The video of Umbrella Shader drawn in UE5 is quite real. Raindropper dripping on a vinyl umbrella at Senbon Torii

The video of the umbrella shader released by an indie game developer is attracting attention. This video, which was produced in UNREAL ENGINE 5 (hereinafter referred to as UE5), seems to be a reproduction of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, famous for Senbon Torii, on UE5. In the rain, the thousand torii gates seen through the vinyl umbrella are expressed in realistic and colorful.

This video posted by Matt Newell, a photographer and 3D artist in Australia. He is currently developing a walking shim work Lushfoil Photographhy SIM. Although it is not clear, the video of the umbrella shader posted this time seems to be a video under the development of the Kyoto Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine area in this game. The scenery that can be seen through the vinyl umbrella is not just transparent, but it looks like a reality, such as the distant thing looks blurred, the way it looks like the surrounding brightness, and the umbrella surface flows on the surface of the umbrella. A realistic drawing that is conscious of the person is made.

In general, there are various technical constraints in drawing materials that are transparent in the game. As a result, the video of the umbrella shader seemed to attract the interests of individual developers as well as ordinary users. In response to questions from 3D artist Karl, Newell has released a Blueprint node related to the umbrella shader. Blueprint is a node-based script system provided by Unreal Engine (hereinafter, UE). Instead of describing everything in the code, the script required for the game can be described by visually placing and connecting the node on the screen. According to the images of the published node, the implementation of the umbrella shader seems to be completed to some extent on this Blueprint.

According to Newell's explanation, the transparency and texture of the vinyl umbrella seem to be represented by the water matriel and dizzling in the UE. The rain drops on the surface of the umbrella are expressed in textures and particles. Drawing a translucent material, which tends to increase the load, is cleared by adjusting and expressing the preset node. There is no doubt that the expressive power of this umbrella shader will help to improve the description of rain.

In addition to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in the video, it also records a stroll through the cityscape of Kyoto. The background here is that the asset by domestic artist Motonori Nakamura is also used (related article). At the tip of the wet cobblestone, the five-storied pagoda rises against the backdrop of thick clouds. The rainy Kyoto with plenty of presence, as if you are walking there with an umbrella, is reproduced in the game. NEWELL has been struggling with the description of grass in the French mountainous areas in the past, and seems to be particular about creating a photoral space (related articles).

Lushfoil Photographhy Sim is being developed by NEWELL, is a walking simulator around the world. It is a game where you can freely stroll through the western Australian coast with a dazzling white sandy beach and the French mountainous area overlooking the scenic Alps. A variety of locations, including Kyoto introduced this time, will be recorded. In addition, the game has a full-fledged camera function, so you can immerse yourself in photography until you go. This work seems to have reached 15,000 Registered STEAM, and it can be seen from the user's expectations. Currently, he is moving from UE4 to UE5 and further brushing up the location. The umbrella that showed the real depiction this time is also included in the work, and the area of Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto is also remastered. It seems that the cityscape of Kyoto will be added.

LUSHFOIL PHOTOGRAPHY SIM is being developed for PC (Steam/Itch.io). The release is scheduled for the first half of 2023, and Steam is currently accepting reservations.