CYCLONE
_SHOWCASE
Cyclone is a wind-themed VFX set designed around a two-phase ability sequence. In the first phase, the player clicks on the ground to generate a burst of wind energy that leaves behind an interactive core. In the second phase, the player retrieves the core from the field, channels its energy, and releases a powerful tornado.
This project focused on strengthening my understanding of the standard VFX spawning workflow within the Gameplay Ability System (GAS), while also exploring the visual language and material treatment of wind effects.
"It’s the wind. It’s speaking to us."
_BLUEPRINT
The blueprint logic for this effect is designed as a gameplay-driven system so the visual result can respond directly to runtime conditions instead of functioning as an isolated particle setup.
The implementation is split into two main layers: the player first triggers a Gameplay Ability (GA), which acts as the main controller for the ability flow, and that GA then creates a Gameplay Effect (GE) to handle the sustained gameplay logic and continue driving related behaviors over time.
From there, key gameplay data such as position, health, duration, damage, and other runtime parameters are passed into the particle system, allowing the visual effect to stay synchronized with the underlying game state. This structure helps separate ability control, effect application, and visual presentation, making the system easier to organize, expand, and adapt while keeping the final effect responsive, modular, and fully integrated into gameplay.
_SHADER
The shaders used in this effect are relatively simple, with most of the visual complexity coming from how a few core material techniques are layered together.
The opacity maps are first processed through UV distortion and panning to create continuous motion, with additional turbulent variation introduced to give the wind a more natural and unstable flow. These opacity maps are then tinted to form the base color of the effect.
Dissolve is also an important part of the setup, and I created a custom dissolve treatment to give different wind layers more variation and separation in timing and shape. Some of the materials also use World Position Offset to further distort the forms and push the swirling motion, helping the effect feel less flat.
In addition, I used a technique called Polarized, which makes it possible to transform a square-shaped mask into a star-like mask in real time, giving me more flexibility when shaping stylized patterns within the effect.
_PARTICLE_SYSTEM
The Niagara system used in this effect relies on several highly customized modules to shape both the motion and the overall structure of the effect.
For example, the spiral lightning that appears in the first phase is generated through a procedural module rather than a hand-placed shape. I first used basic trigonometric functions driven by time to generate a circular motion, then adjusted the function inputs over time to transform that motion into a spiral pattern. Combined with Beam’s default binding behavior, this made it possible to build a controllable spiral beam procedurally inside Niagara.
Beyond that, much of the visual depth comes from layering multiple emitters together. I used a large number of mesh renderers to construct the main volume and silhouette of the effect, then supported them with particles, lighting, and circular modulate materials to enhance the atmosphere and give the cyclone a stronger sense of energy and presence.
