If you follow this blog or my YouTube channel, you probably know that I’m an advocate for all things procedural in Unreal Engine. Whether it’s 3D workflows, in-editor tools, or my favorite—procedural and easily customizable shaders—this approach brings me a lot of joy. Creating content this way allows for greater flexibility and easier testing of new ideas. As a tech artist, I want to explore new techniques and continually grow. The topic of stylized graphics is perfect for this.
Deadlink – a game we created as part of Gruby Entertainment – was an excellent creative sandbox for our team. Working closely with the art director, we managed to develop a relatively unique visual style. After many years of experience with Unreal Engine, I know one thing – creating stylized projects can be a bit challenging.
The experience I’ve gathered with the Deadlink project, the battle-tested techniques, and the non-PBR approach allowed me to start working on a highly flexible ’Advanced Stylized Framework.’ The first step was developing the stylized glass shader, which I recently wrote about here. The next step was creating a master material that, thanks to its modularity, can be used for most objects. My goal was to create a user-friendly system that can be modified as needed.
Below is a brief description of the material features that can be enabled based on the artist’s choice. Take a look at the video to see these features in action.
- Color
A vector or texture based color that is a base for other procedural effects - Procedural Gradient
A black-and-white gradient with convenient controls and a preview mode. It is used as a mask that interpolates two colors. Color banding is supported (for a sharp color transitions) - Detail Layer
A texture-based detail using triplanar projection or object UVs. It serves as a mask that blends with the base color. - Fake Reflection
A camera-based projection that uses a RGB packed mask. Emphasizes the stylized vibe/look. - Fake Directional Light
An effect based on a directional light. It adds a customizable highlight and emphasized the 3D form of the object by making its silhouette, rounded surfaces more visible. - Rim Light
A fake light effect used to create a strong highlight. - Normal
A normal map or a greyscale texture is used to distort other procedural effect. It uses either triplanar mapping or object’s UVs. - Fake Outline
A Fresnel based sharp outline used to emphasize edges of an object - Distance Field Fake Shadow
Soon
The pack is available on the Unreal Engine marketplace: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/advanced-stylized-material
Example pack using the shader:
