Once the animation was finished, I moved on to the VFX and simulations inside Unreal Engine. This phase involved three main technical elements: the lighting behaviour during the override, the blood decal system, and the cloth simulation for the woman’s bodysuit.
Lighting
The lighting change was one of the key requirements for the override moment. I needed the scene to switch from calm blue lighting to an intense red warning state. To achieve this, I used a light function setup that allowed the red lights to flicker and pulse instead of remaining static. I spent time matching the intensity, flicker speed, and transition timing so the lighting shift aligned precisely with the override cue in the animation. The goal was to make the environment react immediately and technically consistently once the mech activates.
Blood Decal
The blood decals required a more manual and detailed workflow. I created the blood texture sheet in Photoshop and after importing it into Unreal, I built a decal so the blood could sit directly on the lab floor without affecting other materials. I set up material sheets that let me control the expansion of the blood pool over time. Inside the material, I added parameters for flow speed so the decal could gradually grow outward rather than appear all at once. Most of the work involved adjusting how the decal blended with the environment, balancing colour, and refining the transparency so it looked correct under different light conditions.
Cloth Simulation
For the woman’s bodysuit, I relied fully on cloth simulation instead of trying to rig it manually. The suit’s structure and shape would have required complex weight painting, so simulation was more efficient and gave more natural results. I began the animation in an A-pose, allowed the cloth to settle, and then transitioned it into the character’s actual animated poses. This ensured the simulation started clean without any sudden pops. I spent time configuring collision settings so the suit would stay close to her body without clipping. Disabling ground collision was important because it kept the feet of the bodysuit from lifting or drifting away from her actual feet. After that, I adjusted properties like stretch resistance and damping so the fabric maintained its tight form while still reacting organically to her movements.