Has anyone here used Unreal Engine for visualising property defects or building deterioration? We work in the property care sector and have been exploring the idea of using UE5 to create interactive walkthroughs that show homeowners what issues like timber decay, moisture damage, and structural rot actually look like inside their walls before any remedial work begins.
The concept would be a before-and-after visualisation tool showing cross-sections of walls with moisture penetration, timber beams affected by rot, and how a damp proof course sits within the structure of a building. Most homeowners have no real understanding of what is happening behind their plaster, and a 3D walkthrough could make the whole process far easier to explain than static photographs.
We have experimented with basic material setups to simulate damp staining and mould growth on wall surfaces, and the results are surprisingly convincing. The real challenge is getting realistic timber deterioration; the way wood fibres separate and crumble when rot takes hold is difficult to replicate with standard material nodes alone.
Would be interested to hear from anyone who has tackled realistic organic decay or moisture effects in UE5. What material or shader approaches gave you the best results for that kind of surface detail?