Epic Games announced the release of Unreal Engine 5.2, further expanding the advanced real-time 3D creator’s capabilities. Updates include enhancements to virtual production tools, character deformer, materials and more.
More information about Unreal Engine 5.2 is available at unrealengine.com.
Additionally, Epic announced the dates for Unreal Fest 2023, taking place October 3-5 in New Orleans. With well over 150 sessions, plus dozens of hands-on lab sessions, this year’s Fest will extend learning tracks to include Unreal Engine ecosystem tools along with UEFN and Fortnite Creative content. The call for speakers is open now through Friday, June 9; proposal guide and submission portal available here.
Procedural Content Generation framework
- Unreal Engine 5.2 offers an early look at a Procedural Content Generation framework (PCG) that can be used directly inside Unreal Engine to populate large scenes within a defined area with assets of your choice, without relying on external packages. The framework includes both in-editor tools and a runtime component. This is an experimental feature that will be further developed over future releases.
Substrate
- A new way of authoring materials that offers more control over the look and feel of objects used in real-time applications, such as games, and for linear content creation. Substrate replaces the fixed suite of shading models with a more expressive and modular multi-lobe framework that provides a greater range of surface appearances and a wider parameter space from which to work. It is especially powerful for describing layered looks (ex. “liquid on metal” or “dust on clear coat”). Experimental feature.
Enhanced virtual production toolset
- Dovetailing with the desktop ICVFX Editor, a new iOS app for ICVFX stage operations (coming soon for iPad via the Apple App Store) will offer an intuitive touch-based interface for stage operations such as color grading, light card placement, and nDisplay management tasks from anywhere within the LED volume.
- Enhancements to Unreal Engine’s VCam system offer greater scope for creative decision-making during pre-production, such as the new ability to operate multiple simultaneous Virtual Cameras off a single editor instance, as well as to create more sophisticated and layered camera moves.
- Extended nDisplay support for SMPTE 2110 builds on the initial groundwork laid in Unreal Engine 5.1 toward the next generation of ICVFX hardware deployment. Experimental feature, production viability targeted for Unreal Engine 5.3
Apple Silicon support
- Native support for Apple Silicon has been added to the Unreal Editor for a better user experience, improved performance and greater stability. The Universal Binary of Unreal Engine that natively supports both Apple Silicon and Intel CPUs is now available to download from the Epic Games launcher.
New ML Deformer sample
- Unreal Engine machine learning technology can be used to create a high-fidelity real-time character for PC and consoles with deformations driven by full muscle, flesh and cloth simulation with this new ML Deformer sample. The download includes an interactive demo sequence that shows muscles bulging and sliding under the skin, and folds forming on clothing. You can also compare the results with ML Deformer on and off, and animate the model with the included Control Rig asset.