The Most Important Settings for Unreal Engine Users
This UE4 and UE5 section is a quick overview and documentation of a lot of important topics using real-time rendering for Games, Film and Virtual Reality. I try to keep my development process constantly up to date. As a source for Unreal Engine Artists in Film Production, Game Development, Tech and of course as an Unreal Engine Artists for VR Development.
Screen Space Global Illumination
Normal Map Settings
Rotating Texture Maps
UVW Mapper
http://www.uvmapper.com/downloads.html
Anisotropy PBR Material
https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Rendering/Materials/MaterialInputs/#anisotropyandtangent
Fresnel Falloff
https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Rendering/Materials/HowTo/Fresnel/index.html
Level Blueprints
Setup Level Blueprint: Executive Command Console: stat unit
STATs for 3D Visualizer
Yes, it’s always good to know the most important stats when working as a 3D Visualizer.
- stat engine
- stat fps
- stat SceneRendering
- stat unit
- stat unitGraph
- stat gpu
- sat engine
- stat streaming
- stat emitters
- stat lighting
- stat startfile
- stat stopfile
- stat dumpHitches
- Project Settings: Turn off Frame Rate Smoothing
- Turn Off VSync (console comman is: r.vsync 0)
- memReport -full
- r.ScreenPercentage10
- r.setRes 1280x720w (Window Resolution)
- viewmode lightingonly
GPU Profiler Font Size
https://bartlomiejwolk.wordpress.com/2017/07/01/ue4-profiler-font-size/
Datasmith Prep
Enable Dataprep Editor
Console Commands:
r.ScreenPercentage 25;
r.SetRes 1280×720;
STATISTICS for TEXTURES
Window–>Statistics
PROFILING – GPU Profile Manager
Select Translucent Objects
Under Settings drop down you’ll find a tick box for Allow Translucent Selection
SHORTCUT – just “T”
Material Wind
Planar Reflections
If you are using Planar Reflections, you need to activate them inside the Project Settings.
Search for: global clip
https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Engine/Rendering/LightingAndShadows/PlanarReflections/index.html
Support Sky Atmosphere
First you need to activate in the Plugins the Volumetrics. After that, you also need to connect the directional light to the atmosphere. (inside of the directional light settings)
Furthermore, you need to go into the Project Settings and make sure you check the Support Sky Atmosphere.
Exponential Height Fog
Only the Exponential Height Fog works together with this system. To make sure, that the Exponential Height Fog will use the Environment Colors, you need to set both colors to black.
Wireframe Material
Number of LODS
WIND
MATERIALS
Reflection Trick
Distance Field Shadows
Project Setting: –> Generate Mesh Distance Fields
Important note: You can have ray traced shadows, you can have cascaded shadows and you you can have distance field shadows.
That being said. If you are using Ray Tracing in your project file, you can obviously use ray traced shadows. But when you use them, distance field shadows are not working.
As a fallback – if ray traced shadows might not work because of DirectX11 users (non DirectX 12 users, non RTX users) you can use distance field shadows. Light has to be set to moveable, because it’s all dynamic. That being said. Distance Field Shadows seem to be the best and fastest option to generate more realistic looking shadows if ray traced shadows are not an option.
Important:
Distance Field Shadows will not work on animated objects and Skeletal Meshes. For instance, if you are using a Character with a Skeletal Mesh, Distance Field shadows will not cast any dynamic shadow on that character.
Block Game-Play Window Resize
Project settings – just go up to “all settings” and type resize
–> Uncheck Allow Window Resize
Clone Trooper Voice
Blueprints
How to Create a Cut Scene + Level Blueprint
Material Opacity with Lerp
hold L and right click for Lerp
Parallax Occlusion Mapping
PLAY LEVEL SEQUENCE IN GAME
For the animation to play in game, we must trigger it fro a Blueprint, in this case the Level Blueprint:
Link: https://odederell3d.blog/2019/12/23/ue4-create-and-play-a-level-sequence/
- From the Editor Blueprints menu, choose Open Level Blueprint:
- In the Level Blueprint, drag the Event BeginPlay execution graph and create CreateLevelSequencePlayer node that will follow it:
- Drag the CreateLevelSequencePlayer node’s Return Value output and create a Play node that will be executed after it and receive it’s output:
- The Level Blueprint now has instructions to play a Level Sequence,
but it’s not yet specified which Level Sequence to play: - In the Variables list on the left, press the +Variable button to create a new variable and name it:
- With the new variable selected, in it’s details on the right, press the Variable Type button, and locate Level Sequence – Object Reference type:
- The Level Blueprint now contains a variable named seq of type: Level Sequence – Object Reference:
- Drag the new variable to the Blueprint and choose Get when placing it:
- Connect the variable’s output to the Level Sequence input of the CreateLevelSequencePlayer node:
- With the variable selected, in the details panel on the right, select the Level Sequence object it will be referencing:
- Press Compile and save the Level Blueprint:
The Level Blueprint now has instructions to play the desired Level Sequence when the level begins playing so a the animation we created plays when we hit play game in the editor:
Force All Ray Tracing Effects
How To Load Levels in Game Play
Render Lighting Only
Play Level Sequence with Key Stroke
Create an Play a Level Sequence
https://odederell3d.blog/2019/12/23/ue4-create-and-play-a-level-sequence/
How To Change Font Size for Output Logs and Profiler
Tips for Optimization
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/10-vr-tips-unreal-engine-21619215
Substance Painter Pack Channels
Red: Ambient Occlusion
Green: Roughness
Blue: Metallic
Open Level by Name
Cheapest Translucency with Forward Shading
https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/whats-the-cheapest-glass-material/500299/6
Convert Assets to Blueprint Class
Sequencer Freeze Animation Key Freeze State
Override Reflection using Reflection Vector
GPU Lightmass
C4D to Unreal Cineware
Packaging Missing SDK
Download and install Windows 64bit SDK
Convert Multiple Actors to Blueprint
Render Settings Animation
Console commands list (UPDATED!) :
r.TemporalAACurrentFrameWeight 0.5
r.MotionBlurSeparable 1
r.Lumen.Reflections.MaxRoughnessToTrace 1
r.Lumen.Reflections.Temporal 0
If you have flickering or weird shadow issues in your render try this :
r.Shadow.Virtual.ResolutionLodBiasLocal 1
Streaming Pool Size
r.streaming.PoolSize 8000
Pano 360
Output Director: Replace the existing path with no letters, and the exact following line ../../../PanoramicShots
The output directory “Panoramic Shots” will be created within your Unreal Engine Installation files. Usually under
C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.0
SDK SETUP
Bake HDRI Backdrop
Unreal Engine Fluids Tutorial
- Resolution: https://youtu.be/k7WLE2kM4po?t=1050
- Specific Light Source: Directional Light Source Actor
- Cast Shadows
- Collision Objects: Add Cube, Add Advanced Tag, call it “Collider”
- Density: Is Smoke Density
- Temperature: Is Fire Intensity
Shadow Pop Disappears
SunSky->DirectionalLight. Increase Dynamic Shadow Distance
useful post: https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/shadows-disappear-with-increased-camera-distance/4690
Bulk Replace Materials
Pathtracer
Stat FPS Runtime
Glass with Path Tracing
Exporting Media Using Raytracing
Unreal Engine makes real-time ray tracing possible through the use of denoising techniques that may rely on temporal history. When using high-resolution tiling or when disabling Temporal anti-aliasing, you may need to adjust the following console variables for better results: Link official doc
- r.AmbientOcclusion.Denoiser.TemporalAccumulation 0
- r.GlobalIllumination.Denoiser.TemporalAccumulation 0
- r.Reflections.Denoiser.TemporalAccumulation 0
- r.Shadow.Denoiser.TemporalAccumulation 0
Setting these variables to 0 will help the denoiser converge better without temporal history. You may also want to consider disabling the following Denoisers entirely if you have a high enough sample count (64+):
- r.AmbientOcclusion.Denoiser 0
- r.DiffuseIndirect.Denoiser 0
- r.Ray tracing.SkyLight.Denoiser 0
- r.Reflections.Denoiser 0
- r.Shadow.Denoiser 0
To adjust any of the denoiser settings, you can add them to the Console Variables so they only apply during a render.
Stencil Layers
Data Layers
Materials and all you need to know
Virtual Texture Blend Material
HDRI Backrop Rotation in Sequencer
When tracking your HDRIBackdrop to your sequence make sure to track the geometry component and then track the material parameters. This should allow you to set keys for the HDRI_Angle and thereby adjust your hdri within sequencer.
Linear vs. sRGB Texture Map Import
You want to make sure, that you don’t use sRGB when importing texture maps. Stay linear and uncheck sRGB if activated.
Flow Maps
Flow Maps 2
Flow Map 3
Flow Map Substance Painter
https://substance3d.adobe.com/documentation/spdoc/flow-map-painting-143327274.html
Use the normal map Direct X image inside your Normal Channel. Set the Brush Follow Path to on. Start Painting your Flow Map inside Substance Painter.
Create a normal map texture of 16 by 16 pixels. The color has to be 128, 255, 128 which should give the following color : 
(This color is the equivalent of a vector looking up, in DirectX)
How to invert a texture map?
Use the OneMinus Node.
Blending Normal Maps
Why you can’t blend different shader models in UE5
Blending Virtual Textures with Vertex Color
Note: The Vertex Color Information does NOT work for the Ambient Occlusion Slot. Which means, the Ambient Occlusion Slot requires a Texture map and therefore UVWs. Which sucks.
