Unreal Engine 5 - Electric Material

Today, I am going to implement a simple electric streak material. This simple material can be used to implement something like a electric beam, electric spark or a lightning bolt. I will create parameters to customize the color, speed and few other properties to have a unique look for each different material instance. You can use this material with particle effects as well.
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[eldflaug]

great thank you! it is good that you explain everything so well, It is easy to understand what we are doing and why :D

[hristozafirov]

This is way too expensive to use in a game. 2 generative nodes in a single material for just that simple effect.
To get the same line you can use a texcoord node masked in G, then subtract 0.5 from it, run it though ABS and Power, use the power to have it sharper or smoother then use smoothstep node if you wanna make wider or slimmer. And it's the same as the band generator but it does not generate anything at runtime. It is precalculated.
Then to make it like a lightning just add a low res noise texture and instead of panner just add time to it to keep it as cheap as it can get.
Your material can also be additive instead of translucent. Or even masked id you're going for a more stylised (sharper) look. And for the best result make a Niagara system spawning a couple sprites facing the camera so that you will get the best result no matter the angle you're looking at it. You can also use texcoord and add a random value in the niagara using a dynamic parameter to make it random for each lightning.

[megtwin]

Really nice and exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

[monjamarek]

Hello, thank you very much for your tutorial. Do you know what I have to adjust so that the electric wave does not interrupt, but continues to wave without a break? Kind regards. :)

[fullyguilty]

Your tutorials are very helpful, although I have a small problem with the previews when using the Panner. Yours clearly seem emissive, while mine are just flat white without a glow around it. Is there anything I need to change within settings or whatever to get the preview as you're showing it? Many thanks in advance! Keep up the good work!

[nacho]

Solo funciona si se agrega a un plano que hago si quiero agregarlo a un cilindro? (cuerda)

[anirudhsingh]

if those streaks emitted light on the landscape or the cilynders it would have benn much better

[WolfloW_Official]

how do you make it so the ends of the electricity start at one point?

[CycleverseGames]

That is really cool. I didn't know about the GeneratedBand node so I would have started experimenting with Niagara trails. Are there any rules for determining which effects to produce in materials rather than Niagara?