Creating a Post-Apocalyptic Gas Station with Maya & UE

Lighting & Rendering

My goal with the lighting and rendering was to create an atmosphere where time feels almost frozen. I chose Unreal Engine for this project because of the freedom it offers. To capture this feeling, I played a lot with the Volumetric Fog and the color grading. I also added a background element, a mountain, which helped give the scene more depth.

To make the scene more dynamic, I animated objects, such as the rotation of the windmill, the boat gently bobbing on the river, birds flying over, and leaves falling down the path. I also applied a slight camera shake effect — in my opinion, it added that final touch to the feeling of immersion in the final video.

In framing the final shot, I followed the rule of thirds as much as possible to make the composition balanced and pleasing to the eye. Together, the factors helped me get that timeless, abandoned atmosphere that I had in mind.