Broken Rock - VR Thesis

Broken Rock VR Thesis Trailer 

Environment Screenshots: 

Includes shots of Main Menu Scene, Day 1 Cave Level, & Day 2 Cave Level 

VR Interaction & System Breakdowns: 

VR Interaction - Rope & Rock Climbing 

Created by Joseph Janssen & Justin Nam

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions: 

1.) Hand Count for Valid Climbing Hands. 

2.) If Pawn is Falling During Climbing. 

3.) Pawn Velocity Vector for Parabolic Trajectory.

VR Interaction - Backpack Inventory System

Created by Joseph Janssen with secondary support from Quinn Kuslich

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Checks to see if backpack and/or tools have been dropped or overlapped with respective trigger volumes - items will always snap back to origin locations. 

2.) Ensures backpack and all attached tools are attached to the user by default. 

3.) Socket snapping grip positions for accessibility. 

VR Interaction - Radio UI Widget Dialogue System 

Created by Joseph Janssen 

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Checks to see which dialogue option user is overlapping.

2.) Update in real-time widget fill-up progress while user is overlapping a dialogue option. 

3.) Activate dialogue SFX based on selection and continue level script. 

Gameplay System - UI Guidance System & Icons

Created by Joseph Janssen 

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Custom Events to Show/Hide & Animate UI Icons. Triggered throughout story moments/tutorials. 

2.) Support for Icon Grabbing for additional accessibility. 

VR Interaction - Journal UI (Main Menu & Pause Menu) 

Created by Justin Nam

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) When UMG switches to another widget/menu using enumerators

2.) Update in real time when the pencil hovers over a menu option for a certain amount of time. 

Gameplay System - Tomato Presence Method 

Created by Justin Nam

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) When to toggle on or off the visibility of the VR hand mesh if user is gripping a valid attached actor. 

VR Interaction - Cave Map 

Created by Justin Nam

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Updates on tick when map is grabbed to track the general location of where the user is within the level. Updates the "X" decal on map. 

Game System - Sublevel Streaming Breakdown

Created by Quinn Kuslich with secondary support from Joseph Janssen 

Game System - Dynamic Audio Breakdown

Created by Quinn Kuslich

VR Interaction - Dynamic Crouching System (Unused)

Created by Xavier Rodriguez 

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Update on tick to dynamically alter the user's capsule collision to seamlessly transition from a "standing" and "crouched" state. 

2.) Provide alternative button input to crouch for accessibility. 

*System was ultimately unused for final product due to level clipping with landscape actor collision thickness.* 

VR Interaction - Optional Object Interactions 

Created by Xavier Rodriguez 

Blueprint Setup to track the following conditions:

1.) Activate unique dialogue upon pickup with the liquor bottle or cassette tape. Also play pickup sound effect. 

Asset Creation & Work-flow Breakdowns: 

Cave Rock Modkit + Shader Breakdown 

Created by Joseph Janssen. (Collaborated with Justin Nam for creating Rock Master Material in UE4.)

Rock Master Material - Substance Painter Smart Material 

Created by Joseph Janssen. Initial Smart Material Base created using layers, filters, and noise generators. 

Rock Master Material - UE4 Material Editor Setup 

Created by Joseph Janssen and Justin Nam. Material functions are lerped onto the base material for puddles, dirt/mud, moss, and edge wear. 

Rock Master Material - Edge Wear Vertex Painting & Masking 

Created by Joseph Janssen. Uses Rock Smart Material Opacity Mask for Vertex Painting. 

Rock Master Material - Moss Vertex Painting & Masking

Created by Joseph Janssen. Includes UE4 Material Editor Setup for Moss Material Function.

Rock Master Material - Dirt/Mud Vertex Painting & Masking

Created by Justin Nam. Includes adjustable parameters for vertex painting and world position masking. 

Rock Master Material - Wetness/Puddle Vertex Painting & Masking

Created by Justin Nam. Allows for paintable wetness and water droplet normals on rock models. 

Foliage Modkit Breakdown

Created by Joseph Janssen. Textures created in Substance Designer. 

Foliage Material System - UE4 Material Editor Setup

Created by Joseph Janssen. Showcases Lerp values between healthy and dying foliage as well as customizable parameters for animated wind for mesh cards. 

Lily Pad Vertex Painting Breakdown

Created by Joseph Janssen. Textures are lerped on top of Justin Nam's water shader. 

Substance Designer - Stylized PBR Materials 

Created by Joseph Janssen. A series of stylized tileable materials used for environment set-dressing. 

Stylized Layered Rock 

Stylized Rock Wall

Stylized Rock Gravel 

Stylized Dirt 

Stylized Moss 

Stylized Mud 

Stylized Grass 

Stylized Rock Ceiling 

Procedural Water Fall

Created by Justin Nam. Waterfall asset with parameters to adjust spline length and direction of asset as well as change tiling, speed, tessellation, and opacity. 

3D Rigged Character Asset - Jed Father "Rock Golem"

Created by Quinn Kuslich. Includes Animation Demonstration. 

3D Rigged Asset - Jed Russo VR Hands

Created by Quinn Kuslich. Includes Workflow Breakdown. 

3D Hand-Held Assets / Cave Tools

Created by Quinn Kuslich. 

3D Rigged Character Assets - Jed (Flashback Version) & May

Created by Xavier Rodriguez. Includes Animation Demonstration.