landscape-auto-material

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need production-quality landscape materials with:

• A master material → material instance workflow (artists change parameters, not graphs)
• Automatic layer blending by slope, altitude, or distance
• Material functions for reusable logic (layer sampling, color correction, etc.)
• Runtime Virtual Textures for scalable landscape rendering
• Biome configuration through material instances (swap textures/thresholds, same master)

For simple prototyping with 2-5 painted layers, load the landscape-materials skill instead (the engine's AgentSkillToolset GetSkills exposes it).

Architecture Overview

The Master Material Paradigm

Master Material (M_Landscape_Master)
 ├── Material Functions (reusable logic blocks)
 │   ├── MF_AutoLayer     ── auto-selects layers by altitude/slope
 │   ├── MF_Slope_Blend   ── slope mask (0=flat, 1=steep)
 │   ├── MF_Altitude_Blend ── height mask (0=below, 1=above)
 │   ├── MF_Layer_Grass    ── per-layer texture sampling
 │   ├── MF_Layer_Rock     ── per-layer texture sampling
 │   ├── MF_RVT            ── Runtime Virtual Texture output
 │   └── MF_Distance_Blend ── LOD transitions
 ├── Exposed Parameters (50+ scalar/vector/texture/switch)
 └── Material Outputs (BaseColor, Normal, Roughness, WPO, RVT)

Material Instance (MI_Landscape_Biome_01)
 ├── Inherits master material graph
 ├── Overrides parameters only (no graph editing)
 └── Different biomes = different instances of same master

Why this is better than manual graph building:

• Reusability: Material functions used across multiple masters
• Artist-friendly: Biome artists edit parameters in instances, never touch the graph
• Performance: Compiled once in master, instances are cheap
• Maintainability: Fix a function → all materials using it update

Critical Rules

🚨 Inspect Before Modifying Existing Materials or Functions

Before modifying an existing master material or material function, MUST export and review its current state:

import unreal, json

# For materials:
graph = json.loads(unreal.MaterialNodeService.export_material_graph("/Game/Materials/M_Landscape_Master"))
print(f"Expressions: {len(graph['expressions'])}, Connections: {len(graph['connections'])}")
for expr in graph['expressions']:
    name = expr.get('parameter_name') or expr.get('function_path') or expr.get('class')
    print(f"  [{expr['id']}] {expr['class']} - {name}")

# For material functions:
func_info = unreal.MaterialNodeService.get_function_info("/Game/Functions/MF_AutoLayer")
func_graph = json.loads(unreal.MaterialNodeService.export_function_graph("/Game/Functions/MF_AutoLayer"))

Why: Auto-material master graphs can have 50+ expressions and complex function call chains. Adding nodes without reviewing first creates duplicates, broken connections, and compilation failures. Always export → review → plan → modify.

Four Services Work Together

Service	Role
MaterialNodeService	Material function creation/introspection, expression graphs
MaterialService	Material/instance creation, properties, bulk parameters
LandscapeMaterialService	CreateAutoMaterial, FindLandscapeTextures, layer infos
RuntimeVirtualTextureService	RVT assets, volumes, landscape assignment

⚠️ compile_material Is Slow — Use Separate Code Blocks

Master materials with many function calls are very slow to compile. NEVER create + compile in the same block.

Split into steps:

1. Block 1: Create material, add functions, connect graph, save
2. Block 2: compile_material() alone (may take minutes)
3. Block 3: Create instances, set parameters, assign to landscape

⚠️ Enable Virtual Texturing on Material

If using RVT, you MUST set bUsedWithVirtualTexturing = true on the master material:

unreal.MaterialService.set_property(mat_path, "bUsedWithVirtualTexturing", "true")

⚠️ Material Functions Must Be Saved Before Use

After creating a material function and adding inputs/outputs, save it before calling it from a material:

unreal.EditorAssetLibrary.save_asset(func_path)

⚠️ Function Inputs/Outputs Need Sort Priority

Set SortPriority to control pin ordering. Lower values appear first:

unreal.MaterialNodeService.add_function_input(func_path, "BaseColor", "Vector3", 0)
unreal.MaterialNodeService.add_function_input(func_path, "Normal", "Vector3", 1)
unreal.MaterialNodeService.add_function_input(func_path, "Roughness", "Scalar", 2)

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Sub-docs available

Read these sibling files directly (the engine AgentSkillToolset GetSkills is the loader; this SKILL.md is the index, the deeper docs live alongside it):

Sub-doc	What's inside
reference-example.md	Concrete reference architecture: full master material function chain, biome instances, texture naming convention
workflows.md	Step-by-step recipes: auto-material creation, biome instances, building/inspecting material functions, RVT setup
material-functions.md	Patterns for common material functions (Slope_Blend, Altitude_Blend, Layer_*, RVT) + EFunctionInputType reference table
architecture-details.md	Deep dive on the auto-layer function chain, mask combination math, slope/altitude function creation, extension points
biomes-and-templates.md	Biome comparison table, static-switch feature toggles, naming conventions, standard layer function template (inputs/outputs/catalog)
parameter-reference.md	Full parameter catalog: layer textures, auto-blend, distance/LOD, color correction, feature toggles, displacement, RVT, FindLandscapeTextures suffix matching
rvt-setup.md	RVT material types, sizing guidelines, inspection code, common RVT issues with causes/fixes

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Common Mistakes

1. Forgetting bUsedWithVirtualTexturing

Material has RVT output node but rendering fails → set the property before compiling.

2. No RVT Volume Actor

Material outputs to RVT but nothing reads it → create RuntimeVirtualTextureVolume covering the landscape.

3. RVT MaterialType Mismatch

Volume expects BaseColor_Normal_Roughness but material only outputs BaseColor → types must match.

4. Not Saving Functions Before Referencing

Create function → immediately create function call → fails because function not saved. Always save_asset() the function first.

5. Missing bExposeToLibrary

Material function created but doesn't appear in the material editor's function library → set bExposeToLibrary=True.

6. Compiling in Same Block as Creation

Master materials with many function calls take minutes to compile. Putting create + compile in one code block causes timeout.

7. Wrong Bulk Parameter Types

set_instance_parameters_bulk requires exact type strings: "Scalar", "Vector", "Texture", "StaticSwitch". Typos silently skip parameters.

8. Static Switch Parameters Need UpdateStaticPermutation

Static switches are compile-time. After setting via bulk set, the instance needs a static permutation update (handled internally by set_instance_parameters_bulk).

9. Auto Layer Has Zero Weights

Landscape looks unpainted or auto-blend never appears when all layer weights are 0. Verify with get_weights_in_region and fill/paint the base auto layer at least once.

10. Layer Info/Material Family Mismatch

If a landscape is switched to a different master/instance family, existing Layer Info assets may not match expected layer names/workflow. Recreate layer infos from the active material's layer list and reassign them.

11. RVT Volume Missing or Mis-sized

RVT asset assignment alone is not enough. Ensure each landscape has an RVT volume covering its bounds; recreate volume per landscape after major transform/scale changes.

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Related Skills

Task	Skills to Load
Sculpt terrain only	landscape
Simple painted material (2-5 layers)	landscape + landscape-materials
Auto-blending material (production)	landscape + landscape-auto-material
Material instances/biome configuration	landscape-auto-material
Material functions (non-landscape)	materials
Full pipeline (terrain + auto-material + RVT)	landscape + landscape-auto-material