Shading and Particles – Crystal Cave

Description

This project involves using simple particle systems, volumetric shaders, and real-time post-processing volumes using Unreal Engine. The focus is on using the different systems together to build a magical fantasy scene with some interactive elements.

Technical Goals

• Create a volume-like shader
• Create a custom post-process shader
• Use Niagara particle systems
• Implement user interaction
• Integrate VFX and Blueprints into gameplay

Tools and Tech

• Unreal Engine
• Lumen
• Niagara
• Blender

Conclusion

The scene’s lighting is made possible by tools like Lumen and post-processing effects to give it a look of depth.

The particle systems were designed to evoke a sense of mystical fantasy with their multicolored hues and the main crystals are designed to attract attention with contrasting colors and intense emissions to emphasize the magical fantasy of the scene.

Post-Mortem

With this project, I learned how to work with useful post-processing and interactive effects such as chromatic aberration and distortion displacement; I learned how to combine Niagara systems with Blueprints for real-time gameplay.

The most challenging part of the project was synchronizing the screen-space coordinates for the shockwave effect when clicking on the crystals. In a future iteration, I would improve the interaction system to fix positional errors in these coordinates.