Hello indie developers!
We are developing the SoftField Core framework, which offers modular solutions for Blueprints and materials with pre-built functions and optimized settings. The main goal is to simplify and streamline the development process by providing ready-made modules that can be easily customized for specific projects. Our aim is to make it so you can use out-of-the-box solutions and also adapt them to suit your needs flexibly.
What’s already done :
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Modular materials: We have a library of materials with built-in functions. You can integrate them with your materials or use ours, offering visual effects like wetness, snow overlay (currently texture-based, but we plan to add volumetric effects later), and much more.
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Vegetation optimization: We’ve added optimized features for trees and grass, which consume fewer resources while maintaining visual quality. Everything is easy to configure and customize.
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Parameters in a separate MPC: This allows you to manage material settings conveniently through code. We’ve also included useful options like custom data, which significantly simplifies level setup and interaction between materials.
Our goal is to provide indie developers with ready-made and optimized solutions that can be used right away in their projects. But we need feedback! The projects we’re currently working with are generally satisfied, but at this stage, it’s hard to know what other indie developers need to make this more widely useful.
A few questions for you:
- Would having access to such modular materials and features be useful to you?
- What features or pre-built solutions would you like to see in such a framework?
- Are there any specific tools that would make working with materials and Blueprints easier for you?
We’re aiming to create a free product that will be useful to everyone. Your feedback will help us better understand what the community needs.
- Yes, it would be very useful
- Well, I guess yes, but I’m not sure
- Where have you been? This would have helped me so much
- No, thanks, this isn’t something I’m interested in
The images below showcase examples of how some elements work. For instance, PMask is a simple PBR mask that allows you to customize an object, creating multiple variations of its appearance without needing to make separate texture sets. GMask provides the ability to add wear effects such as scratches, dirt, blood, or snow. The layer order can be easily changed or replaced as needed. Additionally, a landscape system is already implemented, allowing you to toggle texture tiling, automatically place grass and bushes, and determine terrain heights. And that’s not all.
Here’s a link to a Google spreadsheet that includes links to individual documents for review. Right now, we’ve only outlined some elements of the framework due to time constraints, and some parts are a bit outdated. Feel free to take a look at what we’ve put together so far and share your feedback.
The framework is not yet available publicly, but it’s already included in all the assets we sell. We’re planning to release it online by the end of the year, though time has been tight.
Thanks in advance for your input!
WIND
SNOW
Hologram effect
Landscape auto settings
Landscape without replication
Landscape with replication
GMask - Regular textures
GMask - Dirt Layer
GMask - Scratches Layer
GMask - Blood Layer
GMask - Snow Layer
PMask
P.S. For customization, you only need to create one additional mask to achieve an incredible variety of options.
