Decal Champ (UE5) Explainer (How To Use)

[@ahmedshakib3883]

Thank you so much man , this was so useful and so clean and concise , these are gems for level designing.

[@metaldonutgames]

You're very welcome, glad you find it useful. :-)

[@agauerm]

we need more people like you, thanks for this gem.

[@metaldonutgames]

That's very kind, thank you. :-)

[@feliper2916]

Pure gold!!! Thanks for sharing this amazing blueprint.

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks for the kind comment! Glad it's helpful to you!

[@michaelricks1031]

What an awesome decal tool! I can't wait to try this out! Thank you!

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks for the nice comment! I hope you enjoy it!

[@sahinerdem5496]

Thank you very much for sharing it free. Regards, Appreciated too much.

[@metaldonutgames]

Thank you! You're most welcome!

[@ezioluetici3675]

This is an amazing tool! Thank you so much for sharing it!!!

[@metaldonutgames]

Of course, happy to share! Thanks for the nice comment.

[@brunobianchi5640]

This is awesome, thank you. you need to put this on the marketplace.

[@metaldonutgames]

Thank you! I didn't put it on the marketplace because I can't guarantee support for it (even though I do try to help people that email me). Feel free to share with your network though. :-)

[@tomhikon]

Looks awesome. I made a decal blueprint that works with the normals/colors etc but your system looks much more robust. I'm excited to try thank you!

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks for the comment! I hope it works for you. I kept it all in blueprints so you can easily extend it to fit your needs if it doesn't do everything you want. :-)

[@dimafedorov5276]

WOW! THANK YOU!!! That is so great!

[@metaldonutgames]

You are so welcome!

[@emanueledifranco7765]

Amazing work, thx so much to give us your knowledge free❤

[@metaldonutgames]

My pleasure!

[@markguilard]

great material!!! thank you!!

[@metaldonutgames]

My pleasure!

[@karimkiller3312]

I love you so damn much saved me a lot of time

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks very much! Glad I could help! :-)

[@piopia9887]

cant thank you enough for this. so so good

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks very much! Glad it's helpful to you!

[@user-lE1ByAvL6ThExBYa]

OMG! Its awesome !

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks so much for the kind reply!

[@vanshrana9508]

This is fantastic thank you so much for this!

[@metaldonutgames]

Thank you so much. Glad you enjoy it!

[@agauerm]

I haven't installed yet and maybe you didn't demonstrate the poodles decal fully, but I wanted to know if it allows for more water surface customization like adding some foam to the surface, or some other thin layers like oily surface water and some other masks.

[@metaldonutgames]

The puddles don't do anything too fancy sadly as the tool isn't specifically designed to excel at one thing but rather be lightweight and versatile. I wrote the tool in Blueprints so it was as easy as possible for people to extend. However, while things like ripples in the wind would require extending the materials, adding things like oil to the puddle you can do with the current tool and get pretty nice results without more expensive methods. Just add an oil texture as your primary albedo (I'd recommend washing it out with white for best results). Here's an example I threw together: ibb.co/j6WqyK5. Hope this helps!

[@IndyStry]

Hey! Thanks again for making this! I really wanted to use the remove stretching function as my geometry is very uneven and I really only want to project on faces that are perpendicular to the decal and not have any projections where the texture might stretch. I don't see this option in the latest build, is the option still present or was it removed?

[@metaldonutgames]

Hi, Remove Stretching is still there in the main Decal Champ Blueprint under 'Decal - Core Settings' in the details tab. If you're using the TriPlanar Blueprint though then it's not an option as triplanar needs to project on perpendicular surfaces so it wouldn't make sense to remove those surfaces. POM Blueprint has it built in by default so there is no option for Remove Stretching as it does it automatically. Let me know if you have any further issues.

[@itsrabar]

Thank you very much for sharing it free

[@metaldonutgames]

My pleasure

[@lalinhooka100]

nice

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks

[@kingwrightdev]

This is great! Can you do a video on how to do this with Megascans decals? I can't seem to get it looking right with megascan decals.

[@metaldonutgames]

Hi there - Decal Champ is used to create decals from textures. If you're using a Megascan Decal you don't need to create a decal as you already have one, so you can just drop the megascan decal material directly into a standard Unreal Decal Actor and you're good to go. If you're still having trouble or I'm misunderstanding what you're asking shoot me an email at [e-mail] and I'll try and help you out. :-)

[@emanueledifranco7765]

Fantastic 😍

[@metaldonutgames]

Thank you!

[@cecileroux7381]

Amazing tool! Thank you so much...

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks very much! Glad you like it!

[@ivonsmith4255]

Excellent tool! It would helpful to rank the memory usage settings in order to optimise the features usage for in-game efficiency. Commercial T&Cs???

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks for the feedback. The Format list is roughly in order but it also depends on how you use them and what size textures you use. For T&Cs they should have them on anything you purchase on Gumroad but either way you're welcome to use this in your commercial projects and no credit is required. :-)

[@havalkanalismi4045]

Thank you for sharing this for free! Can I ask is it possible to use this on 5.3?

[@metaldonutgames]

Yes, v1.2 currently works on all versions at or above UE5.1. :-)

[@havalkanalismi4045]

@@metaldonutgames I used it without any problems, thank you

[@jeanhorlaville8023]

Hey, is there a way to make it work with the path tracer? Edit: works with the path tracer, but doesnt work if you use the 'remove stretching' option. Would there be a way to make it work with the remove stretching?

[@metaldonutgames]

Hi, yeah path tracing decals were only added in UE5.1. I get the same result as you where it doesn't work if you turn on 'Remove Stretching'. Remove Stretching material function uses the Object Orientation and SceneTexture:WorldNormal nodes. It's function is pretty simple but I'm guessing one of these nodes is not yet compatible with Path Tracing. I think this might be an engine limitation at this time and sadly I'm not currently aware of a workaround. You can hide a lot of the stretching if you place your decal super close to the object it's projecting on though. Sorry I don't have a better solution at this point in time.

[@jeanhorlaville8023]

ahh okok, thanks a lot!

[@NavataGamex]

Thank You!

[@metaldonutgames]

You're welcome!

[@MatrixNetworx]

When I try to open the Demo it crashes in UE 5.4

[@metaldonutgames]

I've tested it in 5.4 and works fine for me. When you've downloaded the project, have you tried changing the engine version to 5.4? Right click on the Decal Champ Unreal Project File -> Show More Options -> Switch Unreal Engine Version... Then select 5.4. I just tried this and the demo scene loads fine for me in 5.4. If you're still having issues, shoot me a note at [e-mail] and I'll try and help you out.

[@DevilDaggersFan]

Is this working with UE 5.3.2?

[@metaldonutgames]

Yes, I tested it and it works fine on 5.3.2. :-)

[@aurelien8132]

Hi! Thank you for sharing this tool! But...I've got a problem when I try to use it. I am on 5.4.1 of UE5 and I've got this message in the DCC_Decal : Enum to string Must have non-default Enum input. If someone already have this problem and solve it, I am a taker 😁

[@metaldonutgames]

Hi, it's working in 5.4.4 for me, but did you accidentally change something? In the DCC_Decal Blueprint, look at the Load Profile function (3rd node along). That's probably where you're getting the error. Click on the Decal Profile Enum variable. In the details panel, mine says Puddle_Simple for the initial value. If yours says 'None' try and change it to Puddle_Simple. If you're still having issues then feel free to email me at [e-mail] and I'll try and help you get it resolved. Cheers!

[@vyacheslavkuzmak3086]

and where is download link?

[@metaldonutgames]

Hey, sorry about that - Google wouldn't let me share a link in the description until they verified me. I've added it to the description, but also for your convenience: metaldonut.gumroad.com/l/decalchamp. Thanks!

[@TorQueMoD]

Please don't include music in future videos. It's already hard enough to hear what you're saying without a God awful 5 second loop in the background. Great tool though, you're amazing for sharing this for free :)

[@metaldonutgames]

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry, making videos isn't my forte! Glad you like the tool though. :-)

[@siennakei6128]

This is such a great tool! Thank you for giving it away for free

[@metaldonutgames]

You are so welcome! Thanks!

[@siennakei6128]

I was wondering, would you recommend this tool for heavy usage, for instance building damage in a city with quite a number of buildings?

[@metaldonutgames]

In general, it should be fine - it's designed for performance, but like anything it depends on how you use things and you can always check your profiler. Decal Champ has different mask formats so you can use cheaper or more expensive materials depending on your needs. If your buildings need to look heavily damaged, then maybe try and incorporate some of that into the building materials and then use decals to add some nice details and variations. If it helps, here's how I use Decal Champ in conjunction with other methods: Building/Environment Materials - I try and keep these cheap by creating efficient master materials. I'll add some masks and layers as options for more details. i.e. For an old road with cracks/puddles I'll have that in my master material as I want variations over a large surface area. This is much more efficient than hundreds of decals all over my roads. Decals - I still sometimes use standard decals for specific objects/art i.e. Graffiti, Drains, Posters etc. where I don't need to manipulate the texture. Decal Champ - I use for adding details and variations i.e. wall damage, occasional puddles, blood stains etc. and/or decals I want to stretch and maintain the aspect ratio (something that standard decals don't do out of the box). Hope this helps!

[@siennakei6128]

Wow thank you for the detailed reply, i really appreciate it and always interesting to see how someone else works. What I've been struggling with is making buildings. I've only ever really had to model small props, but now im tasked with making huge buildings so Im only just discovering the massive importance of trim sheets. But that means i dont get the lovely edgewear detail on things, so thats where your amazing decal champ comes in :) @@metaldonutgames i'll take your advice and try to get as much detail into the building textures, its just hard to do that well with tiling textures, or i just haven't found a good method yet D: Thanks again for your reply though, very useful :)

[@metaldonutgames]

Sorry, I missed your reply. If you're having trouble with your walls looking tiled, you can look into texture variation (there's a node called Texture Variation). This could be tricky to use with trim sheets though - you'd probably need to limit the UVs you're adding variation to. Alternatively, don't use trim sheets, or use them just for certain parts and then have a single material for big wall areas where you can use texture variation techniques. Good luck!