Hazuki Residence — Shenmue Inspired Environment

A fan-made environment inspired by the Hazuki Residence from Shenmue.
Recreated in Unreal Engine with a focus on lighting, atmosphere, and game-ready optimization.
I built modular kits for the project and combined them to create a fully optimized, game environment.
My workflow is based on the optimization techniques discussed in Epic’s article on Fortnite Battle Royale lighting and shadow performance.
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/tech-blog/virtual-shadow-maps-in-fortnite-battle-royale-chapter-4

Application Menu

For optimization, I used UE5’s Virtual Shadow Maps together with a Proxy Geometry Shadow workflow. I generated two mesh layers using PCG — one shadow-optimized proxy mesh and one beauty mesh for final rendering. This approach greatly reduced shadow cost .

I didn’t use Nanite for most assets—only for the ground. The rest is optimized with LODs, merged meshes, and reduced materials to keep draw calls low.

toy capsule sculpted in ZBrush.