Learning the Foliage Tool in Unreal Engine (Day 13)
Source: Dev.to
Day 13 – Foliage Tool Overview
I thought adding trees and grass would be easy, but my first attempt left the slopes empty. This entry documents what I discovered about the Foliage Tool in Unreal Engine and why foliage doesn’t appear everywhere by default.
Opening the Foliage Tool
- From the top‑left menu select Foliage Mode, or press Shift + 3.
- The foliage panel appears, allowing you to paint trees, grass, and plants directly in the viewport.
Basic Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Paint (Brush) | Place foliage |
| Erase | Remove foliage |
| Select | Select placed foliage |
Below the tools you’ll find brush settings such as size and strength.
Adding Foliage Assets
- Drag assets from the Content Browser into the Foliage List.
- Alternatively, download foliage assets (e.g., from the Unreal Marketplace) and drag them into the list.
Once an asset is in the list, you can paint it directly onto the level.
Foliage Instance Settings
Each foliage type includes its own parameters:
- Density – how many instances per unit area
- Scale – size range of the instances
- Random Rotation – variation in orientation
The Slope Problem
When I tried painting on slopes or hills, nothing appeared, even though flat ground worked fine. The issue turned out to be the Ground Slope Angle setting:
- In the foliage instance settings, locate Ground Slope Angle.
- Increase the allowed angle to permit placement on steeper surfaces.
After adjusting this value, foliage began appearing correctly on the slopes.
Tip: If foliage doesn’t show up, check the Ground Slope Angle and other placement filters. Small settings can block large features.
Takeaways
- Foliage placement is governed by surface angle and other filters, not by bugs in the tool.
- Adjusting the slope angle quickly resolves most “nothing appears” issues.
- Incremental learning builds a solid foundation for game development.
If you’re also learning game development, stay tuned for the next post! 🎮🚀