LEGO Animation: Ninomae Ina'nis spends quality time with a takodachi

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I made this animation of Ninomae Ina'nis spending quality time with a takodachi in a meadow using Unreal Engine 5, Blender, and Bricklink Studio.



Fig 1. LEGO Ina and a takodachi together in a meadow



Most of what I did for this project was similar to my workflow with my animation of LEGO Amelia Watson relaxing on top of a mountain. There are a number of new things I learned and did however. I used the new Unreal Engine 5 and I learned more about texturing and lighting a scene. I also improved the look of In summary I did the following:

I made the models of Ninomae Ina'nis and Takodachi using Bricklink Studio. I made the model of Ina in 2021 and updated the model to make her look like she is sitting down.

I learned how to properly import LEGO models with correct shaders to have the shiny, plastic look from Reddit user Galactic Gabe. I exported the Bricklink Studio models as .ldr files. I imported the models into Blender using Tony Lobster's ImportLDraw Blender add-on. I exported the models as .fbx files. When I imported the models into Unreal Engine 5 I checked the merge meshes checkbox. Prior to this I was simply importing the models as .obj files which resulted in flat, bland shading.



Fig 2. When importing a LEGO model into Unreal Engine 4/5 with the .fbx format, click on combine meshes so you don't have to put the model again together piece by piece


I learned that the Bricklink Studio folder has the LDraw parts library in it. This means that when using Tony Lobster's import ldraw add-on, new and vintage LEGO pieces will not be missing from an imported model. I had many issues downloading and updating the ldraw parts library from https://www.ldraw.org/parts/latest-parts.html in the past; one of my previous models, Ouro Kronii, had missing 1x1 technic bricks (new parts) in the render. This is no longer the case using the Ldraw parts library built into Bricklink Studio.



Fig 3. Set the LDraw filepath of Tony Lobster's ImportLDraw add-on to the ldraw parts library in the folder where you installed Bricklink Studio


I created a new flat landscape using the landscape tool in Unreal Engine 5. I did some minor sculpting. I then added foliage using the foliage brush. I used 3D grass clumps from Quixel Bridge. I also used a grass texture that is already present in the starter content. I used the volumetrics plugin for the sky.

I used the sequencer in Unreal Engine 5 for the animation. I created keyframes in the sequencer using a camera actor. I exported the animation as a .png sequence. I imported the .png sequence into Blender video sequencer and added sound effects, music, and texts. I exported the video and encoded it using Handbrake to reduce the file size.



Fig 4. Ina and a takodachi in Unreal Engine 5

The following are the learning resources that helped me as well as the sound effects I used:












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