FANCHEN XING | 3D Environment Artist/Lighter

Introduction 

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In Valley Village, I created a cliffside settlement feature of elevated wooden houses and long hanging bridges suspended in between. The village is set within towering cliffs inspired by the sandstone pillars of Zhangjiajie.

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The project was developed using a procedural workflow centered around Houdini. I created a custom house-generation tool that allows users to use parameters such as width, length, door placement, and other parameters to adjust the shape. enabling fast iteration and variation while maintaining visual consistency. In addition, I built a hanging bridge tool that uses Vellum simulation to generate and simulate rope behavior, creating physically believable suspended bridges.

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These tools were brought into Unreal Engine using Houdini Engine, allowing real-time adjustment and integration within the level. Vegetation and terrain elements were generated using UE’s PCG system, which was used to scatter trees along cliffs, populate forests, and shape the mountainous environment. The final scene was refined through manual layout adjustments in the village’s central area and a focused lighting pass to enhance depth, atmosphere, and mood.