Index

Installation 01

Manual Introduction 02

Writing Conventions 02

Names and References 02

Meet “Urbaniac!” 02

Meet the add-on:

“Ur! Launcher03” 04

Meet the Libraries:

“Ur! City Asset Pack” 05

“Ur! Street, Roads and Highways” 06

“Ur! Building Generator” 06

How to “Ur!” general:

The basic 07

Merge multple libraries 09

Addin your Assets 09

VFX´s properties 10

VFX´s advanced properties 10

Add VFX´s to your own materials 11


Installation:
1. You need to download 3 fies:
-“Ur! Launcer vXX.zip” : it´s the add-on, do
not extract it.
-”Ur! XXX_Library vXX.rar”: it´s the Library,
extract it somewhere.
-”Ur! Manual vXX.pdf”: You are reading it.
- If you are installing the add-on for the first
time, proceed directly to step 3 -
2. If you have a previous version of the
launcher installed, open Blender and go to:
"Edit" → "Preferences" → "Add-ons". Search
for "Urbaniac!" → click "Remove" → This is
crucial: CLOSE BLENDER!
3. Open Blender and navigate to:
"Edit" → "Preferences" → "Add-ons" →
"Install" → Browse for the previously
downloaded .zip file → click "Install"
4. The file selection pop-up will close, and
you will see "Urbaniac! LauncherXX" in the
add-ons list. Enable it by checking the box.
5. Once the add-on is activated, you will see
information about it and configuration options
(see step 6). A new tab called “Urbaniac!” will
appear in the right sidebar in your 3D
viewport.
- If you are using a Urbaniac! Version NOT
compatible with Blender Asset Browser,
proceed directly to step 7 -
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 1 / 13
6. Configuring the Blender Asset Browser:
6.1. In the preferences windows go to:
“File paths” → “Asset Libraries” → “+” →
search for the extrated “.rar” file.
6.2. In some Blender versions you can select
the import method. Select: “APPEND”.
6.3. If you are using an older Blender version
you need to select the import method when
you are using the asset browser. Remember
to set it as “APPEND” otherwise can generate
problems.
6.4. Setup ass many Libraries as required.
7. Configurating the Integrated Asset
Manager: [Optional]
7.1. In the add-on configuration window
check “Asset Manager (deprecated)”.
7.2. Clicking on it will open a windows where
you can browse for the Urbaniac! library
directory.
7.3. Inside the library folder, you'll find at
least two directories: "models" and
"textures". When selecting the directory,
make sure to choose the "models" folder.
Make sure that the path ends with
"/models/".
7.4. If you have multples Ur! Libraries to add
extract them all together and conbine the
“models” and the “Textures” folder (You can
skip the duplicated files).
8. Save the preferences and close the
configuration window.

Manual Introduction:
This is the user manual for all "Urbaniac!"
add-ons. It is a work in progress (WIP) aimed
at providing detailed documentation to
enhance program usability. However, please
understand that we are constantly adding and
improving features, which makes keeping the
documentation up to date a complex and
challenging task. If you have any questions or
need assistance with something not covered
in the manual, feel free to join our Discord
community. I personally review and respond
to queries on a daily basis.
Writing Conventions:
To facilitate your understanding, the manual
follows a specific writing style:
Important information will appear in italics
and should be thoroughly read to effectively
use the product.
Super-important information will be written in
CAPITALS to emphasize its significance, so
pay close attention!
Bold text is reserved for titles.
Names and References:
Urbaniac! City Asset Pack will be referred as
"CAP" from now on.
Urbaniac! Street Roads and Highways will be
referred as "SRH" from now on.
Urbaniac! Building Generator will be referred
as "BG" from now on.
Urbaniac! may also appear as "Ur!".
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 2 / 13
Meet “Urbaniac!”:
The following paragraphs serve as an
introduction to the "Urbaniac!" series of add-
ons. They not only provide insights into the
add-ons themselves but also offer a glimpse
into their historical background, how it all
began, and the future direction they are
heading. If you're interested in delving deeper
into the add-ons' functionality, technical
features, and libraries, I encourage you to
proceed directly to the section titled "Meet the
Ur! Launcher."
We understand that our users constantly
wonder, "What is Urbaniac? Who created it?
What was the beginning of this exceptional
tool?". Let's shed some light on these
questions, which we believe keep our users
awake at night... well, maybe not that much,
to be realistic.
The Beginning:
Urbaniac! originated many years ago as a
collection of personal assets. During my time
as an architecture student. In those early
years, I found myself repeatedly creating
certain elements for my arch-viz clients
scenes: streets, lamp posts, curbs, signs,
neighboring buildings, and more. These
elements required a considerable amount of
time and were tedious and relatively complex.
I realized that by improving the quality of
these elements, the overall render quality
significantly improved. Thus, I decided to
dedicate more attention to each element, but
only once for each scene, while building my
own personal library.
Over time, my library grew with a multitude
of assets that I constantly used for both my
arch-viz work and hobby projects. I realized
that many artists could benefit from this

work, so I started selling a collection of these
elements under the name "City Asset Pack".
Treating all these elements as a complete
package led me to experiment with new
things, such as a central scene control and
lighting. This allowed me to easily switch
between day and night lighting without
having to modify each light individually. Soon,
the number of assets grew, along with their
complexity and the number of users (though
we were still just a few hundred at the time).
After dedicating a significant amount of time
and love to this package, I came up with the
idea of creating a brand called "Urbaniac!" as
there were already several packages named
"city asset pack" or similar. This brand set us
apart and opened the possibility of adding
more "sibling" add-ons with a similar theme.
Later on, I introduced "Street, Roads &
Highways" as an attempt (unsuccessful) to
provide a more affordable add-on specifically
for creating streets. This caused headaches
for those who later wanted to upgrade to the
CAP PRO version, which included the same
elements and more. Offering an upgrade
variation seemed like an appropriate solution,
but it created numerous problems when
updating the add-on files (since they had to
be loaded twice, taking several hours for each
library to load). Currently, all users who
purchased the upgrade have a 100% OFF
coupon available to freely obtain the CAP PRO
version and receive updates from there.
The "success" of CAP gradually grew before
our eyes, attracting more users each day
(along with a multiplication of issues, bug
reports, Blender updates that broke our add-
on, and so on, which ultimately presented
new and exciting challenges). However, the
most exciting part was when we launched Ur!
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 3 / 13
Building Generator – an add-on that became
an instant hit.
I had been working on that add-on since the
introduction of geometry nodes in Blender,
but I knew it had to mature before delivering
a robust add-on that could function for many
years on the program. As many of you may
recall, in the early stages, geometry nodes
continuously added and removed functions
with each update, which partly destroyed
hours and hours of work and experimenta-
tion.
This add-on stands out for its simplicity of use
while generating highly diverse buildings with
great attention to detail. In its latest update
(v0.25), it includes numerous improvements
that enhance usability and flexibility, such as
low-polygonal buildings with PBR materials, a
new modular VFX system that can be toggled
on and off from the new launcher, and full
integration with Blender's official asset
browser, among others.
The Future:
The development of Urbaniac! is currently
focused on two fundamental aspects:
improving functionality (usually through the
Ur! Launcher) and expanding libraries
(creating new ones and adding assets to
existing ones). We are actively working on
these strategies, which require updating the
documentation and developing new elements
and libraries.
Remember to stay up-to-date with the latest
Urbaniac! add-on news by joining us on
Discord.

Meet the add-on: “Ur! Launcher”
As you may have already noticed, Urbaniac! is
a rather special addon. At times, it seems
better defined as an asset library, while at
other times, as an addon. So, what is it really
about? Urbaniac! is a bit of both. On one
hand, it consists of a collection of fantastic
libraries that provide detailed models and
procedural materials. On the other hand, it
includes a powerful Launcher that performs
many operations behind the scenes, ensuring
everything works as it should. These two
components work together as a whole,
allowing for global scene configurations to be
applied to all assets in the library from a
single place.
“Ur! Launcher” v03: A Fresh Start
The exciting aspect of Launcher v03 is its
integration with Blender's official Asset
Browser, which allows seamless access to our
libraries. This approach presented challenges,
but through clever resource utilization, we
successfully integrated our libraries into the
official asset browser.
As a result, the launcher is divided into two
collapsible panels. The first panel is the
integrated asset manager, disabled by
default, where you can add Urbaniac!
Libraries, or even personal libraries. The
second panel is the highlight of the launcher,
providing control over scene properties. It
allows you to manage lights, rain, snow, wet
surface effects, traffic lights, and more. This
new version shows properties directly after
adding an object from the library, without the
need to select another object. This enables
faster and more convenient scene
modifications on the fly.
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 4 / 13
Below the scene properties, you'll find a space
for "object" properties. Here, you can adjust
specific elements when you have an specific
"active" object selected. For example, you can
control the size of procedural buildings or
open/close barriers from the “CAP” library.
At the top of the panel, you'll find a series of
buttons:
- Synchronize:
This button is essential only when using
Blender's asset browser to add models to the
scene. Since the models are added outside
the launcher, the processes performed
"behind the scene" need to be manually
executed by the user (press the button after
adding objects).
- You don't need to press the button after
adding each object to the scene. You can
add a series of objects and then click the
synchronization button -
- VFX's are OFF/ON:
This button adds properties such as snow,
animated raindrops, and wet surfaces to
Urbaniac! objects by using a node group
applied to all materials in our libraries. The
VFX's are disabled by default in order to
improve EEVEE's performance.
- You can add this VFX´s to your materials.
Just add the “CityAssets – raindrops”
Search on the index for more info -

- EDGES set to Cycles/EEVEE:
Many advanced procedural materials in
Urbaniac! utilize edge detection systems,
such for scratches on metals. However, the
best edge detection method uses the "bevel"
node, which is only available in Cycles. To
overcome this limitation, we developed an
edge detection system that allows you to
choose between rendering in EEVEE or Cycles
and provides the user with the flexibility to
switch between this two.
- On EEVEE make sure to have “Ambient
Oclussion” activated to work properly -
- Select basecube:
This button allows you to select the
"CityAssets - basecube" object. Why would
you want to select the "basecube"? Because it
contains, in the shader editor's, node groups
that control elements in the scene. If you
need to make any changes to them, this is
the place to look. All changes made there will
be applied to all objects in the scene when
you press synchronize (when using Blender's
asset browser) or click on "append" (if you
are using the add-on's asset manager).
- We are all artists, so act like one. Dare to
experiment -
Arq. Massun Patricio
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 5 / 13
Meet the Libraries:
As we mentioned before in the manual,
"Urbaniac!" consists primarily of two
elements: the "Ur! Launcher" add-on and the
various asset libraries that can be acquired.
They rely on each other to function properly.
The following paragraphs provide a brief
description of the contents of each of the
libraries we offer (due to the nature of the
documentation, some of them may not be
described here in the future or may require
updating the manual).
"Ur! City Asset Pack":
This wonderful journey begins with this
library, which has been evolving, growing,
and improving constantly since it was
released over 3 years ago.
The purpose of this library is to contain a mix
of elements (+180 in the PRO version) to
populate your urban scenes. It combines a
series of very interesting features, such as:
1. Procedural materials: While they may be
heavier than baked PBR materials, they offer
an enviable level of adaptability. On one
hand, you can modify the mesh of the
elements without worrying about UVs. On the
other hand, you can change colors, aging
appearance, scratch density, etc., avoiding
obvious repetition patterns.
2. Unapplied modifiers: This makes it
relatively easy to modify objects, and if their
visibility is disabled, it can improve
performance in the 3D viewport.
3. Kitbashing systems: Certain sets are
prepared as separate modules to create your
own compositions. An example of this is the
ventilation ducts for terraces, which can be
easily adapted to any situation.
4. Not high, not mid, but Perfect-Poly: Well,
perhaps the term "perfect" is a bit exaggera-

ted. However, the models are created with the
understanding that a too simple model
doesn't visually contribute to the scene, and a
model with an absurd amount of polygons
eliminates the possibility of adding new small
details. We always strive for a balance,
incorporating a good level of detail (such as
screws and welds) while maintaining a
reasonable polygon count (not using things
like micro-displacements or subdivision
surface leve “+2”).
5. Blender Asset browser compatible: New on
v2.50
This specific library is available in three
different versions for purchase:
FREE: This is a free trial version that includes
14 assets. It's our gift to the community,
allowing users to explore and test the library.
LITE: The Lite version is priced at an
intermediate level and includes the original
elements from the first "CAP" (City Asset
Pack). Updates for this version focus solely on
bug fixes and compatibility with the latest
"Ur! Launcher."
PRO: The Pro version is the recommended
choice for those working on complex and
professional urban scenes. It offers over 180
assets and receives regular updates that add
new elements, improve existing ones, and
address any bugs or issues.
“Ur! Street, roads and Highways”:
This library was created in response to the
requests from many users who specifically
wanted elements for creating streets,
highways, and sidewalks, without the need for
other types of urban elements. To meet their
needs, we developed a separate library with a
descriptive name that allowed them to
purchase the exact elements they required at
a reduced price. However, we soon realized
that some users who had previously purcha-
sed our SRH package expressed interest in
acquiring the "CAP PRO" package. We wanted
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 6 / 13
to ensure that these users didn't have to pay
for the same assets twice. To address this, we
introduced an UPGRADE option to CAP PRO
for those who had already purchased SRH.
Rest assured, the library offers the same
great features and characteristics as the "City
Asset Pack" described earlier.
- For those who purchased the UPGRADE to
CAP from SRH, they will need to redeem a
100% OFF coupon on the CAP website to
continue updating their product -
“Ur! Building Generator”:
This library focuses on buildings created using
geometry nodes and includes other
ornamental elements for better integration
and utilization. The buildings are constructed
based on two key elements. First, the
modules that give each type of building its
unique style and aesthetics. Second, the
"shape" that determines its overall form and
proportions. This shape can be easily modified
by extruding, moving, scaling, rotating, and
even adding new elements. All these changes,
made in edit mode, result in a visual
transformation of the building.
The main features of the add-on are as
follows:
1. Based on Geometry Nodes: We all know
how amazing they are. They allow us to
achieve things that were unimaginable just a
few years ago, and this library is a great
example of their power.
2. Adaptable: The shape of the buildings can
be easily modified by manipulating a simple
figure in edit mode. The changes are
automatically updated in real-time.

3. Mid-Poly and High-Poly: Two versions of
the same building. The HD buildings are
designed for medium-distance shots that
require a high level of detail, while the Mid-
Poly versions are ideal for animations or
rendering with EEVEE. They can be easily
adapted to meet all your needs.
4. 3D Interiors: The HD versions include pre-
baked mid-poly 3D interiors, adding a great
deal of realism. They also come with a system
of procedural random curtains that add
variation to the facades.
5. Adaptable Materials: The material colors
can be easily adjusted to generate greater
variation in the buildings. In the case of the
HD version, procedural materials are used,
allowing for more customization options. The
LP versions use PBR materials that support
color changes but are faster, especially in
EEVEE.
6. Control the Details: From the geometry
node modifier, you can adjust the amount of
random details appearing on the facades of
some buildings, such as air conditioning units
or open windows.
7. Extra Shapes: "Empty" extra shapes are
provided. Once you have added at least one
type of building, you can assign a geometry
node to these extra shapes to give them a
specific style. This allows you to quickly add
variation to your city. You need to look for
“CityAssets_BuildGenXXXX_Main” geometry
nodes.
8. Building Bases: Using the same geometry
node technology, you can add different bases
(currently only one) to level the terrain or add
complexity to your city compositions.
9. Assets: Additional elements to add custom
details that make the buildings stand out and
give them a unique handmade appearance.
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 7 / 13
How to “Ur!” general:
In this section, we will discuss the usage of
certain elements common to all the
"Urbaniac!" libraries. These shared features
across the add-ons in the family make
"Urbaniac!" a comprehensive solution for
urban scene creation. Let's start from the
beginning, how to:
The Basic:
Once you have installed our "Ur! Launcher"
and configured it correctly (refer to the first
page of the manual), you will find a panel
called "Urbaniac!" on the right side of your 3D
viewport (if you don't see the panels, you can
activate them by pressing the N key).
In the tab, you will find two dropdown
windows: the first one corresponds to the
integrated asset manager, and the second one
controls the scene and objects.
If you are using the latest versions of our
libraries, we recommend using the official
Blender asset browser (it´s already integrated
to your Blender). In that case, you need to
configure the library path as shown in step 6
of page 1 of this manual.
If you prefer to use the traditional "Urbaniac!"
libraries, including any personal ones, you can
configure the launcher as indicated in step 7
of page 1 of this manual.
The process of adding elements to your scene
will depend on the chosen method.
Blender Asset Browser:
When working with the Blender Asset
Browser, it is important to configure the
libraries correctly. In recent versions of
Blender, you have the option to choose the
import method for each library. It is
recommended to set the import method as
"Append". However, in older versions of

Blender, the selection for the import method
is not available per library, and you need to
select it on the main asset window befor
append the element.
To avoid issues, it is crucial to ensure that you
have chosen the "APPEND" option every time
you add an element. Failing to do so can lead
to problems when adding identical elements
repeatedly in the scene.
To filter the elements shown in the asset
browser window, you can use categories
and/or the library dropdown. You can also use
the name box to filter by tags such as
"Urbaniac!". Once you have located the
element you want to add to your scene,
simply drag and drop it to the desired
position. Keep in mind that the advanced
usage of the tool goes beyond the scope of
this manual, and you will need to refer to
Blender's documentation to delve deeper into
its usage.
Once you have dragged the element into the
scene, you need to click the "Synchronize"
button in the "Ur! Scene Control" panel. This
can be done after adding a library element or
multiple elements. Also, note that you can
freely mix objects from different libraries (if
you have acquired more than one).
Why do we need to click "Synchronize"? -
It is important to understand that all the
controls in "Urbaniac!" such as lights, VFX,
traffic lights, etc., function thanks to drivers.
These drivers are located within node groups
linked to a specific element, the famous
"CityAssets - basecube" or "basecube" for
short.
As we add objects, the "basecube" objects are
also added, along with node groups that
contain drivers referring to the associated
"basecube". This means that for the first
object, it would be "CityAssets - basecube"
for the second, "CityAssets - basecube.001"
for the third, "CityAssets - basecube.002" and
so on. The node group and material names
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 8 / 13
also multiply as we add objects. The "Synch-
ronize" button removes the duplicated
"CityAssets - basecube" objects, as well as
duplicated node groups and materials starting
with "CityAssets -". This way, all the drivers
within the node groups reference a single
object: "CityAssets - basecube". This cleaning
and removal of duplicates task was
automatically performed when using the
integrated asset manager in the launcher.
Every time we added an object, this cleanup
process happened behind the scenes to
ensure that only one object was referenced.
When using the official Blender Asset Browser,
we cannot automatically perform this cleanup
when adding an object, so the user needs to
click the corresponding button to trigger this
cleanup process. Not doing so would result in
duplicated materials that need to be loaded in
parallel (affecting performance) and only the
first associated element being affected by the
control.
IN SUMMARY:
When you choose to work with the integrated
Blender Asset Browser, you need to drag and
drop the elements into the scene and then
click "Synchronize" to make the most of your
library.
Integrated asset manger:
The use of the asset manager automates the
process of deleting and cleaning duplicate
elements, as described in the previous
section. However, it adds some additional
considerations that are important to keep in
mind.
First and foremost, it is crucial to ensure that
the file path configured in the add-on's
settings panel ends with "/models/". Not
doing so will result in an error (although in
the new version, the error no longer appears
thanks to the addition of a conditional “if”
statement in the code), but it can still cause
issues with the scene. Around 90% of the
add-on error inquiries were due to users not
 June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 9 / 13

entering the "models" folder when selecting operations will have been carried out behind
the add-on's path. the scenes without you even realizing it.

The problem mainly lies in the structure of

the asset manager. On one hand, each object
is stored in a separate .blend file. Within each IN SUMMARY:
file, there is the object itself and a "basecube"
that the object's drivers refer to. When Expand the first window of the panel after
adding a new object to a scene, both the correctly configuring the file path. Select the
object and its "basecube" are added. The new category, select the object, choose where you
"basecube" is named with the suffix ".001", want to add it, and append. Tada!
as are all its components. The asset manager
takes care of deleting the duplicates. The only Merge Multiple Libraries:
"basecube" that remains in the scene is the
first one we added. This doesn't pose signi- To merge two different libraries (e.g., BG and
ficant issues if all the "basecubes" are exactly CAP), the process is quite simple.
the same, but what if they're not?
If you are using libraries compatible with
As I continued developing the add-on and Blender's Asset Browser:
added more objects, I realized how
inconvenient it was to modify all the 1. Extract the files to a convenient location.
"basecubes" in the .blend files of different Each file will be in its corresponding folder.
libraries just to change a general parameter
like VFX. Therefore, the solution was to add 2. Configure the number of libraries you have
an additional .blend file in the "models" folder in the asset browser's configuration panel.
named "CityAssets - basecube.blend". This
If you are using libraries compatible with the
basecube model would be added first when
Integrated Asset Manager:
importing any element from the library. This
way, regardless of how outdated a "basecube"
1. Once you have extracted the corresponding
was for a particular object, the "basecube"
".rar" files for the libraries you have acquired,
with the latest updates would always be
you need to merge them in a convenient
preserved in the scene, and the rest would be
location (preferably folders that are not set as
automatically deleted. Failing to set the file
read-only). When copying them to the same
path correctly prevents the program from
directory, the operating system will ask if you
accessing this file and, therefore, accessing
want to overwrite files (click on NO to
the latest version of the node groups, which
expedite the process). Files with the same
affects the overall behavior of the add-on.
name from different libraries are inter-
Please ensure that the library path is correctly
changeable.
configured.
2. Configure the file path to point to your
Once this is explained, the operation is
single "models" folder. Remember that the file
relatively straightforward. First, select the
path should end with "/models/".
category you are interested in adding, click on
the large image to choose the object within
Adding Your Assets:
that category, select whether you want to add
it to the origin or to the 3D cursor, and finally,
click on "append". Your object will appear in
your scene, and a series of relatively complex
- Please note that adding objects to
Blender's asset browser is described in

Blender's official documentation and is not
part of this manual's extension. -
To add your own elements to the integrated
asset manager in the "Urbaniac!" launcher,
you need to separate the asssets into .blend
files where there is a main collection (these
assets can consist of multiple objects and
internal collections). Place them in an existing
folder within "models" or create a new folder
with a name of your choice (this folder will
represent the category within the asset
manager).
Add a representative ".png" file with dimen-
sions of 512x512 pixels for the object. The
condition is that the image must have the
same name as the object - excluding file
extensions - For example: “Chair01.Blend” /
“Chair01.png”, both elements should be
placed within the same folder.
Close and reopen Blender, and your object will
appear in the corresponding category (the
folder where you added it) with its respective
image.
To ensure that the object has the same
customization properties as the rest of the
assets in the library, please read the following
section.
VFX´s Properties:
Now that you know how to add objects to
your scene, let's talk about how you can
control special effects. What do we call VFX?
It refers to the set of elements that you can
control and add to materials to change the
overall look of the scene.
For example, you may be working on a
daytime scene and suddenly want to see how
it would look at night. Simply changing the
HDRI or adjusting your favorite procedural
sky settings won't be enough. You need to
illuminate the city, turn on the internal lights
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 10 / 13
of the buildings, streetlights, car lights, and
so on. It may also be the case that you're
creating a springtime urban scene but you're
curious to see how it would look with snow.
All these changes, which usually take a lot of
time to modify in Blender, can be easily
adjusted with "Urbaniac!" from the "Ur! Scene
Control" panel. There, you'll find a series of
sliders that control various aspects of your
scene, including adding snow on the top
surfaces of objects, adding animated
raindrops, adding water on surfaces,
controlling streetlights, controlling building
lights, controlling traffic lights, and more. All
from one place, all controlled by the clever
system of drivers and node groups. There's
just one thing to consider: in the newer
versions of the "Urbaniac!" libraries, certain
special effects (snow, animated raindrops,
water) are disabled by default. This is mainly
because the shader compilation process in
EEVEE took too long with these elements
enabled. Therefore, if you want to use those
specific three parameters, you need to click
on "VFX's are OFF," which will change to
"VFX's are ON" to let you know they are
activated (we recommend not entering
preview mode in the 3D viewport or trying to
preview the scene with EEVEE). The rest of
the light and traffic light controls will work
independently of the button's position.
Keep in mind that these sliders can be
animated using the "i" key, allowing you to
create transformation animations. For
example, city lights turning off during the
night or snow accumulating as it snows.
Advanced VFX Properties:
The special effects, specifically snow, rain,
and water, are integrated into a single node
group called "CityAssets - raindrops." Inside
this node group, you'll find three separate
modules corresponding to each type of effect.
By quickly analyzing the nodes, you'll notice
that the main node has inputs that you can

modify ON A PER-MATERIAL BASIS. For
example, the angle of inclination and the axis
of raindrops. This is super useful if you want
to make the drops on a moving vehicle move
almost laterally (due to the speed). These
values, being specific to each material, will
only affect the materials in which you modify
those values (for example, the car paint and
windows of the car).
Other values are INSIDE the main node,
differentiated in each of the independent
modules. Among them, to name a few, are
the intensity of normals in the snow and the
speed of raindrops. These modifications will
affect the entire scene. For example, if you
want the raindrops to be smaller or faster,
adjusting these values will impact all the
materials.
As mentioned before, experimentation is the
playground for any artist, so feel free to play
with the values until you find the ones that
suit you best.
Add VFX´s to your own materials:
Working with the shader editor can be a quite
complex and overwhelming task for
beginners, but adding VFX to your objects is
actually quite simple, even for the most
novice users.
Firstly, we need to have at least the
"basecube" added to the scene. To do this, we
can add an object from the library, whichever
you prefer. This will add, as we saw earlier,
the object and a "basecube".
Once the element is added, You can go to the
material you want to modify. In the shader
editor window, you need to add (Shift + A) a
node group called "CityAssets - raindrops".
This manual will asume that you are trying to
integrate it to a PrincipledPBR materia. Now,
you just need to connect a few things for it to
work correctly.
June 2023 manual v3.1 - page 11 / 13
You should position the node group to the
LEFT of your PrincipledPBR node and connect
the following:
Albedo/Albedo – Roughness/Roughness –
Normal/Normal
Additionally, you'll need to add an input for
the normals in the node, even if it's just an
empty "normal" node. If the material you
were working with had PBR textures, you
should connect the textures to the
corresponding input in the node group. If the
material was simply colors and values, you
can copy and paste the values into the node
group. Other outputs of the node group will
allow you to perform more advanced actions
to make your materials interact with the VFX,
but that will depend on your specific needs
and your desire to experiment. Remember
that with the "node wrangler" enabled (an
add-on pre-installed in Blender that you can
activate from the "add-ons" tab in the
preferences window), you'll be able to
visualize what each output shows, which is
very useful for experimentation.
Another node group you can add to your
objects is "CityAssets - LightsStreets" and
"CityAssets - LightsBuildings". By connecting
the "value" output to the emission strength of
your PrincipledPBR, you can activate the
luminosity of the material using the controls
in the "Ur! Scene Control" panel (Remember
that the emission color shouldn’t be set
black).
For more information, you can visit our
Discord.