One of our goals was to create a realistic denim material that would look great from a distance while looking realistic close-up.
We achieved this by constructing a structurally realistic denim material in Substance Designer and then recreating snapshots of this material in unreal.
One of the most important properties of demin is the weft and warp. The warp is usually dyed blue.
In our material we recreated this property and made the dye a customizable element. This allows us to create a variety of realistic denim looks.
Another important element in denim is the wash.
Using generated maps unique to the garment piece we can set the amount and intensity of wash.
For easy visualization and customization we have a custom users interface in unreal, allowing the user to easily swap costumes, presets, and adjust the material properties.
Comparing our denim material to the default jeans material in the Unreal Metahuman Creator you can really see the difference.
Where the MH material overlays color on a greyscale texture , our material simulates the dye in the warp being colored and washed.
In addition to the denim material we also developed a way to create realistic wear and tear for denim.
Using a combination of masks, and the unreal groom system we developed a realistic damaged jeans.
Using masks we then add a dirt and wetness system to the material.
We can paint any type of mask that can then be used as a custom dirt, paint, or simple wetness layer on top of the denim.
And to top it all off, the costume is build to accommodate a layered variation system.
A variety of denim jackets fitting seamlessly over a variety of shirts.