Xinyu Zhong

This is a Western animated short inspired mostly by me spending too much time playing Red Dead Redemption 2. There is not really a deep meaning behind it, the project was created as an exploration and celebration of traditional Western film elements.

The project was created using motion capture workflows combined with hand-keyed animation, with most of the final animation and rendering completed in Unreal Engine 5. It involved creating hair wind effects, rigging setups, and weapon physics systems, alongside cinematic camera work, environment building, lighting, and real-time rendering.

It also involved creating custom MetaHuman characters using Maya, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine 5, while clothing simulation was completed in Marvelous Designer. Some model assets were created using Maya, Substance Painter, and Photoshop.