Applying Decals

I make a folder for my decals and then import them

I will be using a decal I downloaded from Art Station (

I also have a decal that I made myself using a photo 

I start by making a material for the decal – renaming it 

I open the material and change the Material Domain to Deferred Decal – this holds the material that will be used as the decal

I also change the Blend Mode to Translucent – this will blend the full material

I drag in the PNG, right-click on it and choose Convert to Parameter – this will allow me to use a material instance to change the material later 

I connect the RGB pin to the Base Color and the Alpha to the Opacity

I apply and save it

In the level, I use the Add Menu and under Visual Effects, I choose Decal Actor

I drag-and-drop the material onto the Decal Material slot in the Details Panel

It is important to note that the decal must always be facing the proper axis so it won’t stretch

If I rotate it along the Y-Axis, it will no longer be stretching

I right-click on the material and choose Create Material Instance – this will allow me to change the decal quickly without making a new material 

I can open the Material Instance, activate the Image option and load in another decal

Using the ALT key, I can duplicate the decal and drag-and-drop the Material Instance onto the Decal Material slot in the Details Panel

Creating Decals

I’ll be using Affinity Photo but any photo editing software will work

I crop the image to just the part that I want to use

Using the Selection Brush Tool, I select the parts of the image I want to keep

Using ALT, I can remove some of the selection

Using CTRL, I can add to the selection

I use CTRL J to separate my selection and CTRL D to deselect everything

I then crop the image to size

I export the image as a PNG

AO Map

I will be using a tileable texture I made in a previous tutorial 

I duplicate the image and rename the layer to “AO”

I open the Adjustment panel (under the Window menu) and under the HSL panel, choose Desaturate

I lower the saturation to -100-percent and the luminosity to around 50-percent

I then open the Levels and choose the Default option

If I make the image brighter, the surface will appear well-lit

If I make the image darker, the surface will appear more in shadow

I will adjust the Gamma level to around 1.5 to slightly darken the image

I can now export this image as a PNG (JPG will also work)

Blender

In Blender, under the Shading Workspace, I import the Color map, Normal map,  Roughness map, and the AO map

I make sure to change the color space for all the maps (except the Color) to Non-Color

For the AO Map, I add a Mix Color node and connect the AO map to the B input and Color map to the A input

I change the Blending Mode to Multiply

I add a Shader to RGB node and Diffuse BSDF node to control the AO map

I connect the Shader to RGB node into a Color Ramp and connect the Color Ramp to the Factor of the Mix Color

I then switch the color stops and now I can use the Color Ramp to adjust the AO

Normal Map Tutorial: https://www.artstation.com/blogs/jsabbott/v33Wg/how-to-make-a-normal-map-in-affinity-photo

Height & Roughness Maps Tutorial: https://www.artstation.com/blogs/jsabbott/AgN6O/how-to-make-a-height-and-roughness-map-in-affinity-photo-tutorial

I added a plane and UV unwrapped it – using the sprite sheet as my texture

If you don’t know how to do UV unwrapping – I already made a beginner’s tutorial 

I also change the extension of the material from repeat to clip so it won’t tile

I add an empty that will act as the controller for the plane

I open my timeline

With the plane selected, I add a UV project modifier

For the object, I will choose the empty and for the UV map I choose the UV map I made

I move to the fourth sprite and scale the image using the empty so it fits properly

On frame 1, I make sure to have the first sprite in frame

Under the object panel, I add a keyframe to the location

I move each sprite into place and add keyframes for the location

If you are unsure how to do keyframe animation in Blender, I’ve already made a beginner’s tutorial 

I change the end frame and check out the animation so far

Now that I know everything is moving, I select all the keyframes and change the interpolation to constant

Displacement Map

I’m using a photo I downloaded from Pexels.Com and made it tileable in GIMP

I first desaturate the image by going to Colors > Desaturate > Desaturate

I change the mode to Lightness HSL

Next, I distort the image by going to Filters > Distorts > Shift and use a Shift option of 5

I then add some blur by going to Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur and change the blur to around 10

I then adjust the contrast by going to Colors > Curves and make the blacks darker and the whites lighter

I can now export the displacement map

Blender

In Blender, I subdivide a plane and apply the original image as the base color

Under the Materials tab, in the Settings panel, I change the Displacement to “Displacement and Bump”

I import the displacement map (changing the color space to Non-Color) and connect it to a Displacement node which is then connected to the Material Output

I add a Displace modifier and open the displacement map

I decrease the Strength

I change the coordinates to UV and choose the default UV map

I also change the direction to RGB to XYZ

Creating materials

I will be using a door prop that I downloaded from FAB 

As you can see, there is only one texture slot for this prop

The first thing I need to do is make the materials I will use on the prop 

If you are unsure how to make materials in Unreal – I already made a complete tutorial 

Adding materials

Now that I have the materials made, I can easily add them to specific parts of the prop

To do this, I open the modeling mode and under the attribute panel, I choose edit materials

I can now hold down the left mouse button and select the individual faces that I want to add a new material to

I can use SHIFT-left click to deselect faces

Now that I have the proper faces selected, under the materials panel, I add a new material slot

I can then drag-and-drop my material into this slot from the content drawer

I then change the active material to this newly added material

Once I click on “assign active material” I see that the material on the prop has changed

Height Map

I will be using a tileable texture I made in a previous tutorial    

        Tileable Texture Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htHLtSeI62k

        Normal Map Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ-Lg4ru3go

I duplicate the image and rename the layer to “height”

I open the Adjustment panel (under the Window menu) and choose HSL Default

I lower the saturation to -100-percent and the luminosity to around 70-percent

I export this image as a PNG – JPG will also work

Roughness Map

I duplicate the height map layer and rename it to roughness

I open the Levels Default and lower the Gamma since I want a lot of roughness

I export this image as a PNG – JPG will also work

Blender

In Blender, under the Shading Workspace, I import the Color map, Normal map (tutorial is in the description), and the new roughness map

For the height map, I subdivide the plane in edit mode

In object mode, I add a displace modifier and make a new texture

I open the texture panel and open the height map

Back on the displace modifier, I lower the strength

I begin by adding a fill and turning off all the channels except color

I then choose a base color for the model

For the gradient, I add a new fill layer and change the color

I add a black mask

I right-click on the black mask and add a generator

I will use the 3d linear gradient

The balance for the generator will adjust the amount of gradient on the top and bottom of the model

The contrast determines how sharp the blend between the two gradient colors will appear

If I change to the position map, I can use the color pickers to choose where the gradient starts and where it ends [go back to material]

This is a quick way to change the gradient but it doesn’t offer much control

I can however, change the position end to a solid black

For the position start, I can change the position start color to a bright red (which is the X-axis)

With the balance at 0.5, I now have a perfect gradient from left to right

To invert the gradient colors, I can change the invert option to true

If I want a linear gradient that is top to bottom, I change the position start color to a bright green (which is the Y-axis)

With the balance at 0.5, I now have a perfect gradient from top to bottom

To invert the gradient colors, I can change the invert option to true

If I want a linear gradient that is front to back, I change the color to a bright blue (which is the Z-axis)

With the balance at 0.5, I now have a perfect gradient from front to back

To invert the gradient colors, I can change the invert option to true

AccuRig

AccuRig: https://actorcore.reallusion.com/auto-rig/accurig

AccuRig Blender Add-on: https://www.reallusion.com/auto-setup/blender/download.html

You will also need to have the Rigify add-on activated in Blender

I will drag my FBX into AccuRig (OBJ can also be used)

I can use the “rotate character” options to make sure the character is centered

I activate “force symmetry” so I can make sure the rig is the same on both sides of the character

I now click on “Rig Body”

I am now able to see the joints

I need to make sure the joints are in the correct position – following the guide to the right

Once I have the joints in the correct positions, I can choose “Rig Hands”

My character does have 5 fingers so I can leave this as default

I am now able to see the hand joints

I need to make sure the hand joints are in the correct position – following the guide to the right

When I’m done, I select “Finalize Character” to generate the rig

I use the “Acting” tab to make sure the rig is working correctly

Now I can select “Export” and choose Blender for the application

Blender (Rigify)

In Blender, I open the CC Pipeline add-on

I choose “Import Character” and open my FBX

I twirl open the “Rigging and Animation” panel

I then click on the “Rigify” button

Now I have a rigged character with the Rigify controllers

Creating a rig rail

In the place actors menu, under the cinematics menu, I will choose the camera rig rail and place it in the scene 

I add a cine camera actor

I parent the camera to the rig rail by dragging the camera in the outliner onto the rig rail

To attach the camera to the rig rail, I select the camera and zero out the location in the details panel

I can then adjust it so it is sitting on the rig rail

To test it, I can adjust the camera position on rail setting in the details panel

Modifying a rig rail

I select the rig rail to see the guides for modifying the rig rail

I select the last spline point and use the gizmo to lengthen the rig rail

In order to make a curve, I hold down the ALT key and use the gizmo to move the last spline point to the side

If I select the spline points that form the curve, I have a Bezier handle which allows me to make finer adjustments to the curve

I double-click on the end spline point to continue to extend the rig rail

In order to add spline points along the rig rail, I select the spline, right-click and choose “add spline point here”

If I move the camera along the rail, I notice that the camera stays facing forward instead of turning and following the path of the rig rail

I can fix this by selecting the rig rail and activating “lock orientation to rail” in the details panel

Animating a rig rail

To add a level sequence, I select the level sequence icon (clapboard) and choose “add level sequence”

I drag the camera rig rail and the cine camera actor into the level sequence

I select the camera rig rail and use the plus button to add the rail controls – selecting “current position on rail”

I make sure I’m at the first frame and add a keyframe to the current position on rail

I scrub to the end of the level sequence, move the camera to the end of the rig rail and add a second keyframe

If I want the camera to be constrained to looking at a particular point in the scene, I can select the camera in the outliner

Under the lookat tracking settings, I activate “enable look at tracking”

Using the picker next to the “actor to track” option, I can choose an object for the camera to focus on

Pumpkin Material

I will be using a pumpkin model I made in Blender (Tutorial)

I import the model and bake the texture maps

I add a fill layer and rename it to base

Under the properties panel, I will change the base color to a bright orange [#FF8321]

I also change the roughness to 0.5

I duplicate the base layer and rename the new layer to spots

I add a black mask to the base layer

I then select the black mask and add a fill

I search for a texture and use it for the grayscale 

Under the properties panel, I will change the base color to a bright yellow [#FFD223]

With the texture selected, I decrease the balance 

I select the layer and decrease the height 

I duplicate the base layer and move it to the top of the layer stack

I rename this layer to bump and change the color to a darker orange [#C1651D]

I add a black mask

I add a fill to the black mask

I search for a grunge texture and use it for the grayscale 

I increase the balance [0.6]

I select the base color and increase the height 

Smart Material

To save this material as a Smart Material, I add a Folder and rename it

I move all of my Layers into the Folder

I right-click on the Folder and Create Smart Material

Stem Material

I select the stem and add a fill, renaming it to stem base

Under the properties panel, I will change the base color to a mid-tone brown [#874A21]

I also change the roughness to 0.8

I duplicate the base layer and rename the new layer to stem spots

I add a black mask to the base layer

I then select the black mask and add a fill

I search for a texture and use it for the grayscale 

Under the properties panel, I will change the base color to a darker brown [#552F15]

With the texture selected, I decrease the balance 

I select the layer and decrease the height 

I duplicate the spots layer and rename the new layer to stem spots green

I change the texture 

Under the properties panel, I will change the base color to a midtone green [#79A647]

With the texture selected, I change the balance 

I increase the rotation 

I select the layer and decrease the height 

I duplicate the base layer and move it to the top of the layer stack

I rename this layer to stem bump and change the color to a darker brown [#542D14]

I add a black mask

I add a fill to the black mask

I search for a grunge texture and use it for the grayscale 

I increase the balance 

I select the base color and increase the height 

Smart Material

To save this material as a Smart Material, I add a Folder and rename it

I move all of my Layers into the Folder

I right-click on the Folder and Create Smart Material