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This example shows off the real-time reflection capabilities of Unreal Engine 4. The scene shows a rundown subway terminal with a lot of water leaks, grimy ceramic tiles, dilapidated pipe work, and other worn-out environment details. In this document, we will give an overview of some of the Functions that can be used to manipulate reflections like these.
Reflections Functions
The following is a list of all the functions underneath the Reflections category.
ReflectionVectorSoft
This function will soften a reflection vector based on an incoming normal map. The result is reflections that appear smoother across as surface. This is done by blending (via lerp) the normal map with a flat (0,0,1) normal map and then taking the reflection vector.
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Softness (Scalar) |
Controls how much the existing normal map is smoothed, or blended with a flat normal map. |
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Normal (Vector3) |
Takes in the incoming normal map that needs to be softened before a reflection vector is calculated. |
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ViewAlignedReflection
This function takes in a spherical reflection texture and aligns it to the view. The calculation can be offset by inputting a custom reflection vector.
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ReflectionVector (Vector 3) |
Takes in an existing reflection vector that needs to be aligned to the view. |
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ReflectionTexture (TextureObject) |
Takes in an existing reflection texture, which needs to be spherical. |
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Texture |
Outputs the resulting view-based reflection texture. |
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UVs |
Outputs the UV coordinates of the reflection texture so they can be reapplied elsewhere. |
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WorldAlignedReflection
This function takes in an incoming sphere-based reflection texture and aligns it to the world coordinates. The calculation can be offset by inputting a custom reflection vector.
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ReflectionVector (Vector 3) |
Takes in an existing reflection vector that needs to be aligned to the view. |
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ReflectionTexture (TextureObject) |
Takes in an existing reflection texture, which needs to be spherical. |
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WorldReflection |
Outputs the world-based reflection texture. |
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WorldReflectionShadowed |
Outputs a more highly contrasted version of the texture that can be applied in shadowed areas. |
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CustomReflectionVector
This function uses a normal map to generate a reflection vector independent of the default reflection vector and the normal's input on the base shader.
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Normal (Vector3) |
Takes in a normal map to be used as the basis for the custom reflection vector. |
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