Unreal Engine Niagara Tutorial | Stylized Fire | Toon Fire
Unreal Engine Niagara Tutorial | Stylized Fire | Toon Fire
Unreal Engine Niagara Tutorial | Stylized Fire | Toon Fire
In this tutorial you will learn how to create Stylized Fire in unreal engine niagara. you will learn every step for this effect texture, materials, mesh and emitters. For any concern comment below the video or create help thread in CGHOW form (discussion & help forum link below)
Creating a Stylized Fire Effect in Unreal Engine Niagara
In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to create a stylized or toon-style campfire effect in Unreal Engine using Niagara, including a material-driven erode effect and dynamic lighting. Here’s a breakdown of the steps:
Key Steps in Creating the Stylized Fire:
Setting Up the Material
Create a Gradient: Begin by creating a new material, fire_01. Use a texture coordinate node to generate a gradient with a green channel mask for up-down gradient effects.
Adjusting Erosion and Power Parameters: Add two parameters:
Add: Pans the gradient.
Power: Sharpens or blurs the gradient edges.
Noise Texture: Introduce a noise texture, created in Photoshop using cloud filters, to add texture to the fire. Adjust the settings for a stylized flame effect.
Radial Gradient for Roundness: Use a radial gradient node to shape the fire into a hemisphere, subtracting it from the overall texture to create a rounded shape.
Panning Effect: Apply a panning effect to the texture for animation, making the flame move upwards.
Final Touches: Make the material masked and unlit, set the emission color, and connect to opacity.
Configuring the Niagara Particle System
Main Flame Emitters:
Flame 1: This uses the material created above, with a spawn rate of 30 particles, random sizes, and cylindrical location.
Flame 2 & 3: These emitters are similar to Flame 1 but with variations in spawn rate, particle size, and lifespan to create a dynamic flame effect.
Dynamic Parameters:
Erode Control: Controls the erosion effect as particles move upwards, adding realism.
Speed-Based Scaling: Particles scale with speed, simulating the fire’s intensity and movement.
Additional Elements in the Fire Effect
Sparks Emitter: Adds a spark effect with a bright yellow-red color gradient and curl noise for random movement.
Distortion: A distortion layer uses a different texture and larger particles to add heat distortion above the flame.
Animated Point Light: A point light near the flame flickers to create a realistic, dynamic lighting effect. This is achieved using a panning light function texture.
Final Adjustments
Combine all emitters and adjust colors, sizes, and animation speeds based on the desired look for the stylized fire.
Materials and Techniques Used
Dynamic Materials: Allows easy parameter adjustments for erosion, speed, and tiling directly within the particle system.
Particle Emitters: Multiple emitters with different spawn rates and sizes add depth to the fire.
Animated Lighting: Adds realism by creating the flickering light effect typical of fire.
Tips for Optimizing the Fire Effect:
Experiment with Noise Textures: Changing the noise texture or pattern can dramatically alter the fire’s appearance.
Dynamic Scaling: Use the dynamic parameter scaling by speed for natural movement and realism.
Color Gradients: Experiment with color gradients to find the best stylized look for your project.
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