Miscellaneous

Procedural Topographic Landscape Material for Unreal Engine 5

I’ve been working on something fun for Unreal Engine: a fully procedural landscape material that automatically updates as you sculpt. Raise a hill, carve a valley, and the shader instantly redraws the surface. It’s like having a 3D topographic map right inside Unreal.

I made a topographic landscape material
byu/m_orzelek inunrealengine

Get the shader: https://www.fab.com/listings/80103474-67d4-420f-86d6-654b90352915

Fully Customizable Visuals

The material is built to be highly customizable. You can keep things simple with two-color gradients, or go more „advanced” by using a Color Curve Asset to define elevation-based colors. Brightness and the Fresnel effects give you even more control, so you can match the exact look your project needs – whether it’s stylized or realistic.

Topographic Lines in Unreal Engine

One of the key features is the ability to generate topographic (elevation) lines. These lines adapt dynamically to your terrain and can be adjusted with parameters for intensity, thickness, custom color and spacing. Everything is tied to the Contour Interval, which controls how frequently lines appear. You can even add minor lines for extra clarity.

Sea Level Simulation

The material also includes a sea level parameter. This lets you simulate flooding and visualize how terrain would look underwater. You can set the sea level anywhere between the lowest and highest point of your landscape, add falloff for smooth blending, or snap it to contour lines for precise alignment. There’s also an option to darken areas based on terrain topography, making underwater details more visible. And yes, you can change the water color — though classic blue often looks best.

Easy Setup with a Blueprint Helper

To save time, the pack comes with a blueprint helper tool. This makes it quick and straightforward to apply the procedural shader across your landscapes without dealing with complex setup.

Why Use This Material?

In short: The Topographic Landscape Material is a flexible and powerful tool for anyone working with Unreal Engine terrains. It’s perfect if you want to:

  • Visualize your landscape with elevation lines
  • Quickly iterate on stylized or experimental terrain looks
  • Add dynamic water-level simulations to your project
  • Work with a shader that adapts live while sculpting

AVAILABLE ON FAB: https://www.fab.com/listings/80103474-67d4-420f-86d6-654b90352915