Material Parameters and Instances in UE4

Posted on by Oded Maoz Erell

Software:
Unreal Engine 4.18

Material Parameters and Material instances allow you to create a customizable material template that can be easily reused with variations across the project.
In the Parent Material, you define the parameters that will be exposed for tweaking in the Material Instances.
Changing the Parent Material will affect all its instances.

Defining customizable parameters in the Parent Material:

  1. Create 3Vector Constant. (press 3 and left click the blueprint background)
    * Parameters can also be created with other types of data like a Constant or a Texture Sample and more.
  2. Right click the 3Vector node you created and choose Convert to Parameter.
  3. In the Details Panel, name the parameter.

Untitled-1

Untitled-2

 

Creating the Material Instance:

  1. Right click the Parent Material and choose Create Material Instance.
  2. Name the Material Instance.
  3. Double click the Material Instance to edit it.
  4. In the Details panel, under Parameter Groups you will be able to edit the exposed parameters and create a variation of the material.

Untitled-1

Untitled-2

 

Related:
Material Functions
Blending Materials

Vector Parameters in the UE4 Material Blueprint

Posted on by Oded Maoz Erell

Software:
Unreal Engine 4.18

UE4 Material Blueprint Numerical Vector Parameters / Constants and Colors are one and the same, which makes perfects sense, since in computer graphics colors are in fact 3D vectors, RGB quantities being equivalent to XYZ spatial dimensions (4D with an Alpha channel)

But take note that when setting the Vector values in the color picker you can’t set negative values, and when doing so through the Details window in Default Value you can.

* You can create 3D Vector Constants by clicking the background while pressing 3

Untitled-2.jpg

Unreal Engine 3D viewport navigation

Posted on by Oded Maoz Erell

Software:
Unreal Engine 4.18

LMB Drag – move horizontally on the X Y plane.

MMB Drag – move on the viewing vertical plane (to the sides and up / down ).

RMB Drag – Rotate (Pan) the view without moving.

Alt + LMB Drag – Arc Rotate view

Alt + RMB Drag – Dolly In / Out view (move forward and back ward along viewing axis)

F – Frame Selection (Zoom Extents)

UE4 Sequencer – Scaling keys (stretching animation time)

Posted on by Oded Maoz Erell

Software:
Unreal Engine 4.25

  1. Right click the animation track (the space between the keys), and in Properties, unlock the Section range Start and Section Range End properties to make the section time finite so it can be scaled.
    * You can also set custom start and end time for the section.
    The Track (the green range) will now be finite, containing the keys.
  2. Ctrl + Drag the end of the track to scale it including the keys.

Scale_Keys

 

Related posts:

  1. UE4 – Creating and rendering camera animations
  2. UE4 – Creating and playing a Level Sequence

 

UE4 – Create a Billboard (Sprite)

Posted on by Oded Maoz Erell

Software:
Unreal Engine 4.18

  1. Create a new Blueprint Actor.
  2. Enter the Actor Editor and add a‘Billboard’ component to it.
  3. In the Billboard’s Details panel, under ‘Sprite’, select the Billboard texture.
  4. In the Billboard’s Details panel, under ‘Rendering’, Uncheck ‘Hidden In Game’.

Untitled-2.jpg