This week, we focused on physics-based materials and dynamic simulations.
Fracture Mode
Fracture mode in Unreal reminded me a lot of Cinema 4D’s Voronoi Fracture, but with a built-in focus on physics and interaction. The concept is the same: take an object, break it into pieces, and configure physics attributes. You can control how an object breaks: uniformly, radially for glass, or in clustered chunks.
For one experiment, I simulated a bullet piercing glass, tweaking the radial fracture’s origin point until the crack radiated out convincingly. I loved how easy it was to customise.
Chaos Simulations
When we wanted to simulate dynamic interactions between objects, Chaos Physics came into play. I then set up some cubes to collide mid-air, adding a Chaos Cache Manager and recording the simulation. This is an essential step if you want to render these effects later, as the cache converts the live physics into an editable sequence.
The process of “directing” this chaos was both thrilling and challenging. Everything had to be captured perfectly—from the cubes’ initial collision to the way fragments settled on the ground. It reminded me of C4D’s simulation baking, but in Unreal, the tools for editing and playing back the chaos felt more versatile and tailored for rendering final sequences.
Constraints
Physics constraint actors allowed us to attach objects to each other and control their movement. I did a few pendulum-like setups with objects swinging around their anchor points. It was even more exciting when applied to skeletal meshes. I simulated a mannequin hanging from its hand, the rest of the body responding to the forces in a very natural way.
It reminded me of building dynamic rigs in C4D, where you have to carefully balance movement constraints to make the simulation feel natural. In Unreal, it felt like the system handled a lot of that heavy lifting for you, letting me focus on refining the storytelling. I found myself imagining scenes where characters cling to ledges or objects tumble in chain reactions—a creative spark I didn’t expect from what started as a technical experiment.
Working in Unreal this week felt like building on everything I’ve learned in Cinema 4D but taking it further. The tools in both programs share similarities—whether it’s PBR materials, dynamics, or constraints—but Unreal integrates these tools into a cohesive, real-time system that feels alive.
It made all the difference when in Unreal there was instantaneous feedback, especially while fine-tuning material properties or fracture settings. It was like rendering in a C4D viewport, only without the waits for an age for a preview to load. It’s this real-time responsiveness that kept it flowing, allowing for more experimentation without it feeling bogged down.