WEEK 9 – Making the Tunnel

Smoke on Unreal Engine

My initial plan was to create a swirling smoke tunnel using Niagara Fluids in Unreal Engine. I even followed a promising tutorial, but most probably i woulden’t work because my Mac didn’t cooperate. Let’s just say there were some compatibility issues that put the kibosh on my smoky vortex dreams.

Blender to the Rescue: Building a Time Tunnel

Time to adapt! I decided to switch gears and utilize my skills in Blender. Here’s how it went down: I started by creating a Bezier curve, which essentially became the blueprint for the tunnel’s shape. Using this curve, I built a 3D tunnel that felt dynamic and otherworldly.
To create the illusion of movement through the vortex, I animated an empty actor,  travelling through the swirling curve. The camera follows suit, capturing the dizzying journey through the vortex.

The time vortex wouldn’t be complete without a visually captivating material. I used Blender to create a complex material with multiple shaders. with a lot of different colours, distorted textures, and a hint of otherworldly glow – all working together to create a truly mesmerizing tunnel.

Finally, it was time to add the star of the show: the TARDIS! I imported the TARDIS model and animated it to follow the empty actor’s path through the vortex. But of course, it wouldn’t be the Doctor without a touch of signature chaos. I added some subtle wobbly movements to the TARDIS, hinting at the turbulent nature of time travel.