This project explores an alternative method for creating responsive foliage by simulating deformation through UV coordinate distortion, driven entirely by distance fields. Unlike traditional vertex-based displacement, this approach manipulates only the visual representation of the grass, creating the illusion of flattening where the player walks—without modifying the mesh geometry.

Grass cards were procedurally distributed and assigned a material that samples DistanceToNearestSurface in real time. When the player character or any dynamic object enters the distance field influence radius, the texture coordinates are locally distorted using a falloff function, blending the surface detail toward a compressed or "stepped-on" visual state.

This method is highly performant as it avoids the cost of vertex animation while still conveying interactivity. It remains fully GPU-driven, supports wind offset blending, and integrates seamlessly with stylized shading workflows. The result is a subtle but effective footprint effect, ideal for foliage-heavy scenes where scalability and style coherence are priorities.

This system opens possibilities for broader environment responsiveness using purely material-based logic—particularly in projects where performance constraints or visual style demand minimalistic but smart interactions.