From their very first steps in the Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) interface to creating their own professionally lit 3D scenes, this was the journey students experienced during a workshop led by Daniel Triplett from Purdue University (USA) at the Faculty of Information Technology of the Czech Technical University in Prague (FIT CTU) from May 18 to May 27, 2026. Throughout eight intensive instructional sessions, students worked with a technology that today powers not only modern video games, but increasingly also architectural visualizations, film production, simulations, and educational applications.
During the workshop, participants became familiar with the Unreal Engine 5 interface, project management, environment modeling, material creation, UV mapping, as well as advanced lighting and atmosphere design techniques. They created their own scenes directly within the engine and prepared high-resolution final renders. The outcome was a collection of original virtual environments inspired by individual references, which students developed from the initial concept through to the final presentation.
“What I enjoyed most was that we worked directly in Unreal Engine 5 from day one. Thanks to Daniel Triplett’s guidance, I gained a much better understanding of how UE5 can be used not only for game development, but also for architecture, simulations, and education,” says Ema Glacnerová, a FIT CTU student.
The workshop also represented the first step toward expanding cooperation between Purdue University and FIT CTU. The idea emerged during Triplett’s previous visit to Prague, where he discussed opportunities for future joint activities and student collaboration between the Czech Republic and the United States with colleagues from FIT CTU. The workshop itself served as a pilot project, allowing both institutions to gain valuable experience for future forms of cooperation.
“The students were highly motivated and persistent throughout the workshop. I was surprised by how openly they communicated with me. Even though English is their second language, they were very courageous and often communicated more actively than some of my students in the United States,” says Daniel Triplett.
He was also impressed by the initiative shown by participants, who were not afraid to independently explore new techniques beyond the scope of the coursework. He considers the ability to learn new skills, experiment, and develop independent solutions to be among the most important qualities of future professionals in creative and technological fields.
In addition to the practical training, discussions also focused on the future of digital content creation, game technologies, and artificial intelligence. According to Triplett, the importance of interactive environments will continue to grow in the coming years.
“Modern game engines already make it possible to create almost any interactive experience. As hardware performance continues to improve, these environments will become increasingly realistic, and their integration with augmented reality and artificial intelligence will open entirely new possibilities for application.”
At the same time, he emphasized that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence will not replace the creativity and expertise of human creators.
“I believe the new standard will be a balance between traditional skills and the use of artificial intelligence. We must be able to create things through our own abilities while also utilizing the most effective tools to achieve our goals, without losing sight of people and their needs,” adds Triplett.
The good news is that this visit may not be the last. Daniel Triplett would like to return to FIT CTU in the future and mentioned the possibility of leading a workshop focused on photogrammetry, one of his current areas of expertise.
The workshop took place in the Graphics and Game Design Laboratory (ggLab) with the participation of the laboratory’s head, Ing. Radek Richter, Ph.D. At FIT CTU, ggLab serves as a center for activities focused on computer graphics, visualization, game design, and digital art. In addition to its specialized facilities, it offers students state-of-the-art equipment, including an interactive wall and several generations of VR headsets.
“Finding someone with real-world industry experience who also has a strong command of Unreal Engine, understands environmental design, and is able to share their knowledge with students was far from easy. We had been looking for such a collaborator for several years, after several less successful attempts. Eventually, we found him thanks to Daniela Illnerová, Vice-Dean for External Relations at FIT CTU, and it turned out to have been an excellent choice,” says Ing. Radek Richtr, Ph.D.
“Daniel was exceptionally supportive, helpful, and approachable throughout the course. The students were also pleasantly surprised by the amount of high-quality materials and practical experience he was able to share with them. I believe he built a very good connection with the students while offering exactly what is most valuable in a course like this – the practical perspective of someone working in the field. And this is only the beginning, as we are currently talking about an introductory course for beginners. I believe we will continue this collaboration and that we will be able to offer the course to more students next year as well,” he adds.
