Glass with Decals help

Development Rendering
1

Hi All,

Can someone explain how I would create a texture for a glass panel with some sort of decals/sticker on it, similar to what you see in this image: http://crazysexycool.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/frosted-glass.jpg

I’ve been playing around with composite materials in Max and got it working about 50% of the time in Max, not really knowing why or how.

I’d like to get this working in Unreal engine for a project I’m about to start.

Can someone help me out here please :slight_smile:

2

I haven’t created decals myself but I believe you need to create a material with the decal function enabled. You can then apply this material to a deferred decal actor which you then place on a surface in your map, such as a glass wall/window.

3

I don’t think decals work on translucent materials currently. You can do that example in only the glass material, btw, and it would probably be cheaper than a decal anyway.

4

Translucency is a bit of a weakness of Engine at this time, due to the deferred approach.

@: How would you go about that with only the glass material? An opacity mask?

5

Yeah, simple as that. :slight_smile:

6

OK I got decals working, but they seem to be semi-transparent? I couldn’t figure out how to make them opaque, see images attached.

With regards glass, I applied the glass material to the wall and my decals disappeared. What’s the best option for adding decals to glass?

What I want to achieve is a white strip going across a glass panel.

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7

You are either ignoring my posts or not seeing them for some reason, drezzed. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Forget about decals for this purpose. Make sure your glass mesh is properly UV mapped, then make your alpha mask for the shape you want to have on the glass and use it for opacity and diffuse masks.

8

Thanks , sorry I didn’t try your suggestion before!

I think I’ve done what you said, see the pics below - now, that obviously doesn’t look like a piece of glass with a sticker on it, how would I do that?

Do I need to add another colour (light blue?) based on the reverse of the alpha map or something? (it’s late and my brain isn’t working, sorry)

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Capture4.PNG
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9

Now use that opacity mask as the alpha of a Lerp, and give 1 for A and 0,5 for the B values(or vice versa) then plug that Lerp into opacity. Currently the rest of your mask is pure black and pure black means completely transparent. For the rest of the values to achieve glass looks check out the glass material that comes with the engine.

10

I get an error

6c287a3eb23c5b97417016cb64cdbbc88c050cbb.jpeg
6c287a3eb23c5b97417016cb64cdbbc88c050cbb.jpeg1440×778 83.9 KB

11

Plug the red channel of the mask into the alpha.

Erm…and change the blend mode from masked to translucent and translucency lighting mode to surface.

13

That looks closer to what I’m looking for!

Thanks for your help, I’ll have a play and see what results I can produce.

6bf86ae75879339332831e1a19ab57d4b5aeb749.jpeg
6bf86ae75879339332831e1a19ab57d4b5aeb749.jpeg1440×1000 166 KB

14

Hi,

Did you get this working ?

If so can you show the settings here please.

Cheers

15

Got it working…

Please attached if this helps anyone.

The only thing I don’t get is the diamonds should be light grey.

Cheers

16

Decrease the metallic value, that should help.

17

I’m not sure if it help in any way, nor if it’s relevant, but when I had similar problem I just noticed that I was saving my TGA files in 24 bit instead of 32. Once I changed it everything started to work.

18

Hi there, im kinda new to this. And from the above i havent really figured out how to apply a defeered decal with a solid look to say a wooden surface or concrete. Can someone point me out to a solution?

19

easiest thing is apply maked material in to the plane and move it close to the glass

20

After 1 day Searching i got 2 way You Can Apply Decal On Translucent Materials

  1. you can make a blueprint actor and give your Decal Material On that and spawn it where ever you want …
    – Note 1: the actor which you spawning decal on it if moving . simply “attach actor to actor” OR “attach actor to component”
    –Note 2. THIS UGLY solvation just work on somethings Are Like Plan … so the BP_Decal you made will Fix on that … BUT if you have something like Circle , it will not work as you want
    SweetOperation - Unreal Editor 12_27_2023 7_42_06 PM
    SweetOperation - Unreal Editor 12_27_2023 7_42_06 PM1920×1040 59.3 KB

Way 2 (Recommended by ME :wink: ). All OF Us Know the Decals Will not Render On Translucent So what we can Do ?
→ Make a material then give the channel Surface And Masked.
then on Graph just give Some opacity To Opacity Input
Note 1. Engine Just Modify the Masked For Decals Which They Have Opacity Above " 0.4 " … (Care About That)
Note 2. You Can To Your Glass Some Color If You Want
EDIT :
Note 3 : :point_right: You Have To Go Edit > Project Setting > Rendering > Anti-Aliasing Method To MSAA ( For Working Opacity Mask Between 0 and 1 )

:mag_right: The Mask make Problem With Niagara => if Glass is between your camera and Niagara … the mask material will Not Render That ( HAHA)

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Result OF Way 2.

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SweetOperation Preview NetMode_ Standalone 0 (64-bit_D3D Shader Model 6) OpenXR SteamVR_OpenXR (2.2.3) 12_27_2023 7_18_17 PM
SweetOperation Preview NetMode_ Standalone 0 (64-bit_D3D Shader Model 6) OpenXR SteamVR_OpenXR (2.2.3) 12_27_2023 7_18_17 PM1256×1000 87.3 KB

2 Likes
21

Hello, may I ask how your Masked material can be transparent at 0.4? Isn’t it either 0 or 1