Tech Writer Manager @ Epic Games. Crafter of Artisanal Text. #GameDev’s Cool Aunt. Brush your teeth, unwrap your UVs, & fail. Drinks her coffee & loves her job.
Cary, NC
Joined February 2014
- Tweets26.2K
- Following1.6K
- Followers2.8K
- Likes112K
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Now that I’ve reached 2400 followers, I think it’s time for a new intro post!
Hi, I’m Jessica and I am a Tech Writer at Epic Games, focusing on Worldbuilding and Art Pipeline tools. Outside of that, I focus on Level Design in my spare time. Prior to the industry I was a teacher.
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Five years ago today, I launched my Unreal Engine C++ course.
Today, the completely rebuilt UE5 edition is LIVE! With 30+ hours of newly recorded lessons, redesigned code and gameplay systems, and a new curriculum.
Existing C++ students get it for FREE!
tomlooman.com/courses/unreal…
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
You remember the Rolling Template from Unreal Engine 4?
Well I just remade it for UE5, improved upon it and put it out as an open source project!
github.com/CobraCodeDev/TP_R…
Feel free to fork and share it!
#indiedev #gamedev #unrealengine #ue5
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
An important step in my 3D plant/tree asset creation is transferring normal data from something like this sphere onto my plant normals.
This basically tells the leaves how they should react to light. Instead of every flat leaf catching light separately and looking harsh or obviously like a bunch of planes, they shade more like one rounded clump. It gives it all a softer, fuller look and helps hide the individual leaf cards.
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Restricted: Sublevel Quarantine is an environment project by Lead Environment Artist @DoruArt and inspired by the Metro game series. The creation utilizes UE5's MegaLights, Nanite Displacement, Texture Blending and more 🚧
"My spline-based tunnel modular meshes kept flickering and distorting from a distance. I thought it needed more geometry, but no matter how many subdivisions I added, it stayed broken. Nothing worked. Turns out, the meshes were too straight and uniform! Nanite didn't like the perfectly flat surfaces. Adding a little random noise to the mesh geometry fixed the breakdown completely. Sometimes, perfection is the problem" - Doru Bogdan
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
In this tutorial, I show how to use the Fuzz input parameters on the Unreal's Substrate Slab to create the edge effects on surfaces like cloth, skin, peaches, etc.
youtu.be/Q3ZNWiQ4lZE
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Join the Epic team live on Inside Unreal tomorrow September 10th at 2PM ET to discover the power of animating directly in Unreal Engine🦓
The newest animation and rigging features in Unreal Engine 5.8 will be explored using the Zebra Sample. From body animation and physics to facial rigging and animation, as well as Fortnite Body Rig Modules and how these new workflows can help streamline character creation/animation: youtube.com/live/CfhHFFvcRow
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
SEAN NOT NOW. SEAN THERE ARE TOO MANY GAMES OUT. SEAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING. 😭
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
I finally put together a dedicated landing page for all my Unreal Engine optimization content.
It collects my tutorials, long-form videos, UE5 release highlights, and sample projects in one place:
tomlooman.com/unreal-engine-…
I’ll keep adding to it, with a lot more coming soon!
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Unreal Engine 5.8 released with an HMI Template that provides a ready-to-use foundation for exploring, prototyping, and accelerating HMI development🚗
Join us for our webinar on September 16 at 12PM ET to walk through what's inside the template, how the workflow fits real production and take part in our live Q&A with guest experts from @Qualcomm Technologies, Inc: airtable.com/appVg7uYNxTQihg…
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
For everyone that's been adding me and messaging me thank you. Been trying to reply to every message. Been very tricky.
Let me introduce myself better:
I am an Unreal Engine specialist, publicly people know me from teaching people game Dev via @YouTube and @EpicGames Coursera courses. But privately I train and consult everyone from individuals on their first game to large studios who are skilling up in Unreal. I also provide contracted freelance work for various projects, and talks at universities, events, and wherever I can to support and guide people into this industry.
Once again thank you for the outreach and support. I look forward to the future and all that it brings :)
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Anytime I see a new creator apply for this it makes me so happy!! I can't wait to see so many of you guys at the WorldBuilder Summit in London this November!
😍Apply for your discounted ticket now!!
We are so excited to be partnering with @GEEIQinsights to offer subsidized tickets for creators in the #UEFN #Roblox #Minecraft and #UGCGaming space!
This event is made for you - and we're doing everything we can to help fill the room with as many amazing creators as possible ✨
🔗Link to application in comments!
See you in London, this November!💛
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
In this tutorial, I show how to create transparent materials - like glass - using Unreal's Substrate. I also explain related topics like Index of Refraction and Mean Free Path (MFP).
youtu.be/sf-K257zWh8
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
In this tutorial, I explain the Diffuse Albedo, F0, and F90 in Unreal's Susbtrate. I show how to translate Base Color, Metallic, and Specular from the previous system into Substrate, and I explain reflectance and the Fresnel Effect.
youtu.be/a94Lpu1_4dg
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Our Unreal Fest talk "From Words to Worlds: Integrating MCP into the Unreal Editor" is available !
Learn about our vision, approach taken for world building, how you too can extend it and what is available since the release of 5.8.
youtu.be/lDf_y-YPELo?si=7wOz…
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Mike’s family is facing a tough two months after his cancer treatment and recent layoff, with a $7,000 gap to cover bills and expenses. Recovery has been a rollercoaster, and your support can make a real difference during this critical time. Even a quick share can help this reach someone who may be able to support. Please consider donating or sharing if you can. gofund.me/aa6da1d81
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
Today, we start a new series of videos on using Unreal Engine's Substrate material system. In the videos that follow, we'll go in depth and cover the full material system - but today we just cover the basics.
youtu.be/P5I38f2O6W8
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
▶️ Level Designers! How do you mitigate players struggling to solve a 🧩 puzzle or other challenge, because they don't remember a specific mechanic or feature of your game?
▶️ In my new #leveldesign video, we have a look at ‘Recall Priming’
#gamedev
youtu.be/Y2QBzdaMAAI
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
I've wanted to make this effect for a long time and I finally figured it out! In this Unreal tutorial, I show how to add 3D moss cards to the rocks in our forest using PCG. I'm calling it Magic Moss. Take a look!
youtu.be/QyCzfsuakuY
Jessica Plowman (she/her) retweeted
In this Unreal Engine tutorial, I show how to use PCG's Hierarchical Generation System to spawn objects only close to the player.
youtu.be/u2hsoBgYUR0
