MatrixRainRuntime - Matrix Rain DOC

Matrix Rain Runtime Documentation

Plugin Overview

Matrix Rain Runtime is a Windows runtime code plugin for Unreal Engine 5.7 that renders a Matrix-style green glyph rain effect at runtime. It is designed for Blueprint users and exposes simple start, stop, and state query nodes while supporting three rendering modes for different visual styles and performance targets.

Supported Engine / Platform

  • Unreal Engine 5.7
  • Win64

What You Get

  • Current Screen Overlay for a full-screen HUD or menu style Matrix rain effect.
  • Real 3D World Space (Text) for real text-based rain columns placed in the world.
  • Fast Real 3D World Space for a layered 3D volume look with much better performance for gameplay.
  • Custom Rain Text controls so you can supply your own letters, choose whether they play in exact order or random order, and adjust the vertical spacing between letters.
  • Blueprint nodes to start the effect, stop it, and check whether it is still active.

Quick Start: Recreate the Recommended 3D Result

  1. Install the plugin from Fab for Unreal Engine 5.7.
  2. Open your project in Unreal Engine 5.7.
  3. Open Edit > Plugins.
  4. Search for Matrix Rain Runtime.
  5. Enable the plugin, then restart the editor if Unreal asks you to restart.
  6. Open the level where you want to see the effect.
  7. Open the Level Blueprint.
  8. Add an Event BeginPlay node.
  9. Add a Make Matrix Rain Settings node.
  10. Set Render Mode to Fast Real 3D World Space.
  11. Set World Space Follows View Target to true.
  12. Optional: set Rain Text if you want to replace the default glyph set with your own letters or words.
  13. Optional: enable Use Rain Text In Order if you want the letters to follow your text exactly instead of choosing random characters from it.
  14. Optional: adjust Letter Vertical Spacing if you want more or less gap between letters in each rain trail.
  15. Leave the remaining values at their defaults for your first test, or use the recommended preset below.
  16. Add the Start Matrix Rain node.
  17. Connect Event BeginPlay to Start Matrix Rain.
  18. Connect the Make Matrix Rain Settings output to the Settings input on Start Matrix Rain.
  19. Press Play.

Optional Manual Source Installation

If you are not using the Fab version and instead received a manual source copy directly, place the plugin in your project's Plugins folder before opening the project. Fab customers normally do not need this step.

Expected Result for the Quick Start

When play begins, a green Matrix-style rain volume appears around the player or camera. Because World Space Follows View Target is enabled, the volume stays centered on the current view target instead of being left behind in the level.

Recommended Preset for the Advertised Look

  • Render Mode: Fast Real 3D World Space
  • Quantity: 1.0
  • Fade In Seconds: 1.0 to 2.0
  • Fade Out Seconds: 1.0 to 2.0
  • Opacity: 300 to 500
  • Rain Text: leave empty for the default Matrix glyph look, or enter your own custom letters
  • Use Rain Text In Order: false for a classic randomized rain look, true for an exact looping text order
  • Letter Vertical Spacing: 1.0 as a balanced starting point
  • World Space Follows View Target: true
  • World Space Extents: default value is a good starting point
  • World Space Offset: zero unless you intentionally want the volume shifted
  • Fast World Layer Count: 6
  • Fast World Target FPS: 30

Blueprint Nodes

  • Start Matrix Rain - Starts the effect using the supplied Matrix Rain Settings struct.
  • Stop Matrix Rain - Stops the active effect. If Fade Out Seconds is greater than 0, the effect fades out before it is removed.
  • Is Matrix Rain Active - Returns true while the effect is active or still fading out.

Where to Call the Nodes

The nodes can be called from any Blueprint that has a valid world context, such as the Level Blueprint, a Character Blueprint, a Player Controller, or another runtime gameplay Blueprint. For the simplest setup and for review purposes, use the Level Blueprint with Event BeginPlay.

Rendering Modes

  • Current Screen Overlay - Draws the effect directly on the viewport as a full-screen Slate overlay. Use this for HUDs, menus, title screens, or a full-screen stylized effect.
  • Real 3D World Space (Text) - Spawns real 3D text-based rain columns into the level. Use this when you specifically want real text components in the world and are willing to spend more performance for that look.
  • Fast Real 3D World Space - Uses a small number of world-space widget layers to create a volumetric 3D effect. This is the recommended mode for most gameplay use cases because it gives a strong 3D feel with much better performance.

How to Match Each Mode to the Result You Want

  • Choose Fast Real 3D World Space if you want the effect to surround the player or camera during gameplay.
  • Choose Real 3D World Space (Text) if you want visible text components in the world for close shots or cinematic scenes.
  • Choose Current Screen Overlay if you want the effect drawn directly over the screen as a flat full-screen presentation.

Key Settings

  • Render Mode - Selects which rendering path is used.
  • Quantity - Controls overall effect density.
  • Fade In Seconds - Time to fade in when started.
  • Fade Out Seconds - Time to fade out when stopped.
  • Glyph Size - Controls screen overlay glyph size.
  • Rain Text - Optional custom text source for the rain. Each non-whitespace character in the text becomes an available glyph.
  • Use Rain Text In Order - If enabled, custom text is used in exact sequence and loops. If disabled, the plugin randomly picks characters from the custom text.
  • Letter Vertical Spacing - Controls the vertical gap between letters in each rain trail. Higher values spread letters farther apart and lower values keep them tighter.
  • Min Trail Length / Max Trail Length - Controls rain column trail length.
  • Min Fall Speed / Max Fall Speed - Controls randomized falling speed.
  • Background Dim - Darkens the screen only in overlay mode.
  • Opacity - Glyph opacity and intensity percentage. Values above 100 increase brightness.
  • Trail Color / Head Color - Tints for trailing glyphs and column heads.
  • World Space Follows View Target - If enabled, the world-space volume follows the player or camera. If disabled, the effect stays anchored in the world after it starts.
  • World Space Extents - Overall size of the 3D rain volume.
  • World Column Spacing - Base spacing between world-space columns.
  • World Glyph Size - Size of 3D glyphs in text mode.
  • World Space Offset - Moves the world-space rain volume relative to its anchor.
  • Fast World Layer Count - Number of layered planes used by fast 3D mode.
  • Fast World Target FPS - Redraw rate for the fast 3D widget layers.

Custom Rain Text Behavior

  • If Rain Text is left empty, the plugin uses its built-in Matrix glyph set.
  • If Rain Text contains custom text and Use Rain Text In Order is disabled, each new glyph is chosen randomly from the characters inside your text.
  • If Rain Text contains custom text and Use Rain Text In Order is enabled, each column cycles through the letters in the exact order you wrote them, then loops back to the start.
  • Whitespace is ignored for glyph generation, so spaces and line breaks are not rendered as rain characters.

Stopping the Effect

  1. Call Stop Matrix Rain from Blueprint.
  2. If Fade Out Seconds is set above 0, the effect stays active while fading out.
  3. Once the fade-out finishes, the effect is removed.

Recommended Usage

  • For the best balance of looks and performance, use Fast Real 3D World Space.
  • Use Real 3D World Space (Text) only when you specifically want actual text components in the world.
  • If you need a purely stylized HUD or menu background, use Current Screen Overlay.
  • For a classic Matrix-style feel with your own phrase, fill in Rain Text and leave Use Rain Text In Order disabled so the letters keep shuffling randomly.
  • For a more deliberate readable pattern, enable Use Rain Text In Order so each column follows your text sequence exactly.
  • If the rain feels too cramped or too stretched vertically, adjust Letter Vertical Spacing.
  • Increase Quantity carefully in large scenes and prefer Fast Real 3D World Space for heavier setups.

Troubleshooting

  • I cannot find the Blueprint nodes. Open Edit > Plugins and confirm that Matrix Rain Runtime is enabled, then restart the editor if required.
  • I pressed Play and saw nothing. Make sure you actually call Start Matrix Rain at runtime, ideally from Event BeginPlay.
  • I expected a 3D volume around the player, but the effect stayed somewhere else. Enable World Space Follows View Target.
  • The effect looks flat instead of 3D. Make sure Render Mode is set to Fast Real 3D World Space or Real 3D World Space (Text), not Current Screen Overlay.
  • My custom letters are not appearing. Make sure Rain Text is not empty and remember that spaces and line breaks are ignored when the glyph list is built.
  • The rain is using my custom text, but not in the exact order I typed. Enable Use Rain Text In Order in the settings struct.
  • The letters are too close together or too far apart vertically. Adjust Letter Vertical Spacing until the trail spacing feels right for your scene.
  • The scene is too bright or too faint. Adjust Opacity. Values over 100 increase brightness.
  • Performance is heavier than expected. Use Fast Real 3D World Space, reduce Quantity, reduce Fast World Layer Count, or lower Fast World Target FPS.
  • I want a full-screen menu or HUD effect. Use Current Screen Overlay instead of a world-space mode.

Support

Support Discord invite: https://discord.gg/eKPP75a9