Materials Glow Query, UE 4.26

Is there a means so as to add a fabric glow to meshes with out altering each single materials that’s on a mesh?

I’m desirous to do some glows on characters and presumably another meshes, and I’m attempting to do it simply with supplies. I do know I may change each single materials that might presumably be modified, however that additionally would entail a variety of work for a easy impact.

So, is there a method to do one thing like this with out altering each single materials individually?

There’s a technique you’ll be able to arrange by way of Blueprint, the place it principally duplicates a skeletal mesh and mirrors the entire animations on it, which you need to use as a form of “shell mesh” and apply a easy emissive materials with some world place offset to the verts (to push them out a little bit to keep away from overlap and z combating).

Manufacturing-wise, it’s cheaper from a efficiency standpoint so as to add the glow in your grasp character/prop materials and alter it by way of blueprint or anim curve, however if you wish to keep away from that it’s doable to make use of the above technique.

I do know duplicating meshes is one thing that’s been averted purposefully, so I’ll look into doing that as a substitute. I got here right here to test to see if anyone knew one other means moreover these two, but when that’s my choices, then I’ll take care of them.

Thanks to your response

It actually simply relies on the undertaking. When you’ve got one thing like Diablo or Darktide the place you may have dozens and even a whole bunch of characters stay all utilizing that function, the price will stack up fast. However when you have a recreation the place solely a small variety of situations can ever use it, like simply the principle participant, you ought to be protected

You are able to do it as a post-process impact materials utilizing stencils

Calculate dot product from digicam to world regular and also you get the fresnel gow, set it with an influence node for finer tuning then mix it with the ultimate body.
I used overlay mix, you need to use add or different mixing strategies, additionally you’ll be able to undertaking noises from digicam area for extra variations.

Thanks for that as properly and the instance. I don’t know an excessive amount of about submit processing stuff with UE, but it surely’s one thing I do know I’ve to be taught. Is submit course of materials efficiency heavy?

I’m guessing you simply specify what receives the submit course of based mostly on its stencil worth, in order that it doesn’t get utilized to all the things that’s utilizing that materials as a mum or dad? Or would this want an unique materials mum or dad per object you wish to have an effect on?

I don’t have a lot expertise with submit course of both, so I’m attempting to wrap my head round the way you go about proscribing or specifying particular person issues that the submit course of impact is utilized to

From the unreal documetation.

Hey are heavier than normal materials, however you’ll be able to simply stack as much as 5 lighter supplies like this and get no efficiency points. In fact it relies on the platforme.

Apply the stencil worth per object. The restrict is 255 distinctive stencils.
In idea, you cod have 255 distinctive post-process materials results in-game for varied actors.

I figured it was one thing like that. Thanks for the information and sharing the screenshot examples

You may as well append a fabric perform that handles the glow performance, you’ll be able to arrange a map/DT preset of parameters you could dynamically occasion by way of the blueprint.

Would that be cheaper than making use of a brand new materials in runtime or utilizing CopyMaterialInstanceParameters in BP?

Fairly inexperienced with supplies, so I’m attempting to determine this all out even the fundamentals.