The game outsourcing studio Sentient Art has released Barney’s Basement, a free VR scene created with Unreal Engine 5. The demo also includes 263 resources used in its creation, including 3D models, materials, and projects.
Sentient Art releases Barney’s Basement: a free VR environment and 263 resources in Unreal Engine
“Barney’s Basement” offers a captivating journey into the realm of virtual reality (VR) art, created and shared by Sentient Art studio using Unreal Engine 5.3.
A sci-fi richly detailed VR lab for UE5
Barney’s Basement is a detailed indoor environment representing a retro-style sci-fi inventor’s lab. The demo was created by a team of seven artists and utilizes Unreal Engine 5 features such as Lumen for lighting and Nanite for geometry streaming.
Immersive experience:
In this VR scene example, users are transported to Barney’s basement, where they can interact with various elements like chairs, flashlights, and intricate Lumen/Nanite geometry. Attention to detail creates an engaging environment reminiscent of high-quality gaming experiences like Half-Life: Alyx.
Sentient Art’s work
Anthony Carona and Greg, the minds behind Sentient Art, bring years of experience in creating hard surface vehicles for AAA studios. Their decision to venture into creating their own project reflects their desire to push boundaries and explore new creative avenues.
Barney’s Basement is not just a standalone project; it’s a community effort. The creators encourage involvement from others, both through forking the GitHub repository and contributing ideas for further enhancements. Plans for future updates include more sounds, interactivity, and possibly even a non-VR FPS mode to broaden accessibility.
VR and Nanite texture usage
The project delves into technical complexities, including the use of virtual textures to ensure top-tier texture quality while efficiently managing file sizes. Techniques like instance usage and Nanite contribute to performance optimization and reducing draw calls, essential for a seamless VR experience.
Alongside the project, the creators provide valuable insights into virtual reality development techniques, such as virtual textures and their implementation. They recommend resources like Epic’s detailed guidelines on virtual textures, emphasizing the importance of understanding the technical aspects behind visual splendor.
Resources for commercial projects
The download includes 263 resources, including over 150 3D models of scene objects and vehicles, 15 materials, and the projects used for the demo, including a “revolutionary VR manual system,” perfect for use with Oculus Meta Quest 2 and Oculus Meta Quest 3.
System requirements and license
Barney’s Basement is compatible with Unreal Engine 5.3 and is available for free. The files are released under the MIT license, permitting the use of resources in commercial projects.
Download
Useful links:
- Sentient Art website: https://sentient-art.xyz/
- Download link: https://github.com/SentientArt/TheBasement?tab=readme-ov-file
- Virtual Texturing Methods Epic Games guide: https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/VirtualTexturing/