Frank Frazetta-Inspired Dragon Corpse Decay Under Dynamic Weather Conditions
Jing“ Jean” YUAN
Art Creation
Frank Frazetta-Inspired Dragon Corpse Decay Under Dynamic Weather Conditions
For my Thesis project, I created a real-time creature presentation in Unreal Engine 5, centered on a dragon-like organism in an extreme polar environment. The project was inspired by my strong interest in monster and dragon design, and explores how style matching, organic destruction, and dynamic weather systems can be integrated into a cohesive real-time workflow.
The narrative follows a massive creature driven into madness by an anomalous aurora. As it loses control, it is hunted and killed by humans using swords and icebased magic, leaving its body to decay in a frozen landscape. Environmental elements such as aurora and blizzard function as both atmosphere and storytelling devices, reinforcing the creature’ s condition and emotional tone.
The project focuses on three areas: Style Matching, Destruction, and Dynamic Weather. I translated Frank Frazetta’ s visual language into real-time rendering through stylized lighting, contrast, and material control. The destruction system presents multiple stages— intact, wounded, decayed, and skeletal— supported by layered anatomy and material-driven effects. The dynamic weather system, built with Blueprints, Material Instances, and Niagara, allows real-time transitions that affect lighting, materials, and particles.
This thesis strengthened my ability to combine artistic vision with technical execution and reflects my focus on creature design within a complete real-time pipeline.
30 ART CREATION