F1 the Movie continues to burn rubber in cinemas, impressing audiences with its immersive racing sequences. But our eyes have been drawn to a cinematic that wasn't filmed at Silverstone or Monza like the Apple Originals film. It was made in software.
The video below provides a timely dose of F1 action, and there are parts that look almost like real movie footage. But it was animated in Epic Games' increasingly popular game development software Unreal Engine 5.6.
We've highlighted the work of Unreal Engine auto animator Post Processed before when we spotlighted his work on Aston Martin's CGI ads.
Inspired by Formula 1, his latest cinematic achieves an impressive level of photorealism while also engaging the viewer with its pace and action. You could almost confuse some shots with real-life camera footage thanks to the highly realistic 3D models, sleek animation and shaky camera movement.
The creator of the cinematic has previously shared car rigging and rendering tips on his YouTube channel, showing why Unreal Engine is becoming a go-to solution, not just for car animation but also for static shots thanks to its lighting capabilities.
There are lots of tools that can be used for automobile animation – see the 3D options in our guide to the best animation software. But Unreal Engine has become increasingly attractive thanks to blend of real-time rendering, physics simulation, and cinematic tools – and it's zero cost if you're not making big bucks.
Lumen global illumination delivers dynamic lighting and reflections that can make car surfaces and environments look realistic, and Nanite virtualised geometry helps allow the creation of ultra-detailed car models without sacrificing performance. Complex sequences, can be choreographed with built-in camera systems and level sequencing and the vehicle blueprint system can simulate suspension, tyre friction, weight transfer and terrain interaction.
You can learn more in our roundup of Unreal Engine tutorials. Also see our piece on how to get started in game development.
