This is an interactive VFX and Shader System made in Unreal Engine for the game "Eutierria" simulating a goey mass shader, interactive particles that are attracted to the player and a post processing shader.
Inhouse Production
Shader, Code
Solo
PC, Steamdeck
Stylized
I am currently developing my indie game "Eutierria". Eutierria is a stylized 3D Platformer about a little creature that is regrowing the environment by moving, exploring and absorbing Miasma to eventually recover more areas.
Now I needed a system that would be performant, look and feel good and most importantly be interactive since the player had to absorb it. The Miasma is visually inspired by the Miasma from Tunic, the Malice from Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and slime mold.
When I first started out, I was experimenting with different kinds of Miasma- first I used actual collectables (blueprints with meshes and collision boxes) which totally exceeded the performance. Then I tried to use the foliage tool which not only worked but also fit right into my existing code that handled the interactions/absorption part. But visually it wasn't what I was looking for. Then I eventually worked with Unreal Engine's Niagara System. I developed a system with a few emitters that used instances of the same shader and basic spherical meshes. It looks like one big mass that would adjust to the environment, react and interact with the player and is also within the performance limits.
For the placement I first added a distance field offset to the shader so the "blobs" (spherical meshes) would cling to the walls and deform. Then I also used a distance field in the niagra system so the system itself would stick to the walls.
I used several emitters that would either stay in place like bigger particles and those little "arms" or be attracted to the player like smaller particles. When the player moves inside a trigger box around the whole system, it gets activated to stay performant. The system compares locations and based on distance the meshes move and/or change size.
The shader is unlit and excluded from the post processing to create an extraterrestrial, eery look and uses a bump offset to create depth. I also added a sparkle effect thats also used in the Water Shader to keep a coherent appearance and tie it all together.
You can reach me basically anywhere,
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