
Lightning ORB VFX in UE5 Niagara
This tutorial shows how to create a crackling lightning orb with a custom material, Niagara particles and a lens flare in Unreal Engine 5.1, and the project files are available to download.
Use it for storm spells, energy cores and electric traps, and see the related posts below for more lightning and orb effects.
More lightning and orb effects: Lightning FX · Lightning Tutorial · Orb Ball
https://www.patreon.com/posts/76200766
Patreon- https://www.patreon.com/Ashif
NFT – https://opensea.io/CGHOW
Twitter – https://twitter.com/cghow_
👉👉 If you Liked it – http://bit.ly/2UZmiZ4
Channel Ashif – http://bit.ly/3aYaniw
Support me on – paypal.me/9953280644
Lightning ORB in Unreal Engine 5.1 Niagara Tutorial | Download Files
#cghow #UE5 #UE4Niagara #gamefx #ue5niagara #ue4vfx #niagara #unrealengineniagara #realtimevfx
●Visit – https://cghow.com/
Unreal Engine Marketplace – https://bit.ly/3aojvAa
Artstation Store – https://www.artstation.com/ashif/store
Gumroad – https://cghow.gumroad.com/
Creating a Lightning Orb Effect in Unreal Engine 5.1
In today’s tutorial, we’ll learn how to create a lightning orb effect from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.1. If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, like, share, and comment on this video. Let’s dive in!
Materials Setup:
To start, we’ll need to create a new material for the lightning effect.
- Material Creation:
- Open Unreal Engine and create a new Material.
- Name it
Lightning. - Set the material to Additive and Unlit to ensure it blends correctly with the background.
- Use Texture Coordinates (U, V) and apply the gradient technique.
- Subtract
0.5from the gradient to center it, then apply the absolute node to ensure the value stays positive. - Use the Step Node to define the thickness of the line. Play around with the values to find the right line width, setting it to around
0.05for a thinner line.
- Distortion:
- To create a lightning-like distortion, add a Noise Node.
- Multiply this noise with the UVs to distort the lightning effect. Adjust the value to control the distortion intensity, around
0.2for a subtle effect. - We can use a dynamic parameter for both the distortion and the thickness for easy adjustments later.
Niagara Setup:
Next, let’s move to Niagara to set up the particles.
- Particle System:
- Create a new Niagara Emitter using the Fountain template for the basic shape.
- Remove unnecessary parameters like mass and set the spawn rate to
90. - For the material, apply the
Lightningmaterial we created earlier. - Adjust the thickness to
0.01, distortion to0.02, and tiling to1or0.5for random distortion.
- Particle Size and Randomization:
- Use Non-Uniform Size to create the lines.
- Adjust the Particle Size to values like
100for width, with1for height to create the proper scale for the lightning. - Randomize the distortion to make the effect more dynamic.
- Fading and Opacity:
- To make the lightning effect fade, add a fade out to the material.
- Adjust the opacity by manipulating the RGB values to control the fade effect and add a more realistic lightning behavior.
- Use a curve to gradually decrease the thickness of the lightning as it fades away.
Final Tweaks:
- Duplicate the lightning lines to create more layers of lightning and adjust their thickness and randomization.
- Add random rotation for a more dynamic effect.
- You can also use a curve for size variation to simulate the lightning’s expansion and contraction during its existence.
Additional Effects:
To give the lightning more impact, you can add a lens flare effect:
- Create another Niagara emitter and set up particles for the lens flare.
- Control the size, life, and randomness of the particles to simulate the intensity of the lightning’s core.
Key Points:
- Material Creation: Start by creating an additive, unlit material and adjust thickness and distortion using noise and gradients.
- Niagara Setup: Use the Fountain template in Niagara, adjust spawn rate, and apply the custom lightning material.
- Randomization: Introduce randomness for thickness, distortion, and size to make the lightning feel more natural.
- Fading: Add fade effects and adjust opacity for realistic lightning behavior.
With these steps, you’ll be able to create a stunning lightning orb effect in Unreal Engine 5.1. Experiment with the parameters to create the exact look you want for your project. Thanks for watching, and keep learning!


Leave a Reply