Workflow for texturing

Development Asset Creation
1

Hello,

I need your help regarding a workflow.

I try to create a modular environnement on UE4, and I am pretty sure that my workflow is not the correct one.

  1. I create a modular piece directly in low poly (sometimes in high/low poly process, but for this part, it is ok)

  2. I split this modular piece in sub pièces (floorA, WallA, …)

  3. I unwrap UV for all sub pièces

  4. I assign material ID with different color regarding to the material I will use (exemple : floorA with 3 ID, ID1 blue= plastic , ID2 green = steel, ID3 red = copper)

  5. I then export in FBX to substance painter

  6. Inside it, I find my model splited in 3 texture set, and I can paint them.

  7. When finished, I export in .png my textures for UE4 packed. I have so 3 x 3 png files

  8. In UE4, I create 3 material for my 3 ID, and plug the normal / rough-metal and colors PNG for each materials.

My problem begin at this point, because, if I want to re-use for exemple, my plastic material for the floorB, in my second modular piece, I can’t.
Material for plastic-FloorA is linked with the UV for the floorA.

How can I create re usable material ?

2

Master Materials might be what you’re looking for:

– Quixel tutorial, but workflow in UE4 is the same reguarding Master Materials/Instances.

– Creating Master Material from scratch, and creating instances of it.

3

About 4. - 6.: I also use Substance Painter, but in my Workflow I render the Mat-IDs into a Texture. After that I change the “Multi-Color-Material” to a simple Material and export the FBX. In Substance Painter I import the ID-Texture and use it to assign Materials by Color Mask. In this way Substance Painter do not split my Texture Set.

4

Thanks guys !

@StringsNwood : For the master/instanced material, I will take a look on it with your videos link.
@Hirk : I had tried to bake ID color and then play with mask ID in SP, but, my color texture baked was not efficient, I don’t know why.
I guess I have to try again :slight_smile:

On another forum, where I also post my question, someone give me a way : Atlas texture + vertex painting on UE4. I think with this solution I should achieve Something correct !