QuickSDFTool Documentation

QuickSDFTool is an Unreal Engine 5.7.x editor-mode plugin for painting toon-shadow masks on meshes and generating SDF threshold maps for stylized rendering.

Use this site to install the plugin, understand the authoring workflow, wire generated threshold maps into materials, and check release notes for compatibility details.

Quick Start View Repository Watch Demo

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Authoring Workflow Learn Select, Paint, 2D Canvas, pen-display input, Quick Stroke, Material Slots, timeline, Live SDF preview, symmetry, Guard, import/export, and SDF generation. Material Setup Connect generated threshold maps to toon and cel-shading materials. Troubleshooting Fix common install, build, material, pen, 2D Canvas, and brush behavior issues. Release Notes Review tested Unreal Engine versions, upgrade notes, and release assets. Roadmap Review post-1.0 priorities and planned feature requirements. Development Notes Inspect architecture, verification, generated diagrams, screenshot requirements, and repository maintenance notes.

Workflow Screenshots

The current documentation captures show the main v1.0 workflow from slot selection to SDF output. Concept diagrams explain the authoring pipeline, pen input, pressure curve, symmetry modes, and Monotonic Guard flow; real UE screenshots are still required for UI states that prove editor behavior.

Select mode active material slot overlay — **Select active slot** Select mode keeps the full mesh visible and marks the active material slot with the selected row and cyan viewport overlay.

Paint mode with Screen projection brush preview — **Paint in Screen mode** Paint mode shows Screen projection, the brush preview, UV texture preview, and active slot context.

Quick SDF timeline controls and keyframes — **Timeline** Timeline thumbnails, angle labels, and keyframe controls stay visible while seeking or dragging keys.

Generated SDF threshold texture preview — **SDF output** The generated SDF threshold texture is the map consumed by toon materials.

Screenshot character model credit: 真冬 Mafuyu / Original 3D Model by ぷらすわん. Character design and 3D modeling: 有坂みと.

Quick Start

Copy this repository into your C++ Unreal project as Plugins/QuickSDFTool/.
Regenerate project files, build the project, enable QuickSDFTool, then restart the editor.
Open the Editor Mode selector and choose Quick SDF.
In Select mode, click the mesh/material surface you want to edit in the viewport.
Confirm the active slot in Material Slots. The selected row and cyan viewport overlay show the active material slot; row clicks can correct the viewport pick.
Click Start Paint. Paint mode isolates the active slot by default; turn off Isolate Slot if you need full-mesh visibility.
Paint white with LMB; paint black/shadow with Shift + LMB.
Use the 2D Canvas for texture-space strokes, Texture Set / Angle selection, brush size, Fit / 100% zoom, rotate/flip, checker/grid, UV overlay, onion skin, and tablet-aligned pen input.
Hold a stroke still to enter Quick Stroke. Move it to adjust the preview, then release to commit the final position.
Use Live SDF material preview when you want a fast GPU JFA approximation before generating the final texture.
Use the timeline to seek light angle, add or duplicate keyframes, and choose a paint target mode.
Click Generate Selected SDF or Generate SDF Threshold Map.
Use the generated texture from /Game/QuickSDF_GENERATED/ in your toon material.

Compatibility

QuickSDFTool v1.0 targets Unreal Engine 5.7.x, with UE 5.7.4 as the required release verification target. UE 5.8+ is intended to be supported later, but it is not part of the v1.0 verification matrix.

Core Workflow

painted light/shadow masks -> SDF interpolation -> RGBA threshold texture -> controlled toon shadow

QuickSDF authoring pipeline diagram

QuickSDFTool is most useful when the right shadow shape is an art-direction decision rather than a physically derived result. Common uses include face shadows, hair bands, clothing folds, and small-team toon pipelines that benefit from in-editor iteration.