Shaders¶
In this section, we'll cover each shader in detail along with its parameters.
Tiny Planet¶
This one’s my personal favorite—it creates the classic Tiny Planet effect on your meshes. It’s both simple and efficient. I recommend pivoting the effect around the camera or the player.
Usage¶
Use the MF_TinyPlanet material function located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/TinyPlanetFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
Offset - Offsets the effect of the curve. Higher value = flatter area around the pivot.
BendAmount - How big or small is the planet? Higher value = smaller planet.
UpAxis - Direction to bend the planet. Pick the local up axis of the mesh.
Pivot - Planet center, the location where the effect originates. Use CameraPos if you want a dynamic effect.
Notes¶
This shader is Z deforming, as such Max WPO Displacement and Bounds Scale may need higher values, use mindfully.
Cylinder¶
Similar to Tiny Planet, but this shader only bends one axis at a time. Useful for creating the Horizon Bend effect like that of Animal Crossing. I recommend pivoting the effect around the camera or the player.
Usage¶
Use the MF_Cylinder material function located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/CylindricalFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
BendAmount - How big or small is the cylinder? Higher value = smaller cylinder.
Offset - Offsets the effect of the curve. Higher value = flatter area near pivot.
UpAxis - Direction to bend the cylinder vertically. Pick the local up axis of the mesh.
RotationAxis - Axis of rotation. Only accepts X or Y.
Pivot - Cylinder center, the location where the effect originates. Use CameraPos if you want a dynamic effect.
Notes¶
This shader is Z deforming, as such Max WPO Displacement and Bounds Scale may need higher values, use mindfully.
Runner¶
Usually used in games like Subway Surfers to create the illusion of an endless level. I recommend pivoting the effect around the camera or the player.
Usage¶
Use the MF_Runner material function located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/RunnerFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
Pivot - Where the bend begins.
BendAmount - How big or small is the bend? Higher value = larger bends.
bNegative - Used to indicate if the mesh is facing the negative of an axis (e.g, -X or -Y).
ForwardAxis - Local forward of the mesh (i.e, the axis the mesh is facing).
MaxHeight - After what height to clip? Useful when dealing with landscapes. Default is 0 (i.e, no height).
Offset - Increases/decreases the distance between the bend and the pivot.
Notes¶
This shader is Z deforming, as such Max WPO Displacement and Bounds Scale may need higher values, use mindfully.
Twisted Spiral¶
Has similar properties to MF_Runner along with the capacity to twist in the forward axis. I recommend pivoting the effect around the camera or the player.
Usage¶
Use the MF_TwistedSpiral material function located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/TwistedFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
Offset - Increases/decreases the distance between the bend and the pivot.
BendAmount - How big or small is the bend? Higher value = larger bends. X controls twist.
Smoothness - Controls twist transition. Higher value = smoother transition.
bNegative - Used to indicate if the mesh is facing the negative of an axis (e.g, -X or -Y).
ForwardAxis - Local forward of the mesh (i.e, the axis the mesh is facing).
Pivot - Bend / spiral center.
Notes¶
This shader is Z deforming, as such Max WPO Displacement and Bounds Scale may need higher values, use mindfully.
Spiral¶
The Spiral shader comes in two main variants: Vertical and Horizontal. Each variant includes three axis-based sub-variants. The Vertical version allows you to spiral objects upward, while the Horizontal version creates a sideways spiral, similar to a loop-de-loop.
Usage¶
For horizontal, use MF_Spiral_Horizontal_X, MF_Spiral_Horizontal_Y or MF_Spiral_Horizontal_Z located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/SpiralFunctions/Horizontal.
For vertical, use MF_Spiral_Vertical_X, MF_Spiral_Vertical_Y or MF_Spiral_Vertical_Z located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/SpiralFunctions/Vertical.
Material Parameters¶
SpiralCenter - Center of spiral.
BendAmount - Bend angle in degrees.
bNegative - Used to indicate if the mesh is facing the negative of an axis (e.g, -X or -Y).
BendRadius - Radius of spiral.
Pivot - Spiral origin. Ideally the world location of mesh.
Notes¶
When moving the mesh, make sure both SpiralCenter and Pivot are adjusted accordingly.
Known Issues¶
When using small radii, you might notice "stretching" in the mesh. This happens because two vertices from the same mesh can end up on opposite sides of the center, causing them to bend in opposite directions.
To fix this, simply increase the BendRadius until the distortion is resolved.
Stretching in smaller radius
Increased radius
Inception¶
Inception is similar to spiral except it bends at both ends and has a Rolloff value. The Inception shader comes in two main variants: Vertical and Horizontal. Each variant includes two axis-based sub-variants.
Usage¶
For horizontal, use MF_Inception_Horizontal_X or MF_Inception_Horizontal_Y located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/InceptionFunctions/Horizontal.
For vertical, use MF_Inception_Vertical_X or MF_Inception_Vertical_Y located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/InceptionFunctions/Vertical.
Material Parameters¶
BendCenter - Center of spiral.
BendAmount - Bend angle in degrees.
BendRadius - Radius of spiral.
Rolloff - Offset distance before spiral begins.
Pivot - Spiral origin. Ideally the world location of mesh.
Notes¶
When moving the mesh, make sure both BendCenter and Pivot are adjusted accordingly.
Known Issues¶
When using small radii, you might notice "stretching" in the mesh. This happens because two vertices from the same mesh can end up on opposite sides of the center, causing them to bend in opposite directions.
To fix this, simply increase the BendRadius until the distortion is resolved.
Stretching in smaller radius
Increased radius
Balloon¶
The Balloon shader allows you to easily create inflation effects. It operates along the mesh’s local axis, meaning the inflation will follow any rotation applied to the mesh.
Usage¶
Use MF_Balloon located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/BalloonFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
MaxInflate - Maximum inflate value. Increase this before increasing other inflation values.
LowerInflation - Inflation for the lower half of the mesh. Default = 1.
HigherInflation - Inflation for the upper half of the mesh. Default = 1.
InflateDirection - Direction to inflate the mesh. Always start slowly, all three values of the vector can be used at once.
Pivot - Inflation origin, use MeshParticlePivotLocation node for ISMCs.
Offset - Moves Pivot.
Notes¶
InflateDirection is quite sensitive, always work with smaller values.
The Scream¶
This shader is an experimental work inspired by The Scream by Edvard Munch.
Usage¶
Use MF_TheScream located in WorldBendingToolkit/MaterialFunctions/TheScreamFunctions.
Material Parameters¶
NormalStrength - Strength of the dynamic normal.
Frequency - Frequency of the waves. Higher = more waves.
Speed - Speed the waves move.
Time - Pass in Time node.
Strength - Strength of the distortion caused by the wave.
WaveDirection - Which direction does the wave come from?
Notes¶
WaveDirection follows global axis by default. To change to local follow these steps