Kylo Ren Lightsaber VFX (Realtime)

I set out to replicate Kylo Ren's crackling lightsaber using realtime VFX in UE4. I wanted to mimic the movie effect as much as possible, while optimizing for realtime engine use.

The effect of the saber blade itself is achieved almost entirely via materials, utilizing the world position offset and noise to create the jittering electric effect. The "warbling" electric edges of the blade is a secondary material, again using a series of noise generation through a generated mask to create a look somewhere between electricity and fire.

The trail is a ribbon particle system, which is attached to the saber blueprint, where I also control the sounds, ignition, and behavior of the blade.