UE5 / Style Direction

Anime Eye Highlight for UE5

Eye material notes for iris gradients, upper shadow, catch light, highlight hierarchy, and clean stylized readability.

UE5 first

Style Direction

UE5 is the source of truth here. Keep the graph readable first, then branch into project-specific versions only when the base is proven.

01

Goal

UE5Style DirectionReusable
Target: Eye material notes for iris gradients, upper shadow, catch light, highlight hierarchy, and clean stylized readability.

02

Use Cases

Style DirectionAnime eyesFor iris gradients, catch lights, and upper shadows that must read even at small screen size.
Style DirectionStylized portraitsKeeps lighting choices readable when the camera is close enough to expose small color mistakes.
Style DirectionClose-up shots where eye hierarchy mattersUse when pupil, iris, catch light, and eyelid shadow need clear priority.

03

Core Blocks

1. Iris gradient

Separate color choice from brightness. It keeps palette changes safe when the effect moves between levels.

Why: artists can rebalance mood without accidentally changing the mask logic.

2. Upper eyelid shadow

Separate color choice from brightness. It keeps palette changes safe when the effect moves between levels.

Why: artists can rebalance mood without accidentally changing the mask logic.

3. Catch light shapes

Treat this as a named building block, not a hidden math island. It should be easy to preview, tune, and reuse.

Why: small readable parts make the final graph easier to review and extend.

4. Pupil contrast

Separate color choice from brightness. It keeps palette changes safe when the effect moves between levels.

Why: artists can rebalance mood without accidentally changing the mask logic.

5. Controlled emission or bloom

Separate color choice from brightness. It keeps palette changes safe when the effect moves between levels.

Why: artists can rebalance mood without accidentally changing the mask logic.

04

Node Graph Flow

Input dataShape signalAnimateRemap colorControl alphaOutput

Start from the signal

Get a clean black-and-white read first; color, glow, and distortion should only support that read.

Expose decisions

Every exposed value should answer a real art question: how fast, how wide, how bright, how soft.

05

HLSL Equivalent

float ndl = saturate(dot(normalize(worldNormal), normalize(mainLightDir)));
float band = smoothstep(shadowThreshold, highlightThreshold, ndl);
float3 shade = lerp(shadowColor, litColor, band);
float rim = pow(1.0 - saturate(dot(viewDir, worldNormal)), rimPower) * rimIntensity;
return shade + rim * rimColor;

06

Artist Controls

ColorPrimary and edge colorKeep hue separate from brightness so the palette can change without blowing out the material.
ShapeThreshold and softnessControls where the effect appears and whether the edge feels graphic, soft, or broken.
MotionSpeed and phasePhase offsets keep repeated instances from moving in lockstep.

07

Production Notes

Production check: keep the read clean, then measure cost in the scene where it actually ships.
  • Preview masks by themselves before judging the finished color.
  • Name parameters the way an artist would search for them in a Material Instance.
  • Keep a cheaper instance for background, crowd, or repeated usage.
  • Write down the gotchas while they are still fresh.