Project · 2023

The Ensemble

Interactive architectural visualization built in Unreal Engine.

Overview

The Ensemble is an architectural visualization project built in Unreal Engine, developed together with Veldboom Studios for a real estate client. The project spanned nearly two years of intermittent development across three major phases.

It remains my most extensive project to date. My responsibilities grew from early prototyping and feature design to maintaining the technical backbone of the project, including UI, gameplay-like systems, and version control.

Although primarily an ArchViz product, Ensemble became my first large-scale Unreal project. My contribution focused on system design and UI programming, collaborating with a small team of developers and a 3D designer.

Challenges

Remote workflow
Source control issues
Merging multiple frameworks
Client-driven iterations

My contributions

Interactive UI system(s)
Component Filter system
Seamless texture creation
Environment design (nature)

Development

Phase 1 – Prototyping (2023)

My first exposure to Unreal after transitioning from Unity. During this phase I sketched and prototyped the UI, beginning with phone/tablet-style interactions. I integrated Ultra Dynamic Sky and added custom weather controls on top of it, and familiarized myself with the team’s workflow.

Earliest sketches

Early UI prototype

Phase 2 – Consolidation (2024)

The UI system matured into a utility tablet with features such as weather/time controls, light toggles, and the Component Filter. I took ownership of the GitHub repo and resolved major workflow issues. I extended the ArchViz framework(s) with additional Blueprint logic, created seamless brick textures, and designed foliage environments. I reduced the build size from ~8GB to 1.6GB, and delivered the first proper client-facing build.

Component Filter blueprint logic — Component Filter logic: enables/disables the visibility & collision of tagged actors.

Office spaces shown after using the Component Filter — Office spaces: the Component Filter allows toggling between office spaces and regular units.

Phase 3 – Support (Late 2024 – 2025)

While interning at Veldboom Studios, I continued working on Ensemble doing small fixes and updates. Such as blueprint reference fixes and POV switching extensions to the ArchViz Interior system, and I managed the final test builds.

Visuals & Media

A selection of additional visuals and behind-the-scenes material from the development process.

Interactive UI system

Functionalities: lights, filtering, time & weather control.

Final tablet UI — Tablet UI: final version, evolved from the smartphone prototype in Phase 1.

Seamless texture creation

Reference photo of a wall in The Ensemble — Photo irregular and not directly usable as a texture asset

After adjustments in Photoshop & Lightroom, the texture became uniform and tileable. Exported in Power-of-Two resolution for optimal compression and scalability.

The texture applied to the building, shown under different weather conditions from clear skies to snow.

Environment design

I was responsible for nature props such as trees and bushes. To preserve performance, I used low-poly assets.

Nature environment

Takeaway

Ensemble successfully delivered an interactive architectural visualization that met the client’s goals and led to continued collaboration. The project served as a valuable crash course in UI/UX, Blueprint systems, and texture creation. It also laid the groundwork for my later Unreal projects, especially in system design.

The client has expressed interest in expanding the project into a VR experience.

Credits & Tools

This project integrated several third-party frameworks under their respective licenses, adapted and customized for the client’s specific use cases.

Ultra Dynamic Sky by Everett Gunther
“ArchViz” Explorer by Karl Detroit
ArchViz Interactive UI and Tools by SDOT

Disclaimer: all showcased visuals and systems represent work performed by the developer within the context of the project.