Unreal Engine provides two main ways to layer materials and create complex blends between various surface types. Despite their names, Material Layers are different from Layered Materials. By leveraging Material instancing, they allow you to layer and combine textures and properties, enabling the creation of unique materials that replicate how real-world surfaces are made up of different layers.This method has been around for quite a while, offering greater flexibility for artists and streamlining the process. However, Epic hasnt discussed or promoted it in years, so its unclear if they plan to revisit it in future engine versions, especially with the current focus on Substrate materials.The Material Layers system comes with its limitations: the price for flexibility is shader compilations. But if you want to learn more, like Alexandr Kovalchuk, who highlighted this feature in a Reddit post, check out this in-depth video from Sumo Digital that covers its benefits and use case examples:Riley Brown, also known as rileyb3d, has also made a video on Material Layers:Dont forget to check out the official documentation and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us on Instagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Material Layers In UE5: What Are They & Why Should You Use Them? appeared first on CG SHARES.