Study on the Application of Unreal Engine in Futuristic Urban Sci-Fi Scene Construction

Abstract

As an important narrative space in digital media art, the construction of futuristic urban sci-fi scenes is undergoing a paradigm shift from static modeling to real-time interaction. This paper takes Unreal Engine as the research object to explore its technical logic and aesthetic mechanisms in constructing futuristic urban scenes. The study finds that Unreal Engine, through three major technical pathways-procedural generation, real-time rendering, and virtual production-resolves the long-standing "scale-detail-efficiency" impossible triangle in sci-fi city construction. Furthermore, the engine not only serves as a tool intermediary but also participates as a "technical subject" in the production of meaning within the scene. It enables the city to transform from a viewed landscape into an experienceable "world," redefining the ontological status of virtual cities at the intersection of technical operation and aesthetic perception. This provides a new theoretical perspective for understanding the practice of "world-building" in the digital age.