Two years ago I wrote about my Unreal Engine 5.3 projects in 2024. Here is what changed since then, and what stayed the same.
2024: learning the engine
- Rigged 3D characters, including a mascot-style character set up for Unreal animation.
- Stylised digital humans for dance and music scenes.
- First Gaussian splat imports: a drone-scanned hotel and the CCLEX bridge as real-world backdrops.
- The Love the Philippines logo turned into a 3D asset.
2026: building full productions
- Lapu-Lapu: The Battle of Mactan – a three-scene game: Rajah Humabon’s feast in Cebu with Spanish ships offshore, the night burning of Lapu-Lapu’s village, and the dawn battle on the beach. Play the web version.
- MetaHumans – realistic characters built with AI co-pilots. Read how we make MetaHumans with Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra.
- Film – Budots Media was the main camera unit on The First Defender: A Lapu-Lapu Story (2026), and its scenes feed back into game and previs work.
- Reality capture at scale – DJI Terra Gaussian splats as game-ready environments. See DJI drone 3D production.
What changed
- Scope: single test scenes → multi-scene games and film previs.
- Characters: stylised rigs → photoreal MetaHumans.
- Environments: hand-built → drone-scanned splats of real places.
- Speed: AI-written Python and Blueprint tools cut setup from days to hours.
All our games: budotsmedia.com/philippines/games. All projects: Projects.
Related
- Unreal Engine 5.3 projects in 2024
- Making MetaHumans with Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra
- DJI drone 3D production: from flight to Gaussian splat
- LOVE THE PHILIPPINES
- BUDOTS MEDIA 3D, MOTION DESIGN WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES.
- Budots Media games
Translations
Polski
Porównanie moich projektów w Unreal Engine z 2024 i 2026 r. W 2024: postacie z riggiem, stylizowani cyfrowi ludzie, pierwsze skany Gaussian splat i logo „Love the Philippines” w 3D. W 2026: gra Lapu-Lapu: Bitwa pod Mactan w trzech scenach, MetaHumans tworzeni z pomocą AI, praca kamerowa przy filmie The First Defender i splaty z DJI Terra jako środowiska gier.
日本語
2024年と2026年のUnreal Engineプロジェクトの比較。2024年：リグ付きキャラクター、スタイライズされたデジタルヒューマン、初のガウシアンスプラット、3D化した「Love the Philippines」ロゴ。2026年：3シーン構成のゲーム「ラプラプ：マクタンの戦い」、AIで作るMetaHuman、映画『The First Defender』の撮影、DJI Terraのスプラットをゲーム環境に。
Filipino
Paghahambing ng mga proyekto ko sa Unreal Engine noong 2024 at 2026. 2024: rigged character, stylised digital human, unang Gaussian splat at 3D na logo ng Love the Philippines. 2026: larong Lapu-Lapu: Battle of Mactan na may tatlong eksena, MetaHuman gamit ang AI, camera work sa pelikulang The First Defender, at splat mula DJI Terra bilang game environment.
العربية
مقارنة بين مشاريعي في Unreal Engine لعامي 2024 و2026. في 2024: شخصيات مجهزة للتحريك، بشر رقميون بأسلوب فني، أولى مسوحات Gaussian splat، وشعار «Love the Philippines» ثلاثي الأبعاد. في 2026: لعبة «لابو-لابو: معركة ماكتان» بثلاثة مشاهد، شخصيات MetaHuman بمساعدة الذكاء الاصطناعي، التصوير لفيلم The First Defender، ومسوحات DJI Terra كبيئات للألعاب.
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