Borniol : Sketch #56 - Frozen

Events 56 - Status Effect : Frozen
#1

:tv: Thumbnail:

Ice9

:ice_cube: Final Result:

Hi everyone,

I wanted to get a little more familiar with the Sequencer, Niagara and the UE5 overall. I did some technical tests yesterday and it seems to be successful (?)

Effect Description / Initial Idea:

-Vfx Spell Cast
-Freezing of the character
-Vfx of a spike (or hammer?) hitting the frozen character
-Splitting into pieces of ice

This is a mix of:

  • “Surprised” animation + Mannequin model from Mixamo
  • My (Never finished) Ice shader
  • Sequencer driving everything
  • Chaos Destruction baked in a Cache to work in the sequencer

Ice1

Here is a better view of the Ice Shader (wip)
Mostly done with:

-Fresnel + Icy normal texture
-Vertex Offset
-Local Position Gradient (Masking and Purple glow effect)

Ice2

20 Likes
#2

This is awesome! Great result so far :sparkles:

1 Like
#3

Really nice. Did you get the look of the legs being offset from the edge with vertex offset or was it done with fresnel?

#4

wow, looks super nice. i love how it really looks like a thick layer of ice around the actual geo. very nice shader!

1 Like
#5

Yes I’m doing vertex offset toward normals direction :smiley:

Ice3

7 Likes
#6

Absolutely love this, would love material breakdown if possible!

1 Like
#7

It’s actually a boots shader. Looks cool with wide ones xD

1 Like
#8

Hahah. So cool :smiley: Absolutely love it.

1 Like
#9

Very, very cool. Love the ice layers!

1 Like
#10

Let’s do a quick update post:

I added a shine effect in the ice shader that I can control in the sequencer using a Material Parameter Collection (it’s super fun to play with).
I’m using it when the Freeze is complete but also when the character is destroyed.

Ice4

I also got the main intentions of my particle systems.
I’m now working on those particle systems, texture, materials, etc I think most of the animation and sequencer stuff is done.

Ice6

Better quality:

https://i.imgur.com/a/NtJuITW.mp4

3 Likes
#11

Loving the ice shader :smiley:

1 Like
#12

Small update to show the new stuff:

I’m creating an icy wind spell to enhance the freezing effect.
I feel like I’ve managed to stay in line with my blockout and I’m quite happy with the result.

Ice7

I also now have a cute icicle reusing the ice shader that benefits well from the shine effects :smiley:

Ice8

10 Likes
#13

I was able to finalize the effect and finish everything I wanted in time.
The cold winds were a great challenge to overcome!
I have indeed gotten more familiar with the sequencer, Niagara and UE5, so I am very satisfied with this experience.

Ice9

Additional bonus, I quickly reused the effects to make them work on a first person character :smiley:

Ice10

Final result is at the top of this post, if you have any question or feedbacks I’d love to hear them!

8 Likes
#14

So cool :smiley: I think it is my fav effect for this sketch series :smiley: so polished and cool idea!

1 Like
#15

Your effect looks really good, the shader + the meshes and particles look on point

I wonder when you say Sequencer you mean “Level Sequencer”
I did VFX in Unity before and I have a hard time adapting to Unreal way of thinking, especially when animating meshes and timing everything together

The effect is really awesome, would love to see a material breakdown, looks interesting

1 Like
#16

I suppose that Sequencer is like Timeline in Unity

#17

Yes I’m aware of that, but sequencer can’t be used inside of a blueprint.
I mainly use my VFX for games and need to have like in Unity prefabs.

Can’t seem to have the same control in Unreal

1 Like
#18

I liked the expression that frozen and then shattered by icicles. very well done!

1 Like
#19

It’s a really good idea