Recreating Armenia's Natural Monument Made up of Basalt Columns in 3D
Sonata of the Stones - UE5 is a real-time environment by 3D environment artist Artur Artinian, made in Unreal Engine 5. Inspired by Armenia’s Symphony of the Stones basalt columns in Garni Gorge, it u
An Environment Made with Five Meshes
Sonata of the Stones - UE5 is an original real-time environment created in Unreal Engine 5 by 3D environment artist Artur Artinian. The project began with the “Symphony of the Stones” in Armenia’s Garni Gorge, where basalt columns resembling a giant pipe organ form the central structure on screen. Rather than reproducing the actual terrain as it is, the project reinterprets its forms as a space of surreal lighting and enormous pillars.
Scenes Created by Limited Structures
The defining production constraint of this environment is that it uses only five unique meshes. The creator explains that, in order to build bold silhouettes and repeating structures with few assets, they focused on combining and varying the meshes. The accompanying blockout timelapse and RGB masking materials show that a limited number of models does not necessarily mean a monotonous image, and that arrangement and color variation determine the density of the scene.
The Fusion of Sound and Terrain
The music is an original score composed for this project by composer Grigor Abgaryan. On screen, the vertical rhythm of the basalt columns, the dark space, and the intense light sources work together, while the music complements their sense of scale and contrast of light and shade. Starting from the form of a natural monument and expanding it through the sculptural choices of a real-time 3D environment, the project clearly illustrates the difference between realistic place recreation and atmosphere-focused environment design.