Hey all, I want to create an effect that works like this.
- Launch a projectile which smoke trails behind
- Anyone who touches the smoke is “marked for arcing” from that position in the smoke trail
- If the source of the projectile is moved, the “starting point” of the smoke is dragged along with it
- If triggered, an arcing lightning effect follows the path of the smoke, launching out from the source until it reaches the projectile
- If marked targets exist/are still within arcing range, lightning arcs from the appropriate position in the lightning trail to them
- The same happens to anyone within a specific range of the projectile, and to anyone within range of marked targets.
Theoretically, I think I can actually handle the programming side of things (I’m a programmer), but I don’t even know where to begin on visual effects. I’ve found various tutorials that show how to “create lightning effects” in blender and in UE4, like this one here:
I just don’t think anything really defines what I want very well. Even if I created the effects in blender, I don’t understand how I would make them dynamic to use them for what I need here. I admit I’m brand new to UE4 so I don’t fully understand how to use it, and I’m brand new to effects and animation, so maybe it’s obvious - but if anyone knows how to approach this and can guide me or direct me to some tutorials that would work together well in accomplishing this, I’d really appreciate it!