Create an Epic UFO Beam in Unreal Engine NO Particles!

Unreal Material June 19, 2026 1 Views

1. Create the Material

  1. Right-click in Content Browser → Material
  2. Open it.
  3. Set:
    • Blend Mode: Translucent (or Additive for stronger glow)
    • Shading Model: Unlit

2. Add the UV Coordinates

Add:

  • Texture Coordinate node (TexCoord)

Set:

  • U Tiling = 1
  • V Tiling = 8

3. Add a Panner

Add:

  • Panner

Connect:

TexCoord → Panner (Coordinate)

Set Speed:

Speed X = 0
Speed Y = -2

This makes the effect move vertically.

4. Create the Wave Pattern

Add:

  • Sine

Connect:

Panner → Sine

This turns the scrolling UVs into a repeating wave.

5. Create a Float2

Add:

  • Constant (value = 0)
  • Append Vector

Connect:

Constant(0) → Append A
Constant(0) → Append B

Output:

(0,0)

Then connect:

Sine → Append A

Depending on your UE version, the Sine output may be replicated automatically.

6. Create the Beam Color

Add:

  • Constant3Vector

Set color:

R = 0
G = 1
B = 1

(Cyan)

7. Multiply the Pattern by the Color

Add:

  • Multiply

Connect:

Append → Multiply A
Color → Multiply B

Now the scrolling wave becomes cyan.

8. Increase Brightness

Add another:

  • Multiply

Connect:

Previous Multiply → Multiply A
Constant(5) → Multiply B

Create a Constant node:

Value = 5

This boosts emissive intensity.

9. Connect to Emissive

Connect:

Multiply(×5) → Emissive Color

10. Add Fresnel for Opacity

Add:

  • Fresnel

Set:

Exponent = 5
Base Reflect Fraction = 0.2

Connect:

Fresnel → Opacity

This fades the center and brightens the edges.

Final Node Flow

TexCoord
    ↓
Panner (0,-2)
    ↓
Sine
    ↓
Append
    ↓
Multiply
    ↑
Cyan Color (0,1,1)
    ↓
Multiply
    ↑
Constant 5
    ↓
Emissive Color

Fresnel
    ↓
Opacity

Visual Result

  • Cyan energy beam
  • Animated scrolling effect
  • Bright emissive glow
  • Soft edge fade from Fresnel