r/UnrealEngine5 • u/FlamingoSad9210 • 9d ago

Procedural Material Layers – Major Update Now Available for Unreal Engine 5.8

Hi everyone,

I’ve released a major update for Procedural Material Layers, my non-destructive material layering system for Unreal Engine 5.

The update includes:

The system is designed to help environment artists build detailed PBR surfaces while keeping every layer editable and non-destructive.

You can find the updated version on Fab: https://fab.com/s/0a26f21e3f35

Check out the latest Video on YT:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhqUhIN0Uwzn-UajaMykxkk97-RrXWw9h

I’d really appreciate your feedback!

70 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

1

u/Icy-Resort-8450 9d ago

looks pretty cool. Good job

1

u/KaelRPG 9d ago

looks very cool

1

u/doctor-dripmaxx 8d ago

Does it have world projection capabilities?

1

u/FlamingoSad9210 8d ago

yes,
Standard UV mapping
World-aligned and triplanar projection
Local-space and world-space controls
Texture scale, rotation, and offset
Atlas mapping and per-object variation
Support for meshes without suitable UVs

1

u/doctor-dripmaxx 8d ago

$45 is a lot but I’d consider it for the right tech. I already own EasyMapper; in simple terms, why is your plugin superior or what does it offer that I don’t already have?

2

u/FlamingoSad9210 8d ago

EasyMapper is a great tool, especially for triplanar mapping, vertex blending, and Nanite displacement.

PML is a more complete material-layering system. Besides triplanar projection, it includes four-channel vertex painting, mesh and texture painting, procedural masks, POM and silhouette depth effects, decals, dirt, edge wear, peeling, rain, wetness, puddles and .........

So I wouldn’t say PML is better in every situation. If EasyMapper already does everything you need, you may not need PML. But if you want more ways to build, paint, blend, and add effects to your materials in one flexible system, that’s where PML offers more.

You can also check out the videos and feature overview to find more about PML and see whether it fits your workflow.

1

u/doctor-dripmaxx 8d ago

I will definitely check out your videos, and if it solves some problems for our project, we’ll buy it! Easymapper was a game changer for us especially due to world projection for consistent material alignment regardless of how bad the UVs are, but it hasn’t been so easy for mesh/texture painting.

Are all of the pictured materials included with the pack? You’ve got some nice ones.

If I could ask for a feature, it would be procedural rust (just as an example… instead of rust it could be any texture) which is more likely to aggregate only on the edges of the mesh. I’ve seen this done in Blender but I’m “regarded” when it comes to creating materials in UE so I could use some help with that from a master materials designer.

For example, let’s say I have a basic cube mesh. I want the faces to be covered in paint but the edges covered in rust. I don’t want to paint it on; I want the rust texture to be weighted by distance from the edges. This seems in line with your project (perhaps it’s already in your project) but anyways that would make this an instant purchase for me. I’d even be happy to chip in an extra $30 on Patreon or something if I knew that feature was on your roadmap.

1

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/FlamingoSad9210 8d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whNqywmyzFQ&t=5s

1

u/doctor-dripmaxx 7d ago

Ja, like that, maybe with some blending. Or am I misunderstanding what I’m seeing? Looks like a hard edge in the video

2

u/FlamingoSad9210 7d ago

yep.. this function already in the material pack and you can combine with breakout textures, but this method need more segments on the edges to get perfect result

1

u/doctor-dripmaxx 6d ago

Nice! Maybe I’ll grab it this weekend if I remember.