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Understanding Advanced Niagara Features Through Hands-On Practice
Learn advanced Niagara features such as Particle Attribute Reader and Simulation Stage, which are rarely encountered in standard production workflows. Through practical examples, you’ll gain a clear understanding of when these features are most effective and how they function behind the scenes, allowing you to deepen your overall mastery of Niagara.
Creating Custom Niagara Logic with Node-Based Workflows
Using Niagara’s Scratch Pad Modules, you’ll learn how to create custom logic through a node-based workflow. Much like the Material Editor, this visual approach allows you to build processes by connecting nodes. Although it may appear complex at first, continued practice will help you develop the ability to design and implement your own Niagara systems with confidence.
Exploring the Versatile Use of Stencil Masks
Stencil Masks play a crucial role in applying effects to characters and specific objects. This section covers everything from basic setup to advanced applications, helping you understand their versatility and how to use them effectively. By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to apply stencil masks freely and creatively in your own VFX work.
Creating a Wide Range of Effects Using Materials Alone
Learn how to create a variety of visual effects using only Materials, including mosaic effects, outlines, and iridescent color expressions. In addition to node construction techniques, this section introduces practical tips for writing HLSL using Custom nodes, helping you develop skills that can be flexibly applied to a wide range of effects.
Visual Understanding of Systems and Concepts for Artists
Even complex technical processes and concepts are explained in a clear and visual way through extensive use of diagrams. By presenting structures in a form that artists can intuitively understand, this approach makes challenging topics more accessible and allows you to build solid technical knowledge without feeling overwhelmed.
Designing Effects with Visual Impact and Performance in Mind
Learn how to transform technical techniques into visually compelling effects by understanding key design considerations and implementation methods. At the same time, you’ll develop a professional mindset that balances quality and performance, always considering real-time optimization to ensure smooth and efficient execution in production environments.
**Class release dates and content are subject to change without prior notice.
- Section 01
Orientation
1. Instructor Introduction & Class Overview- Instructor introduction - Class overview - Setting up the work environment
- Section 02
Stencil Mask and Partial Post-Processing Effects
2. How to Use Stencil Mask- Setting and checking Custom Stencil Value - Applying VFX to a specific object using Stencil Mask
3. Partial Post-Processing Effects- Creating partial post-processing effects with Niagara - Advantages compared to post-processing
- Section 03
Creating Holograms
4. Creating Glitch Effects- Applying strong distortion using textures - Making glitch effects with textures - Reducing frames using materials
5. Coloring Holograms- Making chromatic aberration effects - Making tri-tone effects
6. Adding Hologram-Like Effects- Making mosaic effects - Making flicker effects - Making grain effects - Making scan line effects
7. Making Translucent Holograms with SceneCapture2D- Showing a specific object on a sprite with SceneCapture2D - Turning a hologram translucent by adjusting materials - Comparing SceneDepth with CustomDepth for more complete screening
- Section 04
Particle Dissolve of Screen Space
8. Arranging Particles Using Screen Space Bounds and Stencil Mask- Arranging particles on Screen Space Bounds - Applying Filters with Stencil Mask - Advantage of using Screen Space 1
9. Making Character Dissolve Effects 1- Applying VFX to existing character materials - Making location-based dissolve effects - Breaking down Dissolve Edges using noise
10. Releasing Particles from Dissolve Edges- Preventing Z-fighting using World Position Offset - Applying Stencil Value only to edges - Advantage of using Screen Space 2
11. Particle Dissolve Exercise- Animating characters - Using other properties of GBuffer - Adjusting particle shape and movement to complete the exercise
- Section 05
Dissolving Pseudo-Fluids Using Simulation Stage
12. Modifying Render Texture with Simulation Stage- Overall structure - What is Simulation Stage? - Modifying Render Texture with Niagara
13. Applying Scene Color and Stencil Mask to Render Texture- Extracting Scene Color and Stencil Value from GBuffer and applying them to Render Texture - Calculating and optimizing the screen coordinates of sprites
14. Making Character Dissolve Effects 2- Freely changing the direction of Dissolve using dot products - Breaking down Dissolve Edges using noise textures - Making opaque objects fade using dithering
15. Grid2D Collection and Pseudo-Fluid Systems- Advection in fluid calculation - What is Grid2D Collection? - Making a pseudo-fluid system with Simulation Stage
- Section 06
Creating Afterimage Effects
16. The Concept of Structure, and Comparison with Other Methods- Understanding the structure of afterimage effects - Comparison with other mesh duplication methods
17. Creating Sprites Suitable for an Object’s Screen Bounds- Calculating an object’s Screen Bounds using Blueprint - Creating sprites in sizes and positions that fit Screen Bounds
18. Creating Afterimage Effects- Controlling afterimage creation intervals - Applying Scene Color and Stencil Mask to Render Texture to create afterimage effects
19. Making Afterimages of Outlines- Making Gaussian blurs with materials - Softening the outlines of edges with blurred masks - Animating Hue to apply color
20. Creating Afterimages of Optical Camouflage- Calculating Fresnel values with Niagara and transferring them to materials through Render Texture - Making gloss effects with materials - Adding refraction effects for optical camouflage
- Section 07
Creating Polygon Separation Effects
21. Creating Polygons Using Particles- Arranging particles on all polygons of a skeletal mesh - Transforming polygon shapes using World Position Offset
22. Applying Character Materials to Particles- Extracting polygons’ UV with Niagara - Using Sampling Region - Transferring information to materials using Render Texture
23. Creating Exercise 1- Applying an effect gradually from bottom to top - Adding movements where polygons are separated - Points of view varying by anti-aliasing
24. Creating Exercise 2- Transforming into a rectangle - Adding movements that rotate and disappear - Randomly applying Emissive Color
- Section 08
Creating Cubes with Parallax Offset
25. Creating Parallax Offset Systems with Materials- What is Parallax Offset? - Understanding the structure of UV processing - Understanding Tangent Space - Understanding the structure of Parallax Offset Systems
26. Creating Cubes with Parallax Offset- Making a mesh with different inner and outer shapes using TwoSidedSign - Rotating cubes with Niagara - How to fix a translucent object whose back faces the front
- Section 09
Creating Realistic Water Sphere Effects
27. Creating Realistic Water Sphere Effects 1- Exploring the physical characteristics of realistic-looking water - Making base shapes using various textures - Adding a more water-like look to a shape by distorting it with Parallax Offset
28. Creating Realistic Water Sphere Effects 2- Utilizing CubeMap for Fresnel reflection - Making a simple specular reflection system with materials - Adding a ripple-like effect to a sphere using World Position Offset
29. Making Descending Splashes- Creating materials for water droplets and splashes - Controlling location and movement in detail using Niagara
30. Importing the 2D Metaball Shader into Unreal Engine- Introducing ShaderToy - Importing the GLSL shader into Unreal Engine’s Materials - About SDF - Overview of the 2D Metaball shader
31. Modifying the 2D Metaball Shader to Make Water Dripping Effects- Modifying shaders to control silhouettes and movement based on the exercise - Creating normal maps in SDF - Making water dripping effects by combining water sphere materials
This course will use Unreal Engine 5.5.4.
Please purchase and install these program(s) for an optimized chapter experience.
*These programs and/or materials will not be provided with the chapter.
