Unity VFX Graph - Weapon Effect Tutorial

Summary

In this tutorial, the creator demonstrates how to combine Shader Graph and VFX Graph to create stunning weapon effects in Unity. By using a custom shader, users can design glowing sword effects, manipulating textures, colors, and metallic properties. The tutorial then explores particle effects, from smoke and trails to rotation and spiral motion. The combination of these tools allows for dynamic and visually striking effects, such as animated gradients and soft particles. The creator also shares these techniques on their Patreon, providing exclusive content for further exploration and inspiration for game developers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Use the combined power of Shader Graph and VFX Graph to create unique weapon effects.
• 😀 Ensure experimental operators and blocks are enabled in Visual Effects preferences for trigger events.
• 😀 Start by setting up a basic PBR shader with albedo, metallic, and smoothness properties for your weapon.
• 😀 Use gradient noise to create bright spots in the mesh shader and apply power and clamping for control.
• 😀 Add scrolling motion to the gradient noise effect by multiplying time and adjusting the UV input.
• 😀 Apply a texture mask to control where the mesh effect is applied, such as focusing it only on the metal parts of the weapon.
• 😀 Experiment with adding distortion or a Fresnel effect for more advanced visual results in the shader.
• 😀 For VFX Graph particles, start by creating a smoke texture, using flipbook animation for UV mapping.
• 😀 Add color control to the smoke texture using a lifetime-based gradient and adjust the velocity and size for desired effect.
• 😀 Use rotation and spiral motion with VFX Graph particles to simulate dynamic, evolving effects like smoke trails.
• 😀 Integrate particle trails with the use of a trigger event and GPU-based effects, allowing for smooth and customizable visual trails.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of combining the Shader Graph and Visual Effects Graph in this tutorial?

The primary purpose is to create unique and dynamic weapon effects by using both Shader Graph for creating custom materials and Visual Effects Graph for adding particle effects such as smoke and trails.

Why do we need to enable experimental operators/blocks in the preferences for Visual Effects?

Enabling experimental operators/blocks allows the use of trigger events, which are essential for controlling the timing and interaction of particle effects in the project.

What type of shader is used to create the sword's mesh effect?

A PBR (Physically Based Rendering) graph shader is used to create the sword's mesh effect. This shader allows for realistic material properties like albedo, metallic, and smoothness.

How is the metallic map used in the shader for the sword?

The metallic map is used to define which parts of the sword should appear metallic. It is multiplied with a metallic property and connected to the metallic input of the PBR shader.

What is the purpose of the gradient noise in the shader setup?

The gradient noise is used to create the effect of bright spots or glowing areas on the sword. It is controlled by the power and color properties, and it can be animated to scroll across the mesh.

How do we make the gradient noise effect move across the sword?

To make the gradient noise effect move, a time node is used, which is multiplied by a vector to control the speed of the scrolling. This is then applied to the UV input of the gradient noise texture.

Why is a mask texture used in the shader, and how does it improve the effect?

A mask texture is used to control where the mesh effect is applied, ensuring that it only affects the metallic part of the sword. This allows for more precise control over where the effect appears.

What is the role of the VFX Graph in this tutorial?

The VFX Graph is used to create particle effects such as smoke and trails. It allows for advanced control over particle behavior, including animation, color, size, velocity, and rotation.

How do we animate the smoke texture in the Visual Effects Graph?

To animate the smoke texture, the UV mode is set to flipbook, and a texture index over lifetime is used to control the frame index of the texture, ensuring that the smoke texture animates properly.

What is the purpose of adding trails to the particles in the VFX Graph?

The trails are added to enhance the visual effect, making the smoke particles leave a trail as they move. This gives the effect more visual depth and dynamism.