Shadowfall Spire - Tornado Magic VFX | Unreal Engine 5 + Niagara + HLSL Shader + Houdini
What if a villain could summon a tornado as a defensive spell?
This project explores that idea through a stylized tornado magic VFX designed for real-time environments.
The goal was to evolve a previous beam effect into something more dynamic, chaotic, and powerful — a swirling vortex of energy that feels both magical and destructive.
🛠 How it was made
• Tornado base shape created procedurally in Houdini using a custom Wrangle setup
• Custom HLSL shaders used to deform UVs and create the swirling motion
• Parallax Occlusion Mapping (POM) used to add depth and layered detail
• Custom Houdini HDA built to generate fracture patterns and export maps used inside Unreal Engine
The result is a procedural tornado VFX that combines geometry, shader tricks, and texture depth to create a convincing magical vortex.
🎮 Built for real-time VFX in Unreal Engine
📦 Tools used
• Unreal Engine
• Houdini
• Custom HLSL Shaders
🔥 Resources used in this project
Custom HLSL Material Pack:
👉 https://gloompixstudio.gumroad.com/l/...
Houdini Fracture Map Generator (for POM textures):
👉 https://gloompixstudio.gumroad.com/l/...
If you enjoy game VFX, procedural workflows, and Unreal Engine magic, consider subscribing — more breakdowns and VFX experiments coming soon. ✨