Breakdown: Vertex Color to ID Masks UE5 Plugin
Ihor Fridman shared a tutorial that can solve the problem of having only four channels by implementing vertex color ID masks nodes, which gives you 9 individual scalar masks from a single vertex color layer.
Introduction
Hey Unreal Engine Community! I'm back with a small but useful addition to your UE5 workflow that solved a real production problem for us. The Story: I was working on a game where I needed to break down parts of a building into vertex-painted material zones.
You know what? Four RGBA channels weren't enough. I sat down and thought: Why stop at 4? So I figured out a way to extract 9 color ID masks from a single vertex color layer. I can identify 6 distinct pure colors and split Alfa channel to 3 ID Masks, and finally, you have 9 individual masks to work with. No extra memory. No additional UV channels. Just smart use of what's already there.
The Problem Every Material Artist Knows: You're working on a complex asset in Unreal Engine. Maybe it's a character that needs distinct materials for skin, fabric, leather, and metal. Or an environment prop with multiple surface treatments. You reach for vertex colors to drive your material blending, and then it hits you: you only get 4 channels. RGBA gives you 4. That's it. For anything more complex, you're forced into workarounds.
The Solution: Vertex Color ID Masks Nodes gives you 9 individual scalar masks from a single vertex color layer. Paint with pure color IDs: Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta, Black Alfa, Grey Alfa, White Alfa, and extract 9 clean masks that drive your material layers
Performance? Only -15 shader instructions for all 6 Color masks and 3 alpha split combined to 9 masks. Compare that to 80+ for traditional color-distance methods.
How It Works
1. Paint Your Mesh
Use Unreal's vertex paint tool with these exact pure colors:
- Red: RGB(255, 0, 0)
- Green: RGB(0, 255, 0)
- Blue: RGB(0, 0, 255)
- Cyan: RGB(0, 255, 255)
- Yellow: RGB(255, 255, 0)
- Magenta: RGB(255, 0, 255)
- Alfa: (0)
- Alfa: (0.5)
- Alfa: (1)
- Regular Alfa by Engine saved
2. Add the Node
In Material Editor: "Vertex Color ID to Masks". One optional input, 9 ID mask outputs.
3. Connect Your Layers
Each output is a clean mask. Use with Lerp, Multiply, or any material operation.
4. Iterate
Real-time preview. No baking. No preprocessing.
Production Use Cases
Modular Environment Props:
- Different brick/stone types on the same structure
- Wood vs. metal vs. painted surfaces
- Weathering based on exposure patterns
- Decorative trim and architectural details
- Damage, graffiti, and story elements
- Emissive zones (windows, signs, neon)
Vehicle Customization.
Natural environmental variation:
- Fresh growth vs. mature sections
- Seasonal color transitions
- Frost/snow accumulation zones
- Disease or decay areas
- Flowering regions with emission
- Wind-damaged sections
Architectural Detailing
- Mixed masonry materials
- Window frames, glass, details
- Weathering by exposure
- Decorative elements
- Repair patches through time
Technical Performance
Shader Instructions: -15 total for all 9 color masks
Comparison: 100+ instructions for color-distance methods
Memory: Minimal (single node overhead)
Platforms: Desktop, Mobile, Console, VR
Artist-Friendly. Paint in Modeling Mode. Get masks in the Material Editor. That's it. No complex setup or hidden requirements.
Production-Proven Project Hamilton. Used for months at Voyager Moon Studios on: Large environment art (hundreds of props)
Material Functions:
- Create reusable material layer libraries
- Build base materials with the ID Masks node
- Use Material Instances for quick iteration
- Share setups across the entire project
Quick Start
Your First Material:
- Create new Material
- Add "Vertex Color ID to Masks" node
- Paint mesh with pure colors
- Connect outputs to Lerp nodes
- See results in real-time
Technical Specs
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.0+
Type: C++ Material Expression
Editor Platforms: Win64, Mac, Linux
Target Platforms: All (Desktop, Mobile, Console, VR)
Shader Models: SM5, SM6
Dependencies: None
License: For an individual, for studios & commercial use
FAQ
Q: Compatible with existing materials?
A: Yes! Add the node, connect outputs. Works with everything.
Q: Mobile performance/PC?
A: Designed for mobile. -15 instructions make it perfect for optimization.
Q: Works with Nanite?
A: Yes! Paint variation on high-poly Nanite meshes.
Q: Need C++ knowledge?
A: No. Install the plugin, use it in the Material Editor. Done.
Vertex Color ID Masks. Because your materials deserve more than 4 channels.
