All lessons are pre-recorded. You can download and watch them anytime, anywhere. Support is live.

How do students receive feedback? Every class has a dedicated professional instructor who will help you through lectures, project feedback, and Q&As. We also create a Skype group for each class where the instructor answers your questions and make a live webinar for feedback once a week.

Do you record webinars to revise and consolidate material? Yes.

Do I get a certificate of completion? Yes. If you choose Base or VIP plan and will make demoreel after course you can receive a certificate.

What payment options are available? Visa/Mastercard, PayPal, USDT.

Do you support customers after the purchase of course? Yes. If you choose Base or VIP plan – support is included.

Which operating system I need to watch your lessons? Do I need special players or codecs? You can use any of these operating systems: Windows, Mac OS, Linux. No special players. The files are in .mp4 format and open everywhere.

Is it possible to download the material if the Internet connection breaks? Yes. If you have any other problems with the internet, write for help to info@cg-school.org

How long will I have access to course video and assets? Access is not limited in time. You can download the material to your computer and view it at any time.

What is your refund policy?  You may request a full refund within 14 days of the course start date if you don’t like something in the lessons or teaching (you must indicate the reason). Email info@cg-school.org to request a refund. Our team would be happy to help.

How can I contact you? The fastest ways to get your answer are: info@cg-school.org.