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Supported Engine Versions

• Unreal Engine 5.5

  [🗒️NOTE] Why are no other engine versions supported?

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📑Limitations

• Vertex Lighting does not work on landscapes.

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How to Download and Install

1. Download the Plugin
   • Get the plugin from the GitHub Releases page or by downloading the source code.
2. Install the Plugin
   • Place the plugin folder into your project’s Plugins directory. (Create a Plugins folder if it doesn’t already exist.)
3. Enable the Plugin
   • The plugin should be enabled by default. However, double-check that it is enabled in the Plugins menu within Unreal Engine.

   

[💡Dependencies] This plugin depends on the MeshPainting plugin. The MeshPainting plugin is only used to paint the icons of the vertex light actors in the editor to match their light color or ambient color. It is NOT used for the actual vertex lighting.

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How to Use

1. Set Up the Plugin
   • In the Content Browser, navigate to the Vertex Lighting Plugin directory.
   • Drag and drop the VertexLighting_Manager into your level.
2. Configure Materials
   • Locate the VertexLights_MaterialFunction in the Logic folder within the Vertex Lighting Plugin directory.
   • Open the materials you want to use and multiply your base color/texture (Input A) with the VertexLights_MaterialFunction (Input B).
   • Connect the result of the multiplication to the Base Color and/or Emissive Color of your material.
3. Add Lights
   • Place a VertexLighting_Light or VertexLighting_Light_Animated actor into your level to add lights.

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Demo Level

The plugin includes a demo level showcasing multiple vertex lighting configurations. Experiment with the light settings to get a feel for their functionality and effects.

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Plugin Components

VertexLighting_Manager

The VertexLighting_Manager is essential for vertex lighting functionality.

[📑IMPORTANT] Ensure only one manager is present per level.

[‼️CAUTION] Only up to 256 vertex lights can be registered at the same time.

Default Settings:

• Ambient Color: Default environmental color.

  • Default: Hex sRGB - 7C7C7CFF

    Type: Linear Color

• SunNormalInfluence: Controls how directional the vertex light sunlight should be, on a percentage basis. 0% makes the sunlight completely non-directional, while 100% makes it fully directional.

  • Default: 0%

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-100.0

• ShowCombinedVertexLightInfo: Enables debug information.

  • Default: True

    Type: Boolean

Sun Direction:

The sun’s direction is controlled by the rotation of the VertexLighting_Manager and is visually represented by a yellow arrow originating from the manager.

Tick Rate:

• Light Update Tickrate: Time interval between light updates. Set to 0.0 to disable updates.

  • Default: 0.1s

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-Infinite

In-Editor Events:

• Draw All Preview Lights: Displays all vertex lights in the editor.
• Unregister All Preview Lights: Stops displaying vertex lights in the editor.

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VertexLighting_Light

The VertexLighting_Light adds a static or dynamic vertex light to your scene.

[🗒️NOTE] VertexLighting_Light is not considered relevant for Level Bounds.

Default Settings:

• Light Color: Color of the light.

  • Default: Hex sRGB - FFFFFFFF

    Type: Linear Color

[⚠️WARNING] Overridden by color curves for VertexLighting_Light_Animated.

• Brightness: Light intensity.

  • Default: 10x

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-100.0

[⚠️WARNING] Overridden by color curves for VertexLighting_Light_Animated.

• Influence Radius: Radius of the light’s influence.

  • Default: 300cm

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-Infinite

• Influence to Normal: Controls how directional the vertex light should be, on a percentage basis. 0% makes the light completely non-directional, while 100% makes it fully directional.

  • Default: 0%

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-100.0

• Render Distance: Maximum render distance for the light.

  • Default: 10,000cm

    Type: Float

    Range: 0.0-10,000.0

• Is Movable Light: Makes the light’s position dynamic during updates.

  • Default: False

    Type: Boolean

• Should Turn On In Range: Determines if the light activates when the player is nearby.

  • Default: True

    Type: Boolean

Editor Settings:

• Show Render Distance: Displays the render distance sphere in the editor.

  • Default: False

    Type: Boolean

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VertexLighting_Light_Animated

The VertexLighting_Light_Animated adds a static or dynamic vertex light with a color curve to your scene.

[🗒️NOTE] The VertexLighting_Light_Animated inherits from VertexLighting_Light.

Animated Light Settings:

• Color Curve: Defines the color animation curve.

  • Default: “VertexLighting_ExampleColorCurve”

    Type: Curve Linear Color

• Start Position: Starting point of the color curve.

  • Default: 0.0s

    Type: Float

• Start at Random Position: Starts the curve at a random timestamp.

  • Default: False

    Type: Boolean

• Is Looping: Determines if the animation repeats. If False, the light is destroyed after playback.

  • Default: True

    Type: Boolean

• Play Rate: Speed of the animation playback.

  • Default: 100%

    Type: Float

• Should Update No Tick Rate: Forces updates for animated lights even when tick rate updates are disabled.

  • Default: False

    Type: Boolean

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Other Components

Color Curve

VertexLighting_Light_Animated uses a color curve for its Light Color and Brightness

Color Channels:

• R Channel: Defines the red color
• G Channel: Defines the green color
• B Channel: Defines the blue color
• A Channel: Defines the brightness

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Troubleshooting

I can’t see any vertex lights

Ensure the following:

• A single VertexLighting_Manager is present in the level.
• You have placed VertexLighting_Light or VertexLighting_Light_Animated actors in your level instead of regular lights.
• The VertexLights_MaterialFunction is properly multiplied with your material’s texture.
• The model has sufficient vertices within the light’s influence range. Vertex lights only illuminate vertices, so ensure your model has enough for visible effects.
• You are not trying to light a landscape.

Crash: AnimSequenceBase error

• Make sure you have the Animation Compression Library plugin, made by Epic Games, enabled.