In advance: I’m a super n00b in rendering / visual content creation.
I would like to know some tricks for adding randomly generated moss or cracks or snow (something to make my walls a bit more interesting) to my 2D game. It shouldn’t be a very expensive material because it will run in mobile.
Ideally it should not use any lights at all … the game is a bit cartoonish looking and it does not need very reallistic look. So I would like to just randomly put some green pixels here and there for the moss, following some random pattern.
Initially I thought about using a normal map to give it the shape of the moss but it would imply to use static lightning at least (all my materials are unlit right now). In any case I have no clue about how filter the moss through a random pattern (i dont want my walls cluttered by moss either).
The cracks should follow also a random pattern.
As you can see I’m a complete beguinner here, I have tried to google around but I don’t know how to search for what I’m looking. So I will appreciate any advice / link / tip for starting doing things like this.
my current idea is to craft seamless textures (i have read some tutorials on the inet of how doing so) and mask it following a pattern. But I do not know how to create “interesting” and inexpensive patterns both for moss and cracks …
does it sounds good? if so, I would need to know how to create the “noise” or “pattern” to apply the mask
I’m not a pro when it comes to materials and shaders… But you have basically two ways to decorate your walls with all kinds of dirt, moss or whatever…
The first one would be to use multiple textures, masks and paramters “to twek” within your self created shaders… There is a lot of demo content on the market place, just have a look on how dirty shaders/materials are created…
For example take a lock at the pipes in the metro demo… so you can learn for example how rust is applied ontop of the metall textures… But i’m sure you will need some time to figure out all the details… cause shaders can be soooo
complex especially when it comes to details…
The second option would be to use a software like substance designer, painter or the new quixel suite… i think this is especailly for beginners much more easier to understand how layering materials work…
Just forgot vertex painting should also work well… it should give you the possibilty to add here an there some variations and its not hard to learn… check out youtube there a lot of tutorials for vertex painting…
I have had a look at the tools you pointed me. I think it would be overkill for me (at the moment at least). I would have a look at vertex painting tho
One more way: vertex painting with blending material.
Make material that blends 2-3 textures (or materials) based on vertex color. Then you need meshes with evenly spaced vertexes. And then use unreal editor to paint vertex color over meshes placed in level.
download the free trial of substance designer, they have a guy which makes really good tutorials about they’re software…
Believe me it’s really worth the time… and it is even much more less performance expensiv than creating huge shaders…