Shader FX in Unreal Engine 5.1 Tutorial | Download Files
Shader FX in Unreal Engine 5
This tutorial shows how to build a dynamic shader with depth, animation and texture variations in Unreal Engine 5.1, and the project files are available to download.
Use it for magic surfaces, energy shields and stylized props, and see the related posts below for more material techniques.
Introduction: Hi guys, I’m Ashif Ali, and welcome to another tutorial! In today’s video, I’m going to show you how to create a cool material in Unreal Engine 5.1. This material allows you to change a lot of properties like color, tiling, and even fast panning. You’ll learn how to make this material from scratch, and I’ll provide the file on my Patreon for you to check out. Let’s get started!
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Step-by-Step Tutorial:
Creating the Base Material:
Start by creating a new material. I’ll name it M_Skull and then create an instance of it.
Next, I’ll search for a static mesh, like the skull model, and apply it to the material.
To give the material some depth, I’ll add a bump map. This texture will make a noticeable difference in the final result.
Adding Depth with a Bump Map:
Connect the bump map to the height input and make it a parameter so you can adjust it later.
Save the material, and when you tweak the height, you’ll see the depth effect, which can be increased for a more pronounced look.
Inverting the Height Map for Inside Depth:
To focus the effect on the inside of the texture, I’ll invert the bump map. Then, I’ll use a power node to control the intensity of this depth.
This will make the inner part stand out and give a more interesting appearance.
Adding Color and Emissive:
Now, I’ll multiply the base color with a green color for now (but we’ll make this a parameter later). Then, I’ll connect this to the emissive input.
You can easily change the color of the material later by adjusting the instance parameters.
Adding Edge Brightness:
To make the edges of the texture brighter, I’ll use a power node and boost it to highlight those areas more. This adds an extra level of visual impact.
Adding Animation with Panning:
To make the material dynamic, I’ll use a pan effect for animation. I’ll add vector parameters to control the panning speed along the X and Y axes.
We can adjust the tiling of the texture for animation, and this will create a cool moving effect.
Adjusting Texture Mapping for Better UVs:
If the texture looks off, I can adjust the tiling and use world position or screen space mapping for better alignment.
Texture Variation and Star Effect:
I’ll add a star texture to enhance the material. Using a similar panning effect, I’ll control the tiling and the intensity of the stars.
I’ll also remap the stars’ brightness using a power node, which will give certain stars a glowing effect.
Finalizing with Power and Color Adjustments:
After tweaking the texture and animation, I’ll add a final power parameter to adjust the overall intensity of the material. This gives you more control over the final look.
The color is adjustable, so I can easily change it to red, green, or any other color as needed.
Testing the Material:
I’ll apply this material to different meshes like the wolf model to see how it looks.
The material reacts differently based on the mesh’s UVs, so you can experiment with various models to get the best result.
Conclusion: And that’s it! We’ve created a dynamic material with customizable properties, depth, animation, and texture variations. I hope you learned something new today. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more tutorials.
Outro: Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. Bye!
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!