Mastering Parallax Mapping: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this tutorial, we'll be exploring the world of parallax mapping and its application in creating realistic textures for our game. Specifically, we'll be diving into Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM), a technique used to procedurally create 3D definition in textured surfaces.

To get started, open up your Unreal Engine project and navigate to the Material Editor. Hold down the 'S' key and left-click to create a Scalar Parameter. In the Material Editor graph, right-click and type 'Parallax' to select the 'Parallax Occlusion Mapping' material function.

Next, right-click on the texture sample and choose the 'Create Material' option. This will allow us to work with our desired texture. For this example, we'll be using T_CobbleStone_Pebble_M from the Starter Content pack.

To create a new project with Starter Content, open up Unreal Engine and select 'New Project'. Choose 'Blank Project' and select 'Starter Content' from the available templates. This will give us a basic setup to work with.

Once our project is set up, it's time to import our mesh. Locate the 'T_CobbleStone_Pebble_M' texture in the Content Browser and drag-and-drop it into our scene. If you have your own mesh, feel free to use that instead!

Now, let's create a new blank project with Starter Content. This is a simple example of how POM can be used as a filler around large objects like rocks and pillars.

For this tutorial, I've attached an example mesh below that demonstrates the outcome of using Parallax Occlusion Mapping. You'll also want to have a somewhat curved plane mesh for the material function to work well with this example.

The textures used in this example are T_CobbleStone_Pebble from the Starter Content pack. If you're looking for a more in-depth explanation of the POM Function, I recommend listening to Ryan Brucks' video tutorial on the subject.

In summary, Parallax Occlusion Mapping is a technique that procedurally creates 3D definition in textured surfaces using a displacement map instead of generating new geometry. It's an enhancement of the parallax mapping technique and assumes an intermediate understanding of the Material Editor and its terminology.

This tutorial provides a simple example of how to set up Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) in Unreal Engine. With these steps, you'll be well on your way to creating realistic textures for your game.

Parallax mapping