Dynamic Material Setup

2026-01-13 10:21 UTC gpt-5-2 Open in ChatGPT ↗

You

WHERE IS THE MENU TO MAKE THE MATERIAL DYNAMIC AND EXPOSE ITS PROPERTIES?

ChatGPT

You’re looking at the Material slot in Unreal, but the controls you’re expecting are split across two different places. There is no single “make dynamic + expose” menu in that panel.

Here’s how it actually works 👇

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1️⃣ Exposing properties (Material side)

This is done inside the Material Editor, not on the mesh.

Steps:

1. Open MI_Debug’s parent Material (not the instance)
2. Select any value node (Constant, Vector, Texture, etc.)
3. Right-click → Convert to Parameter
4. Give it a name (e.g. Color, Roughness, EmissiveStrength)
5. Save the material

➡️ These parameters will now be editable by Material Instances and Dynamic Material Instances

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2️⃣ Making the material dynamic (Runtime side)

Dynamic materials are created at runtime, usually in Blueprint or C++, not in this Details panel.

Blueprint (most common)

On your mesh component:

Create Dynamic Material Instance

Where:

• Event Graph → drag your Mesh component
• Call Create Dynamic Material Instance
• Use Element Index (usually 0)
• Store the return value in a variable

Then you can call:

Set Scalar Parameter Value
Set Vector Parameter Value

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3️⃣ Editing without Blueprints (Material Instance)

If you just want editable values in the editor (not runtime):

• Right-click the Material → Create Material Instance
• Assign the Material Instance to the mesh
• Edit exposed parameters in the Details panel

⚠️ This is not dynamic at runtime

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4️⃣ Why you don’t see it in your screenshot

The panel you’re showing:

• Only assigns materials
• Cannot create dynamic materials
• Cannot expose parameters

That functionality does not live there

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Quick mental model

Goal	Where
Expose parameters	Material Editor
Edit values in editor	Material Instance
Change values at runtime	Dynamic Material Instance (Blueprint/C++)

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If you want, tell me:

• UE version (4.27 / 5.x)
• Blueprint or C++
• Editor-only or runtime changes

and I’ll walk you through the exact setup step-by-step.

You

UE 5.5.4

ChatGPT

Got it — UE 5.5.4 👍
Here’s the exact, UE-5.5-specific answer, no guesswork.

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🔴 Short Answer (important)

There is NO menu in the Details panel (like in your screenshot) to:

• “Make material dynamic”
• “Expose properties”

In UE 5.5, those actions still happen in two separate places:

• Material Editor → expose properties
• Blueprint / C++ → make it dynamic

This is by design and hasn’t changed in 5.5.

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1️⃣ Expose material properties (UE 5.5)

This must be done in the Material, not the mesh.

Steps

1. Open the parent Material of MI_Debug
2. Select a value node:
   • Constant
   • Constant3Vector
   • Texture Sample
3. Right-click → Convert to Parameter
4. Name it (e.g. BaseColor, Glow, Opacity)
5. Save

✔️ These parameters now appear in:

• Material Instances
• Dynamic Material Instances

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2️⃣ Create a Dynamic Material (UE 5.5 Blueprint)

This is runtime-only.

Blueprint steps

1. Open the Actor Blueprint
2. Select your StaticMesh / SkeletalMesh component
3. In Event Graph:

   BeginPlay
     → Create Dynamic Material Instance
       • Element Index: 0
       • Source Material: (optional)

4. Promote return value to a variable (e.g. DynMat)

Change values

DynMat → Set Scalar Parameter Value
DynMat → Set Vector Parameter Value

💡 UE 5.5 tip:
You can now search for “Create DMI” in the node palette.

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3️⃣ Editor-only tweaking (Material Instance)

If you just want sliders in the editor:

1. Right-click Material → Create Material Instance
2. Assign MI to mesh
3. Edit parameters in Details panel

⚠️ This is NOT dynamic at runtime

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4️⃣ Why your screenshot doesn’t show it

That panel only:

• Assigns materials
• Bakes materials
• Manages slots

It cannot:

• Convert to dynamic
• Expose parameters
• Modify runtime values

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5️⃣ Common UE 5.5 pitfalls

❌ “I exposed a parameter but can’t change it”
→ You’re modifying the base material, not the DMI

❌ “My changes don’t work at runtime”
→ You didn’t store the Dynamic Material Instance

❌ “I changed the MI but nothing happens in game”
→ MIs don’t update at runtime

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TL;DR

Task	Location
Expose parameters	Material Editor
Editable in editor	Material Instance
Runtime control	Dynamic Material Instance

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If you want, I can:

• Walk you through one exact parameter setup
• Show UE 5.5 Blueprint screenshots
• Explain when NOT to use dynamic materials (performance)

Just tell me what you’re trying to change (color, opacity, emissive, etc.).