Reality Capture with Unreal Engine: An Introduction to Photogrammetry, Rhino & UE5 Workflow
The workshop will focus on showcasing a full photogrammetry workflow within the Epic Games suite. From taking pictures of a physical object to manipulating the same object in a digital environment to extracting captivating real-time motion graphics.
The workshop will focus on showcasing a full photogrammetry workflow within the Epic Games suite. From taking pictures of a physical object to manipulating the same object in a digital environment to extracting captivating real-time motion graphics. You'll learn about the best practices for creating best scans with the gear that you already have, 3D model simplification/cleanup techniques as well as basics of Unreal Engine 5's rendering system.
No prior knowledge is required. This workshop is perfect for architects, designers, and anyone interested in learning how to capture real-world objects and environments and bring them into a digital workflow using industry-standard tools.
- How to photograph physical objects for photogrammetry: lighting setup, camera settings, and overlap technique for clean results
- How to process RAW files in Photoshop to optimize images for RealityCapture ingestion
- How to generate, simplify, and texture a 3D mesh in RealityCapture and export it as a clean FBX
- How to use control points to merge disconnected scan components and align interior with exterior scans
- How to round-trip geometry between RealityCapture and Rhino with correct axis orientation and scale
- How to set up an Unreal Engine 5 project from scratch: templates, project settings, content browser structure, and viewport navigation
- How to build a master material system with material instances for non-destructive, parametric material editing
- How to use Blueprints construction scripts to programmatically populate a scene with multiple asset instances
- How to animate a scene in Sequencer with camera movement, depth of field, physics simulation, and time dilation
- How to configure the Movie Render Queue to output a final image sequence with high-quality anti-aliasing
Session 1: Photogrammetry and 3D Scanning with RealityCapture
- Introduction to RealityCapture: software overview, licensing model, and Epic Games ecosystem
- Camera gear selection: DSLR vs. phone cameras, prime vs. zoom lenses, recommended budget setups
- Photography technique: lighting conditions, camera settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed), picture overlap
- RAW file processing in Photoshop: highlight and shadow adjustment to flatten images before ingestion
- RealityCapture workflow: importing images, aligning photos, generating a mesh, and texturing
- Mesh simplification and normal map reprojection to reduce polygon count while preserving detail
- FBX export and Rhino import: correct axis mapping settings for round-tripping geometry
- Control points and mask generation: aligning disconnected components and handling reflective subjects
Session 2: Unreal Engine 5, Materials, Blueprints, and Rendering
- Unreal Engine overview: levels of representation, use cases for architecture vs. Twinmotion
- Project setup: template selection, quality presets, ray tracing toggle, content browser organization
- Importing photogrammetry assets: FBX import settings, Nanite toggle, smoothing group warnings
- Material system: master materials, scalar parameters, material instances, color and roughness inputs
- Texture workflow: diffuse and texture master materials, UV assignment from RealityCapture scans
- Blueprints and construction scripts: for loops, static mesh spawning with randomized transforms
- Sequencer and camera animation: CineCameraActor setup, keyframing, time dilation for slow-motion
- Movie Render Queue: path tracing, anti-aliasing samples, JPEG sequence output
Gediminas Kirdeikis
Gediminas Kirdeikis is an architect by training, who has founded a Lithuania based Very Good Architecture Company. He is also a course-coordinator and a lecturer at Lund University, Sweden.
Gediminas runs two YouTube channels focused on design software education and architectural design. His teaching approach combines practical software skills with architectural thinking, making complex digital workflows accessible to designers at all levels.
