Introduction: Hi guys, I’m Ashif Ali and you’re watching CGHOW. In today’s tutorial, I’ll be showing you how to create an orb effect in Blender and then import it into Unreal Engine 5.4. We will also create the same effect using Unreal Engine’s materials. Let’s dive in!
Tutorial Breakdown:
Setting Up the Orb in Blender:
Start with a fresh scene in Blender and delete the default cube.
Add a UV Sphere using Shift+A > Mesh > UV Sphere.
Enable the wireframe view from the viewport settings to view the sphere’s geometry.
Enter Edit Mode (Tab key), select all vertices (A), and create a vertex group.
Go back to Object Mode after saving the vertex group.
Texturing and Shaping the Orb:
Add a Vertex Edit modifier and create a custom curve, then invert the curve’s values.
Use a Noise Texture (Clouds) to influence the orb’s shape, adjusting the settings to create a stylized cutout.
Apply a Subdivide modifier to smooth out the mesh, adjusting the number of subdivisions as needed.
Use a Twist Modifier to twist the orb along the Z-axis for a dynamic look.
Adjust the texture size for the perfect look.
Adding Emissive Glow:
Create a new material and set the Emissive Color for a glowing orb effect.
Increase the emissive strength to make it glow brightly.
Optionally, add a second smaller black sphere and apply another material for contrast.
Smooth the shading by right-clicking the object and selecting Shade Smooth.
Exporting the Orb to Unreal Engine:
Export the orb as an FBX file if it’s animated, preserving the keyframe animation.
For a static orb, delete the animation keys, re-export, and import it into Unreal Engine.
In Unreal, create a new material, set it to Unlit, and apply a color of your choice, such as blue or red.
Creating the Orb Effect in Unreal Using Materials:
Use a low-poly sphere in Unreal Engine to replicate the orb effect.
In the new material, connect a Noise Texture to create the base effect.
Apply a Custom Rotator node to rotate the noise texture diagonally for a more dynamic look.
Use an Opacity Mask to control the cutout pattern and invert it to highlight the desired parts of the texture.
Multiply the final result with a color of your choice and adjust brightness for a glowing effect.
Conclusion: Now you know how to create an orb effect in Blender and replicate it in Unreal Engine using materials! This approach gives you flexibility in both Blender and Unreal for creating stylized VFX. Thanks for watching! Keep learning, and bye-bye!
Key Points:
Create an orb effect in Blender with vertex groups, noise textures, and modifiers.
Learn how to export animated and static meshes from Blender to Unreal Engine.
Recreate the orb effect in Unreal Engine using materials and low-poly meshes.
I am Ashif Ali, Real-Time VFX Artist, I make Unreal Engine Niagara Tutorial on this channel. I've made it my mission to share my knowledge and expertise with the world through my YouTube channel. So why not join me on this exciting adventure? Follow me on my social links, subscribe to my channel, and support my growth as a creator. Together, we can create amazing things and take our skills to new heights. And who knows, you might even get access to some of my exclusive files for free!