Introduction

Hey, my name is Matt, I’m an engineering student from sunny West Australia. My involvement with Unreal Engine and 3D art has stemmed from my interest in things like photography, music, and travel/real-world exploration. My experience with 3D has been gradually progressing over the last year and a half, I’ve been able to utilize some programming that I learned at the university, but mostly I just learn by making things and messing around. Most of my time goes into my own short interactive exploration projects (for lack of a better name), along with doing some visual art stuff for musicians/friends. I’m beginning to touch on the game development side of things and experiment with ways people can interact with the scenes I’ve made.

Inspiration

When I first visited the shrine in Kyoto it was before I knew I’d be capable of making projects like this. The atmosphere of that place definitely left a nice impression, the way the gates are laid out over the mountainside, and the culturally unique significance that it has. I just imagined that the combination of the distinct red gates and its natural setting would be the great base for a project. The experience definitely puts emphasis on the calm, relaxed feeling you get when you explore somewhere alone. I also wanted the project to be simple and not too overwhelming, to leave room for the player to draw their own thoughts and feelings from what they see.