The same software used to design the viral game Fortnite now lives within the walls of Sverdrup.
Unreal Engine, a computer program developed by Epic Games, has been in use at Webster for a few years now. Through a new partnership with Epic Games, Webster students gain access to exclusive perks, including specialized lesson programs and insights from professionals currently using the software in their fields.
Unreal Engine’s original highlight was its ability to create realistic environments for video games. Now, the software is so realistic that it’s being used in film and television production, automotive renderings and architectural visualization.
Webster’s Game Design instructor, Matthew Burton, and Joshua Johnson, assistant professor of Film, Television and Video Production, collaborated to apply for this partnership. The application was open to all academic institutions, but Johnson’s and Burton’s expertise in visual effects, creating 3D worlds and having already used Unreal Engine in their classes allowed them to stand out.
Unreal Engine is currently being taught in film and game design courses and will soon be taught in animation courses.
“Josh has been a huge plus to our program because he knows so much about virtual effects and Unreal Engine, he’s able to bring all that to the classroom,” Burton said.
Johnson has become an avid Unreal user, teaching himself how to use it about three years ago so he could implement it into his film classes.
“It’s one of those things that when you leave school, if you can have Unreal Engine on your resume, that you deploy it right and understand it at least somewhat, that’s only going to help you move forward,” Johnson said.
Andrea Hammond took Burton’s world design class and Johnson’s film class, both of which used Unreal Engine. She was able to take the experience from those classes and become an expert in creating film sets. She was then hired by PBS to build a set for their kids show, “Teaching in Room Nine.”
Bryan Pham is a recent Webster graduate who uses Unreal Engine in the professional world today. The game design courses he took at Webster taught him how to collaborate as a team to build successful projects.
“The skills I learned in Unreal Engine have stayed with me after school,” Pham said. “Because the engine is branching out into multiple fields, it’s good to keep up with it as it can net you opportunities in game development, film and more. I personally had a couple roles and offers where Unreal Engine was the primary tool required.”
Recently, an animated lego movie, “Piece by Piece,” was rendered completely in Unreal Engine.
Years ago, Unreal Engine cost a pretty penny. Now, it’s completely free to anyone.
“If somebody is interested in learning Unreal, but they’re a little bit scared because it’s so complex, I would encourage them to take a game design course,” Burton said.
An introduction course is open to all majors, but if a student doesn’t have room in their schedule, they can go on YouTube and find tutorials for Unreal Engine.
“I think learning it is going to be very, really key for a lot of different industries,” Burton said. “Since it’s free, there’s no reason not to start learning.”
Share this post
