Unreal Engine: Materials Fundamentals

This one-day hands-on workshop covers the basics of using materials in the Unreal Engine 5.

Materials are the "paint" of the surface of the objects in a scene. Through the correct handling and use of materials, photorealistic surfaces can be simulated. With the standardized PBR workflow (Physically Based Rendering) of the Unreal Engine, everything follows a structured and comprehensible system. The goal of the seminar is to gain a basic understanding of the handling, use and technology of materials in the Unreal Engine.

Course Content

  • What are materials in the Unreal Engine 5

  • What is PBR (Physically Based Rendering)?

  • The PBR workflow in the Unreal Engine

  • Introduction to the Unreal Engine's node-based material editor

  • Working with values, functions and textures

  • Exploring material settings

  • Texture formats, compression settings, mip maps

  • Introduction to master materials and material instances

  • Creating our first master material with textures

  • Texture coordinates & UV basics

  • Adding parameters to create variations (material instances) of the master material

  • Handling material assets and texture assets in the Unreal Engine Content Browser

  • Creating a translucent glass master material

  • Fresnel, Translucency Shading & Refraction

  • Overview of performance costs of materials, optimization possibilities as well as Dos & Don'ts

  • Creation of a Cloth material

  • Introduction to Megascan's Quixel Bridge for using realistic photo-scanned materials

  • Sneak Peak: What else is possible with materials? (Materials Advanced)

  • Bonus: Tips & tricks and practical shortcuts

Additional information

Who this course is for

Designers, Digital Artists, 3D Graphic Artists, Designers, Marketing Managers

Prerequisites

Solid basic knowledge of Unreal Engine 5 is required, at best you have already attended the basic training. Basics in 3D, Shading & Rendering

Required Material

A computer with two displays, a webcam and audio as well as a stable internet connection with a capacity of 10 Mbps or more are required for participation.

Interested in taking this course?