Hi guys, I’m Ashif Ali, and you’re watching CGHOW. In today’s tutorial, we’ll be creating an AOE (Area of Effect) pack in Unreal Engine 5.29. You can find the project files on my Patreon, as usual. Let’s dive into it!
Tutorial:
Setup and Map:First, I have an empty map, and I’ll be using a sample map from Epic Games. You can download this for free. Let’s start by adding some effects.
Creating the Base Effect:I’ll create an AOE ring effect for the platform. For that, we’ll start by creating a material. I’ll add a texture and use the blue channel from this texture. Here’s how we set it up:
Create a Material: Use a texture, apply it to the material, and multiply it by the blue channel.
Set Particle System: I’ll create a Niagara particle system using this material and adjust it to live indefinitely. For alignment, I’ll set the facing mode to custom alignment and use a custom-facing vector.Save this and set it to local space.
Adjusting Ring Size:The effect is very small, so I’ll increase the size to 4, then duplicate the material for a second ring effect. In this new material, we’ll use the texture’s alpha channel to add more detail. Let’s duplicate the emitter and tweak the size to make it bigger, around 6 units.
Multiple Rings:I’ll now duplicate the effect and call it “multi-rings.” I’ll use a Taurus shape and set the number of particles to 6, adjust the size and rotation for a better fit.
Final Ring Adjustments:Now, we’ll add a few more details by adjusting the size and rotation. We’ll also copy the rotation settings and paste them into the particle system to ensure everything aligns correctly.
Adding a Fading Sphere Effect:Let’s add a fading sphere using a Fresnel effect. I’ll create a new material that incorporates both a Fresnel effect and a top fading texture. This will create a nice fade from the top.
Adding Noise and Color:I’ll incorporate some noise textures and multiply them to get an interesting effect. The particle color will change based on the height, and I’ll set the material to one-sided for more control over visibility.
Dynamic Parameters:I’ll use dynamic parameters to control the power of the Fresnel effect and adjust the color as needed. For example, the height will change dynamically, with the base of the effect being brighter and the top fading to darker hues.
Adding Glow and Lighting:I’ll make the bottom part of the effect brighter. For this, I’ll add a glowing effect and set the light radius to animate with time. The light color and size can be controlled using a float parameter, which we can adjust via curves.
Refining the Particles:Now I’ll fine-tune the particle spawn rate and size. I’ll also add some particle noise to make it more dynamic. The final particle system will emit subtle glowing particles for a magical effect.
Reflection and Final Touches:To enhance the look, I’ll add a reflection index and adjust the intensity. I can also use post-process effects like bloom to further refine the look.
Final Adjustments:I’ll make a few more minor adjustments, including tweaking the color of the rings and stars, adjusting their sizes, and adding some rotation to the stars for more dynamic movement.
Conclusion:
That’s it! We’ve created a beautiful, dynamic AOE effect with multiple layers, fading, and glowing particles. You can make this even more complex by adding additional effects or modifying the parameters.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this tutorial, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more. Until next time, goodbye!
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!