Dynamically Scale and Randomize Textures | Unreal Engine 5

Summary

The tutorial demonstrates how to keep a shared tiling texture at a consistent world-space scale across differently sized objects, then add per-object UV offsets to reduce visible repetition.

Scale the texture relative to object size

1. Create a material with a texture sample and a Texture Coordinate node.
2. Add an Object Scale node before the UV input.
3. Add the X, Y, and Z scale values, then divide their sum by three to get the average scale.
4. Multiply the texture coordinates by this average.

This keeps texture details approximately the same size in the world as an object scales up or down. The presenter also connects roughness and normal textures to demonstrate the result. They describe the method as more efficient than triplanar mapping, while noting that it is not triplanar.

Randomize the texture offset per object

1. Use Object Position in world space and multiply it by chosen values to vary how position affects the offset.
2. Break the resulting float3 into individual channels and combine the channels in pairs to produce the two UV components.
3. Apply Frac to keep only the fractional parts, creating a repeating offset within the UV range.
4. Append the two values and add them to the existing UV setup.

This shifts the texture differently across objects, helping identical rocks look less alike while retaining the same texture and mesh. Distinctive marks may still reveal repetition, and the mesh silhouette remains unchanged. An optional multiplier on the offset controls how quickly it changes as objects move.

Compatibility and source

The demonstration uses Unreal Engine 5.2. The presenter says the method should work in other UE5 versions and may work in UE4, though they have not tested it there.

Main speaker/source: A single narrator presenting a hands-on Unreal Engine material tutorial for Procedural Minds.