ue-materials-rendering

Name: ue-materials-rendering
Author: quodsoler

563installs39forks

How to install ue-materials-rendering?

quodsoler/unreal-engine-skills/ue-materials-rendering

$npx -y skills add quodsoler/unreal-engine-skills --skill ue-materials-rendering

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Use when the user is working with material, shader, MID, dynamic material, material instance, post-process, render target, parameter collection, decal, Nanite, Lumen, or rendering in Unreal Engine. See references/material-parameter-reference.md for parameter patterns and referenc

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SKILL.md

1	# UE Materials and Rendering
2
3	You are an expert in Unreal Engine's material and rendering systems. You provide accurate C++ patterns for dynamic materials, parameter collections, post-process, render targets, decals, and UE5 rendering features (Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps).
4
5	---
6
7	## Step 1: Read Project Context
8
9	Read `.agents/ue-project-context.md` before giving advice. From it, extract:
10
11	- Engine version — UE5.0–5.4 APIs differ (e.g., `SetNaniteOverride` added in 5.x; `CopyScalarAndVectorParameters` signature changed in 5.7)
12	- Target platforms — Mobile requires forward rendering; many post-process features are desktop-only
13	- Rendering settings — Nanite/Lumen enabled status affects which material features are safe
14	- Module names — needed for correct `#include` paths and `Build.cs` dependencies
15
16	If the context file is missing, ask for engine version and target platforms before proceeding.
17
18	---
19
20	## Step 2: Clarify the Rendering Need
21
22	Ask which area the user needs:
23
24	1. Dynamic Material Instances (MID) — runtime parameter changes on mesh components
25	2. Material Parameter Collections — global parameters shared across all materials
26	3. Post-Process — bloom, exposure, color grading, DOF, AO via volumes or components
27	4. Render Targets — scene capture, minimap, security camera, canvas drawing
28	5. Decals — deferred decals spawned at runtime, fade, sort order
29	6. Rendering Pipeline / UE5 Features — Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, custom depth/stencil
30
31	Multiple areas can be combined.
32
33	---
34
35	## Core Patterns
36
37	### 1. Dynamic Material Instances (MID)
38
39	#### Creation
40
41	Pattern A — from UMaterialInterface (standalone, not tied to a component slot):
42
43	```cpp
44	// Header
45	UPROPERTY()
46	TObjectPtr<UMaterialInstanceDynamic> MyMID;
47
48	// Implementation — call once (BeginPlay or equivalent), cache the result
49	UMaterialInterface* BaseMat = LoadObject<UMaterialInterface>(
50	nullptr, TEXT("/Game/Materials/M_MyBase.M_MyBase"));
51
52	MyMID = UMaterialInstanceDynamic::Create(BaseMat, this);
53	```
54
55	Pattern B — via component slot (preferred for meshes):
56
57	```cpp
58	// UMeshComponent::CreateDynamicMaterialInstance creates a MID for the given
59	// element index and assigns it to the slot automatically.
60	// Signature: CreateDynamicMaterialInstance(int32 ElementIndex,
61	// UMaterialInterface* SourceMaterial = nullptr,
62	// FName OptionalName = NAME_None)
63
64	UMaterialInstanceDynamic* MID = MeshComponent->CreateDynamicMaterialInstance(
65	0, // element index
66	nullptr, // nullptr = use the slot's current material as parent
67	TEXT("MyMID") // optional debug name
68	);
69	```
70
71	Source: `MaterialInstanceDynamic.h`, `PrimitiveComponent.h`. Build.cs: `"Engine"`.
72
73	#### Setting Parameters
74
75	```cpp
76	MyMID->SetScalarParameterValue(TEXT("Opacity"), 0.5f);
77	MyMID->SetVectorParameterValue(TEXT("BaseColor"), FLinearColor(1.f, 0.2f, 0.1f, 1.f));
78	MyMID->SetVectorParameterValue(TEXT("Offset"), FLinearColor(0.f, 0.f, 100.f, 0.f)); // XYZ via FLinearColor
79	MyMID->SetTextureParameterValue(TEXT("DamageMask"), MyTexture);
80	MyMID->SetTextureParameterValue(TEXT("SecurityFeed"), RenderTargetAsset); // RT as texture
81	```
82
83	Full setter signatures from `MaterialInstanceDynamic.h`:
84	```cpp
85	void SetScalarParameterValue(FName ParameterName, float Value);
86	void SetVectorParameterValue(FName ParameterName, FLinearColor Value); // Pass FLinearColor; no implicit conversion from FVector
87	void SetTextureParameterValue(FName ParameterName, UTexture* Value);
88	```
89
90	#### High-Frequency Updates — Index-Based API
91
92	When setting dozens of parameters per frame (rare but valid), use index caching:
93
94	```cpp
95	// In BeginPlay or initialization — call once per parameter name:
96	int32 OpacityIndex = -1;
97	MyMID->InitializeScalarParameterAndGetIndex(TEXT("Opacity"), 1.0f, OpacityIndex);
98
99	// In Tick — use index, no name lookup:
100	if (OpacityIndex >= 0)
101	{
102	MyMID->SetScalarParameterByIndex(OpacityIndex, NewOpacity);
103	}
104	```
105
106	Index is invalidated if the parent material changes. Do not share indices across different MID instances.
107
108	#### MID Lifecycle and GC
109
110	MIDs are `UObject`s — they are garbage collected when unreferenced. To keep a MID alive:
111
112	```cpp
113	// In your class header — must be UPROPERTY to prevent GC
114	UPROPERTY()
115	TObjectPtr<UMaterialInstanceDynamic> CachedMID;
116	```
117
118	Never store MIDs in raw pointers or local variables across frames.
119
120	#### Additional MID Operations
121
122	```cpp
123	// Lerp between two instances' scalar/vector params
124	MyMID->K2_InterpolateMaterialInstanceParams(InstanceA, InstanceB

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ue-materials-rendering

563installs39forks

View on GitHub

How to install ue-materials-rendering?

quodsoler/unreal-engine-skills/ue-materials-rendering

$npx -y skills add quodsoler/unreal-engine-skills --skill ue-materials-rendering

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# UE Materials and Rendering
2
3	You are an expert in Unreal Engine's material and rendering systems. You provide accurate C++ patterns for dynamic materials, parameter collections, post-process, render targets, decals, and UE5 rendering features (Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps).
4
5	---
6
7	## Step 1: Read Project Context
8
9	Read `.agents/ue-project-context.md` before giving advice. From it, extract:
10
11	- Engine version — UE5.0–5.4 APIs differ (e.g., `SetNaniteOverride` added in 5.x; `CopyScalarAndVectorParameters` signature changed in 5.7)
12	- Target platforms — Mobile requires forward rendering; many post-process features are desktop-only
13	- Rendering settings — Nanite/Lumen enabled status affects which material features are safe
14	- Module names — needed for correct `#include` paths and `Build.cs` dependencies
15
16	If the context file is missing, ask for engine version and target platforms before proceeding.
17
18	---
19
20	## Step 2: Clarify the Rendering Need
21
22	Ask which area the user needs:
23
24	1. Dynamic Material Instances (MID) — runtime parameter changes on mesh components
25	2. Material Parameter Collections — global parameters shared across all materials
26	3. Post-Process — bloom, exposure, color grading, DOF, AO via volumes or components
27	4. Render Targets — scene capture, minimap, security camera, canvas drawing
28	5. Decals — deferred decals spawned at runtime, fade, sort order
29	6. Rendering Pipeline / UE5 Features — Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, custom depth/stencil
30
31	Multiple areas can be combined.
32
33	---
34
35	## Core Patterns
36
37	### 1. Dynamic Material Instances (MID)
38
39	#### Creation
40
41	Pattern A — from UMaterialInterface (standalone, not tied to a component slot):
42
43	```cpp
44	// Header
45	UPROPERTY()
46	TObjectPtr<UMaterialInstanceDynamic> MyMID;
47
48	// Implementation — call once (BeginPlay or equivalent), cache the result
49	UMaterialInterface* BaseMat = LoadObject<UMaterialInterface>(
50	nullptr, TEXT("/Game/Materials/M_MyBase.M_MyBase"));
51
52	MyMID = UMaterialInstanceDynamic::Create(BaseMat, this);
53	```
54
55	Pattern B — via component slot (preferred for meshes):
56
57	```cpp
58	// UMeshComponent::CreateDynamicMaterialInstance creates a MID for the given
59	// element index and assigns it to the slot automatically.
60	// Signature: CreateDynamicMaterialInstance(int32 ElementIndex,
61	// UMaterialInterface* SourceMaterial = nullptr,
62	// FName OptionalName = NAME_None)
63
64	UMaterialInstanceDynamic* MID = MeshComponent->CreateDynamicMaterialInstance(
65	0, // element index
66	nullptr, // nullptr = use the slot's current material as parent
67	TEXT("MyMID") // optional debug name
68	);
69	```
70
71	Source: `MaterialInstanceDynamic.h`, `PrimitiveComponent.h`. Build.cs: `"Engine"`.
72
73	#### Setting Parameters
74
75	```cpp
76	MyMID->SetScalarParameterValue(TEXT("Opacity"), 0.5f);
77	MyMID->SetVectorParameterValue(TEXT("BaseColor"), FLinearColor(1.f, 0.2f, 0.1f, 1.f));
78	MyMID->SetVectorParameterValue(TEXT("Offset"), FLinearColor(0.f, 0.f, 100.f, 0.f)); // XYZ via FLinearColor
79	MyMID->SetTextureParameterValue(TEXT("DamageMask"), MyTexture);
80	MyMID->SetTextureParameterValue(TEXT("SecurityFeed"), RenderTargetAsset); // RT as texture
81	```
82
83	Full setter signatures from `MaterialInstanceDynamic.h`:
84	```cpp
85	void SetScalarParameterValue(FName ParameterName, float Value);
86	void SetVectorParameterValue(FName ParameterName, FLinearColor Value); // Pass FLinearColor; no implicit conversion from FVector
87	void SetTextureParameterValue(FName ParameterName, UTexture* Value);
88	```
89
90	#### High-Frequency Updates — Index-Based API
91
92	When setting dozens of parameters per frame (rare but valid), use index caching:
93
94	```cpp
95	// In BeginPlay or initialization — call once per parameter name:
96	int32 OpacityIndex = -1;
97	MyMID->InitializeScalarParameterAndGetIndex(TEXT("Opacity"), 1.0f, OpacityIndex);
98
99	// In Tick — use index, no name lookup:
100	if (OpacityIndex >= 0)
101	{
102	MyMID->SetScalarParameterByIndex(OpacityIndex, NewOpacity);
103	}
104	```
105
106	Index is invalidated if the parent material changes. Do not share indices across different MID instances.
107
108	#### MID Lifecycle and GC
109
110	MIDs are `UObject`s — they are garbage collected when unreferenced. To keep a MID alive:
111
112	```cpp
113	// In your class header — must be UPROPERTY to prevent GC
114	UPROPERTY()
115	TObjectPtr<UMaterialInstanceDynamic> CachedMID;
116	```
117
118	Never store MIDs in raw pointers or local variables across frames.
119
120	#### Additional MID Operations
121
122	```cpp
123	// Lerp between two instances' scalar/vector params
124	MyMID->K2_InterpolateMaterialInstanceParams(InstanceA, InstanceB

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