The Time Vault
Hidden beneath the ocean, this secret hideout belongs to an evil time-traveling smuggler, filled with valuable items he has gathered: terror birds suspended in a glowing bio tank, crates of dodo eggs, velociraptor hide etc. Green ocean light filters through the windows as high-tech computers hum, turning the hideout into a silent vault, suspended beyond time itself.
Responsible for all aspect of the environment (except the fish and kelp asset)
Lighting Breakdown
This being the secret hideout of a time traveler, I wanted to use the color of the lighting to hint at the themes of time and technology. So, I chose green, a color often associated with the passage of time, and purple, a color commonly associated with sci-fi, as the lighting color palette.
Early lighting concept development
The Underwater View
One of the most challenging parts of this project was creating the green deep-ocean view that feels as if it extends infinitely. After trying different approaches, I found a simple method to create this illusion.
The effect is created by removing all environment lights to achieve complete darkness, then shining a light onto a large green wall to mimic how light fades as it travels deeper in the ocean. Fog and light rays with a slow-moving image texture simulate suspended particles, while flowing kelp and fish complete the illusion.
Underwater References
Fish & Kelp Animation Mechanics
Fish model from sketchfab, kelp image from Adobe Stock
Movement is created in Unreal Engine material nodes, using sine waves and world position offset to simulate fish swimming and kelp swaying. The kelp can flow on its own, while the tail movement of the fish only occurs when the position of the fish changes.
Art Direction
Inspirations & References
This project was created as an extension of my previous project The Phonographic Time Machine. What if that time machine were stolen by someone, perhaps a villian who would take advantage of such technology to hunt the extinct creatures. From this idea, I created an evil time-traveling smuggler.
Every smuggler needs a secret hideout, so I began planning the Time Vault.
I wanted the environment to echo the smuggler’s characteristics. The smuggler has angular features, with pointed cheekbones and spiky hair, so triangles and sharp points became recurring design elements throughout the environment, even in lighting.
Hourglass motifs are used to reinforce the time-traveling theme.
Fun fact: a clock-ticking sound effect is added to the video to further reinforce the theme.
To ensure coherence between assets and lighting, the floor and walls of the hideout are green and a color palette of green, purple, and a hint of yellow is used for the props.
Graphics & Concept Sketches
As the project moved from concept to completion, the design evolved beyond the original sketches while preserving its core theme. The finished environment brings that initial idea fully into form.