Lava

Create a molten world with glowing magma, dark terrain and animated distortion.

Visual example

Where to find it

Shader menu: FORGE3D/Planets HD/Lava. Start with Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Lava/Planet_Lava_01.prefab.

Material: Assets/FORGE3D/Planets/Lava/Materials/Planet_Lava_01.mat. Select the relevant Mesh Renderer > Materials slot, duplicate that material into your own folder, and assign the copy before editing. See material ownership.

Main settings

Shininess is active when its highlight contribution is enabled. The supplied comparison material uses Specular Color alpha = 0, which hides that response. Set alpha to 1 before comparing Shininess = 0.01 and 1. Keep RGB and the light fixed. Lava carries most of its visible surface color through emission, but its custom shading still depends on the main light. Tune the molten mask before raising Magma Glow.

Lighting and rim

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Specular Color	_SpecularColor	Tint of the highlight contribution. Check alpha as well as RGB when a highlight adjustment appears ineffective.
Shininess	_Shininess	Sharpness of Lava’s custom specular response. Specular Color alpha must be nonzero to expose this contribution.
Scatter Map	_ScatterMap	Color lookup for the view/light-dependent surface shading. Retain the supplied lookup when first changing the palette.
Scatter Color	_ScatterColor	Tints the surface scatter contribution. A dark color can strongly reduce the visible surface.
Scatter Boost	_ScatterBoost	Strength of the scatter contribution. Tune with Scatter Color rather than compensating only with light intensity.
Scatter Indirect	_ScatterIndirect	Adds a floor to the scatter modulation. Raise it cautiously if the surface becomes too dark outside the bright region.
Scatter Stretch	_ScatterStretch	Scales the lookup coordinates, changing the spread of the shading transition. Tune with Scatter Center Shift.
Scatter Center Shift	_ScatterCenterShift	Moves the lookup transition. Adjust to reposition the scatter band without changing the planet Transform.
Specular	_Specular	Strength of the surface highlight, shaped by the shader’s texture masks. Adjust under the intended scene light.
Smoothness	_Smoothness	Surface highlight smoothness. Higher values generally concentrate reflections; texture and cloud masks can reduce the effect.
Specular Boost	_SpecularBoost	Extra multiplier for Lava’s custom highlight. Tune with Specular Color, its alpha, and Shininess.
Frensel Mult	_FrenselMult	Strength of the rim contribution. At zero, changing its color or power can have no visible effect.
Fresnel Power	_FresnelPower	Concentrates the view-dependent rim. Increase to narrow its response toward grazing views; compare with Frensel Mult enabled.
Fresnel Color	_FresnelColor	Color of the view-dependent rim contribution. Its strength also depends on Frensel Mult and Fresnel Power.

Surface and effect shape

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Height Map	_HeightMap	Texture that distributes surface layers and detail. Its channels shape the material; it is not a terrain mesh generator.
Detail Map	_DetailMap	Fine surface pattern and masks. Its channel use depends on the shader; retain the supplied map while tuning the material.
Height Tiling	_HeightTiling	Texture repetition for height. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Detail Tiling	_DetailTiling	Texture repetition for detail. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Lava Low	_LavaLow	Low-end terrain ramp color beneath the molten effect. Height and detail controls decide where it appears.
Lava Mid	_LavaMid	Middle terrain ramp color. Tune with Lava Low/High before increasing emission.
Lava High	_LavaHigh	High-end terrain ramp color. Keep it distinguishable from the molten highlight colors.
Lava Factors X	_LavaFactorsX	First terrain ramp shaping factor. Adjust one factor at a time while retaining the supplied height/detail maps.
Lava Factors Y	_LavaFactorsY	Second terrain ramp shaping factor. Tune with Lava Factors X/Z to redistribute the underlying surface colors.
Lava Factors Z	_LavaFactorsZ	Third terrain ramp shaping factor. Compare the terrain palette before tuning magma glow.
Lava Detail	_LavaDetail	Strength of fine detail in the terrain ramp. Tune with Detail Map and the Lava Factors controls.

Molten color and emission

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Magma Map	_MagmaMap	Texture defining molten detail inside the lava mask. Magma Power and Magma Boost reshape its pattern.
Magma Tiling	_MagmaTiling	Texture repetition for magma. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Magma Color Min	_MagmaColorMin	Color at the low end of the molten blend. Works with Magma Color Max and the lava mask.
Magma Color Max	_MagmaColorMax	Color at the high end of the molten blend. Use a brighter hue for the hottest-looking regions.
Magma Power	_MagmaPower	Exponent shaping magma detail. Changes its concentration and contrast rather than simply doubling brightness.
Magma Boost	_MagmaBoost	Multiplier for magma detail before it combines with the lava mask. Tune before final glow.
Magma Glow	_MagmaGlow	Emission multiplier for molten regions. Increase for stronger glow while checking that hot detail remains visible.

Detail and mapping

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Normal Map	_NormalMap	Small surface relief through lighting. Keep a compatible normal texture and tune Normal Scale before replacing the map.
Normal Scale	_NormalScale	Strength of normal-map relief. Increase for stronger small shadows and highlights; it does not raise terrain geometry.
Normal Tiling	_NormalTiling	Texture repetition for normal. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Distortion Map	_DistortionMap	Pattern used for animated surface distortion. Retain the supplied map while adjusting motion and strength.
Distortion UV Tiling	_DistortionUVTiling	Texture repetition for distortion uv. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Distortion UV Speed	_DistortionUVSpeed	Animation rate for distortion uv. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Distortion Tiling	_DistortionTiling	Texture repetition for distortion. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Distortion Speed	_DistortionSpeed	Animation rate for distortion. Zero stops that layer’s motion; compare over time in Play Mode.
Distortion Factor	_DistortionFactor	Signed distortion strength. Larger magnitude bends the surface pattern more strongly.

Molten distribution

Inspector setting	Property ID	Use and visual effect
Lava Mask Tiling	_LavaMaskTiling	Texture repetition for lava mask. Increase for finer repeated detail; tune its paired motion control separately.
Detail Exp	_DetailExp	Sharpens and scales the lava detail mask. Small changes can be strong; tune before raising Magma Glow.
Height Detail	_HeightDetail	Weight of height-driven detail in the lava appearance. Tune with Height Map and Detail Exp.
Lava Mask Factors X	_LavaMaskFactorsX	First shaping factor for the molten-region mask. Change gradually and compare the distribution of glowing areas.
Lava Mask Factors Y	_LavaMaskFactorsY	Second shaping factor for the molten-region mask. Tune with Lava Mask Factors X and the height detail.
Lava Mask Power	_LavaMaskPower	Exponent shaping the molten-region mask. Use to change its contrast before increasing the mask boost.
Lava Mask Boost	_LavaMaskBoost	Multiplier for the molten-region mask. Saturated regions can hide further increases.
Lava Passtrough	_LavaPasstrough	Allows a small lava contribution through the custom light shaping. Increase cautiously when the dark-side lava is too subdued.

Advanced settings

The terrain ramp, molten distribution and animated distortion are separate tuning stages. First make the molten pattern readable with moderate glow, then tune Magma Color Min/Max and emission. Change Distortion UV Speed separately from Distortion Speed to distinguish coordinate motion from pattern motion. For mapping and rendering details, see Technical reference.

Practical example

Duplicate Planet_Lava_01.mat. Compare Magma Power = 2.02 and 4.04 to reshape the molten pattern. Separately compare Magma Glow = 1111 and 2222 for stronger emission. Reset between comparisons so you can see which change produced the result.

Setting comparisons

These examples keep the camera, light and other material settings fixed within each pair. Before appears first and After second. Values describe these examples, rather than a required range.

Magma Power comparison

Before: 2.02; After: 4.04

Look at the concentration and contrast of the molten pattern.

Before — Magma Power = 2.02

After — Magma Power = 4.04

Magma Glow comparison

Before: 1111; After: 2222

Look at the brightness of molten regions, especially where fine highlights approach white.

Before — Magma Glow = 1111

After — Magma Glow = 2222

Shininess comparison

Shininess: 0.01 → 1; Specular Color alpha = 1 in both images.

Look at the custom lit highlight; Specular Color alpha is 1 in both images.

Before — Shininess = 0.01

After — Shininess = 1

Related topics

Shader guide · Materials and customization · Lighting and effects · Practical workflows · Troubleshooting