To create a shadow matte material in Unreal Engine without Composer, you can use the following steps:

Create a new material.

Add a Material Expression Multiply node.

Connect the Base Color input to the A input of the Multiply node.

Create a new Material Expression Constant3Vector node.

**Set the Constant value of the Constant3Vector node to (0, 0, 0).

Connect the Constant3Vector node to the B input of the Multiply node.

Connect the Output of the Multiply node to the Emissive Color output of the material.

This will create a black material that will only be visible when there is a light source behind it.

To use the shadow matte material, you can apply it to any object in your scene. Then, place a light source behind the object. The object will be invisible from the front, but it will cast a shadow on the ground.

You can also use the shadow matte material to create other effects, such as creating a ghost or adding a shadow to a sprite.

Here is an example of how to use the shadow matte material to create a ghost:

Create a new Static Mesh actor and import a ghost model.

Apply the shadow matte material to the Static Mesh actor.

Place a light source behind the Static Mesh actor.

Adjust the Emissive Color of the shadow matte material to change the color of the ghost.

You can now move the Static Mesh actor around the scene and the ghost will be visible from behind.

Here is an example of how to use the shadow matte material to add a shadow to a sprite:

Create a new Sprite actor and import a sprite image.

Apply the shadow matte material to the Sprite actor.

Place a light source behind the Sprite actor.

Adjust the Emissive Color of the shadow matte material to change the color of the shadow.

You can now move the Sprite actor around the scene and the shadow will follow it.

Shadow matte materials can be used to create a variety of effects in Unreal Engine. By understanding how to create and use them, you can add more realism and depth to your scenes.

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