Unreal Engine 5 (works in UE4) Mask water out of boat/ship hull

This is instructional video of masking water out of boat and ship hull using Unreal Engine water plugin. There's no need for any third-party plugin and the same technique can be applied in UE5 and UE4.
For everyone who experienced a problem with getting this effect in Unreal Engine 5.1 and 5.2 there's a new video with the update.
• Unreal Engine 5 - Mask...
Intro part of the video is copyrighted by Maritime Center of Excellence, 2022.

[@cobraman90]

Perfect, I came back to this video specifically on how to use the widget switcher. I plan on using it as a quick inventory screen switch for letters the player picks up so they can reference them later.

[@whyareless]

This is awesome, good stuff :)

[@kayflow67]

If anyone is having issues in any newer versions there is a new field in the material from UE5.1 in the Opacity mask category. It's called Water Opacity Mask Offset which in my case I needed to increase and it worked

[@stanleyradert9009]

Do we still need to add the new node like in the video ?

[@bobpouliotte6639]

@@stanleyradert9009 Ok, using UE 5.1.1, I did like in the Video, but as mention by @kayflow67, you need to overide the value of the "Water Opacity Mask Offset" I did not look why, but there is a trigger value where the "DistantFieldScale" work. If "Water Opacity Mask Offset" greater or equal to 2000, the opacity work If under 2000, it does not work. At least, for me, in my project.

[@DjblackgameBlackgamers]

Thanks really helpful

[@Adamcb8]

Thankyou!!

[@toonanimationstudio]

​@@bobpouliotte6639thanks men😂😂😂

[@2slick4u.]

What a boss! Thx for that

[@DeathAtYourDoorStep]

Pretty cool! This might come handy. Water simulations look fun to play with in unreal. You should show us how to do boyancy next (if you haven't already)

[@ARTFX3D]

Cool idea!

[@ARTFX3D]

Hello @DeathAtYourDoorStep! Here's the tutorial for getting started with the Buoyancy in Unreal Engine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZiWnYNur7xmfqs

[@asankadenipitiya6737]

thnaxkk

[@RiverFox_YT]

i hope you can help, i am trying to use this technique for a building that is placed with half above the water and half below the water but its not working. Am i doing something wrong or will this not work for me? I have created the meshes into a blueprint the same as you did for the boat if that helps

[@ARTFX3D]

It’s difficult to say without looking at your project but this system is quite simple. Imagine a mesh which emits light around it. If you have a cube everything inside of the cube will be cut out + the distance of emission from this cube. Use simple geometry for cutting water 😉

[@ericalexandernavarra]

cool

[@user-zd2ty7gr6c]

Your video is easy to understand! Thanks you! I have a boat model. How can I make boat inside volume model??

[@ARTFX3D]

You have to create it by yourself.

[@ARTFX3D]

For everyone who experienced a problem with getting this effect in Unreal Engine 5.1 and 5.2 there's a new video with the update. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZuyg3mer56tmsk

[@neritonreis3340]

Amigo ensina como deixar esse rasto de espuma dos barcos quando eles navegam no oceano, por favor! Friend, teach how to leave that trail of foam from boats when they sail in the ocean, please!

[@MikolajTre]

i try this on custom water material. Managed to use switch parameter, so culling water is appearing in places where terrain connecting water. But if terrain is above ocean level. I see ocean show below. Can i fix this somehow?

[@betraid]

If i use water body ocean, but it's not infinite, i should leave water vs mapping ticked as true right?

[@tammobahn1179]

would it be possible to do interactive water with this? like creating ripples arround this that moves with the player?

[@ARTFX3D]

You can add ripples with distance fields. Just be sure that you make a mask in the direction of the ship.

[@solidrock3136]

Is there any way to do the inverse of this? Such that the water is masked outside of the static mesh so that things like underwater caves could be made. I have a large glass hollow sphere that I would like to act like a bowl of water with none outside and am having trouble working out how to do it.

[@ARTFX3D]

Have you tried with one minus node?

[@solidrock3136]

@@ARTFX3D I’ll try that with your mask, thanks!

[@solidrock3136]

@@ARTFX3D Unfortunately, this method (even without the one minus node) does not work with glass as it is a translucent material. Thanks for the effort though, do you know of any other ways to mask out volumes in water?

[@bobpouliotte6639]

Version: 5.1.1-23901901+++UE5+Release-5.1 The WaterOpacityMaskFromDepth fonction shown at @2:05 is a little bit different. The saturated output of "Input Additional Water Mask (Scalar)" goes into two Max fonction in my materiel. In the material shown in this video, there is only one Max. Should I route the I root the StaticSwitchParam "DistanceFieldMask" into both B input of the Max fonction ?

[@Adamcb8]

Did you ever find out the answer to this? I'm following his video exactly and it's still not working for me in ue5.1.

[@bobpouliotte6639]

@@Adamcb8 Yes, I was able to do the tutorial. I set the "Water Opacity Mask Offset" to 2000. I can't explain the magic number.. but it work for me.

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZuyg3mer56tmsksi=Eis5YEZ2pKLj3WJA

[@stanleymouz5801]

Hey i did what you say and it work, thank you ! However, I have a big boat with big hull, when i add the boat volume shape and put it non visible, it blocks the water but it also block the skylight inside the hull. It is all black inside. Can someone give me a tip on how to fix it please ?

[@ARTFX3D]

Have you tried to turn off shadows on the occluder mesh?

[@mattmccarthy_mmccarthy4879]

Hi I'm in Unreal 4 and I don't see the fixed water depth parameter not the use fixed z parameter in the material settings. Is there a possible work around for this?

[@mattmccarthy_mmccarthy4879]

I was able to find the issue. That node in unreal 4 is under the opacity node and not opacity mask node. Once I added that array and plugged in that code it worked! I have an issue with the under water post process volume still activating but I won't have swimming so technically I don't need it. Thanks for getting me started dude

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ambbmYBunZuBqLcsi=Y8kHWjMrwMic8SNv

[@iwantswigun2889]

I copied your settings to 4:00 working on Lake materials but it didn't work. Is there something else needed to do in case of lake?

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ambbmYBunZuBqLcsi=Y8kHWjMrwMic8SNv Here’s the video explanation more in detail. Hope this will help.

[@Kevoh_gaming_services]

Hey man im new to game making may i ask will this work with assets asswell❤

[@ARTFX3D]

Yes it will

[@parthchotaliya3468]

I followed your whole process, at last there is a black shadow around the object. can you help?

[@ARTFX3D]

If you have followed every step exactly as in video you should get a same result. I haven't tested it in 5.1 so I can't help you but I believe that nothing has changed drastically between 5.0 and 5.1 so it should work.

[@bobpouliotte6639]

​@@ARTFX3D For me, it work with UE5.1.1. I only had to set the "Water Opacity Mask Offset" to 2000.

[@glennet9613]

I'm doing it in 5.2. It works but I am getting a shimmering inside the boat, as if the water surface is masked but there is a volume that is still moving. And increasing the Water Opacity Mask Offset messes up the beach.

[@ARTFX3D]

There are lots of differences in the 5.2 which resulted with strange behaviour in other projects which I’m working on. Please avoid it or consider development of different system for water if you plan to use 5.2. So far most of the things I’m doing are most stable in 4.27 and 5.1.1

[@Kevin-vj5rh]

could you find a solution?

[@glennet9613]

@@Kevin-vj5rh No I never did.

[@Piece_of_Sheet]

I had the same problem and just found a solution that worked for me, I am using UE 5.4.1. The way the masking works is VERY reliant on the material on the closed hull mesh (which is the "boat volume/hull" second static mesh you make and then hide in order to mask the water). Your second fully closed mesh needs to be as closed and as low-poly as possible, and have no other faces on the inside for this to work properly. In my case I had a boat that has 2 faces on the walls (the outside of the boat, and the inside of the boat) which was pretty much simulating a thick boat wall. I had to remove all the faces inside the boat so there is only the outside face leftover, then in blender I used the "generate convex hull operator" method to make my top after selecting the entire boat (not just the top). It is very important to only have ONE FACE PER SIDE in your final mesh otherwise it will screw everything up, and the faces need to be facing the proper direction. Note that enabling 2-sided textures did not solve this for me. On the spots where you see the shimmering, it is most likely one of the faces is screwed up (facing the wrong way), or you have overlapping faces in that area.

[@parthchotaliya3468]

I didnt get the plugins folder in 5.1. I follwed the same steps as you did

[@parthchotaliya3468]

sorry got it

[@ARTFX3D]

Content Browser | Settings | Show Plugin Content, on the left side you will get folder named Engine\Plugins

[@amsterdamien4306]

working on 5.1 ? i have do all you say and it doesnt work :/ Just a little tips, you dont have to make a BluePrint, you can put your mesh volume in "distance field replacement mesh", you have the same result ;)

[@m4r_art]

If i place a static cube mesh inside of a distance field replacement mesh will it work?

[@amsterdamien4306]

@@m4r_art yes ;)

[@semirukiya5308]

Nice, but how to do this on custom shader?

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIPSgniDmZJqipIsi=FncXPHZQk5qmLfB_

[@neritonreis3340]

Na minha versão não funciona e a UR5.1

[@astralstormgamestudios1259]

How did you create the boat masking hull?

[@ARTFX3D]

You have to model it by yourself in any 3D modeling software.

[@astralstormgamestudios1259]

@@ARTFX3D any tips for it in blender?

[@neritonreis3340]

Fui mexer na versão original do material do oceano agora ficou sumindo não sei como volta para o padrão

[@ARTFX3D]

Reinstall Unreal Engine and try to backup everything next time.

[@fori04]

how to create that boat-volume mesh?

[@ARTFX3D]

You have to model it by yourself in the shape of the boat but model has to be watertight.

[@fori04]

@@ARTFX3D do you have a tutorial video if not can you please create one?

[@astralstormgamestudios1259]

What if I dont want to uncheck affect landscape?

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ambbmYBunZuBqLc

[@astralstormgamestudios1259]

@@ARTFX3D thank you

[@zeroy]

This doesnt look to work in UE5.3.1

[@ARTFX3D]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZuyg3mer56tmsk

[@ARTFX3D]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ambbmYBunZuBqLc

[@NathanHarris83]

Modifying core engine assets is the worst advice you can give. The correct approach would be to create copies of those assets, modify those, and utilize those. Obviously this doesn't apply if you are running a totally custom version of the engine compiled from source code... Though if you are at that level, it's likely you are already aware of best-practices.

[@ARTFX3D]

There are too many things to copy and link together which is too complicated for someone who is doing water masking first time in their life. This video shows you technique how to mask Unreal Engine water but for delivering product you should be at level where you have advanced understanding of engine and decision making.

[@RendearSoft]

@@ARTFX3D can you share a code or plugin or something, i did it before i have not results like in a video all time custom settings get broken water, i seems water shader soo alpha and cant use in a products of AAA class as i wish.

[@ARTFX3D]

@@RendearSoft Have you tried to do it on fresh install of the Unreal Engine? Did you know that you can use this technique on any water shader or on any material?

[@RendearSoft]

@@ARTFX3D yes i did with new download and trying to do what you do but isn't work correctly, if its work this is better then water cut plugin.

[@user-sq9xi6pz3l]

я так и не понял какой результат мы хотели получить. И что вы хотели сделать. Где результат?

[@eggZ663]

Everyone on here saying it doesn't work in 5.0, it does, you just done something wrong ;)

[@RedBiirdy]

Nice tutorial, but didn't make me any smarter, you're just telling people do x, y and z... But i get no explanations for why we do xyz. It's teaching me very specifically how to do one very specific thing, but not giving me much leeway as to which parts i can tweak.