As the Unreal Engine continues to release new updates, the potential for creating beautiful lit interior and exteriors is always advancing. There are many new features that can be easy to miss with each new update and we may be stuck in our old ways lighting our level without realizing that we are missing the incredible new ways to capture that realistic lighting we are going for. Recently, Epic Games Lead Artist Jerome Platteaux provided us all with some excellent tips and tricks for UE4.

I've compiled a list of some of the youtube channels that I have found to be very useful or that others have recommended to me. There is tons of great learning to be had and even if you think you know your stuff, I'm sure there are still a ton of new tips/tricks that will help you out. Take a look and feel free to share with your friends, or recommend more channels for me to add here! 
Thanks,
​- Jacob

Warren Marshall - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dRrOarPI6ufGWsabG28FQ
Unreal Engine Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/UnrealDevelopmentKit/playlists
Sam Jones - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJekoQFYfhHEjQbfvWf_E4g
DokipenTech - ​https://www.youtube.com/user/DokipenTechTutorials/videos
Playful Synapse - ​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmU2AlFc9vO6xnw1DYvNM0Q/videos

Since public release in 2014, Unreal 4 has set and raised the bar for third party engines. It's now free 
to use and there's no better time to get creating on your own.

Built from the ground up, Epic's newest engine is capable of producing truly incredible 3D art visuals. Its deferred rendering, custom materials and advanced lighting techniques are perfect for pushing the engine – and your art – to the next level.

I've worked professionally in Unreal 4 since its public release and have discovered some fantastic techniques for creating and presenting high-quality art in-engine. Here I share some of my personal tips and tricks I use on a day-to-day basis to help you light, texture, and render your own beautiful scenes within Unreal 4.

In this 3D World's online Vault you can find video tutorials as well as models and textures to get started in Unreal 4 today!

​You can import textures via the Import button in the Content Browser. Unreal 4 supports a large variety of texture formats, from .tgas and .pngs to .psds and .jpgs. One important tip is to make sure normal maps are compressed as TC Normalmap to prevent visual errors in engine. Also be aware that if your texture dimensions do not follow the power of two, they won't stream or have mipmaps.

Download Link Here: More images and video
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/o6E2q

I have also created a simple breakdown for the scene, sharing some of the workflow and process if you don't have a chance to pickup the tutorial. Of course for the full experience the tutorial is highly recommended and well worth it!

Direct Download Link:
http://www.gumroad.com/purepolygons

Here is the breakdown, more images and youtube video....

Please also see the Modular Building Set for the Unreal Engine in the store!
MODULAR BUILDING SET - STORE PAGE

​So I want to first start off by saying that my intent with this Set was to allow for as much flexibility as possible while using the least amount of Textures and Static Meshes that I could while still maintaining a certain level of quality throughout the Set. In order to do this I had to think A LOT about what Textures I was going to make and how I would lay them out in order to get the most use out of them. With store fronts, the entire thing can be created simply by making some solid Trim Textures. These trim textures would allow me to create pillars, window frames, door frames, vents, air conditioners, roof trims, awnings, overhangs, and the works. So I needed a variety of different shapes in my texture. Now that I know what I will be making with this texture I can create some interesting shapes and bevels that I can unwrap my static meshes with. Here we have the first example.

Please continue reading...