Unreal Engine 5 is the latest iteration of the world-renowned Unreal game engine series. Just like its previous versions, 5 offers a huge leap forward for creators to create more immersive games with more creative freedom and visual fidelity. Developers, both big and small, should see benefits from using Unreal Engine 5, like the Magic Media group’s own Starloop Studios.

A New Generation of Realism

For developers hoping to create more realistic visuals than ever before, Unreal Engine 5 brings a host of new opportunities. Game worlds can benefit greatly from the Lumen Global Illumination and Reflections system, which can produce light and reflections in incredible detail. Combined with Nanite Virtualized Geometry and the World Partition tool, Unreal Engine 5 can facilitate bigger and more detailed worlds than ever before.

Using the MetaHuman Creator and overall improvements to the animation systems, the characters that inhabit developers’ worlds can take this generational leap forward too. The new tech in Unreal Engine 5 has a lot of new tools and improvements for creators to work with, no matter what style of game they’re developing.

For those currently using Unreal Engine 4 who are interested in the newest version, Epic Games has provided an Unreal Engine 5 Migration Guide to ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible.

Nanite Geometry Tech

One of Unreal Engine 5’s newest technologies is Nanite Geometry. This feature will be key for developers crafting large worlds with an unparalleled level of detail. It allows developers to import a wide variety of assets from photogrammetry scans to 3D models, without having to worry about polygon count, which would normally be a concern.

Unreal Engine 5 uses Nanite Geometry to only process what we can see, meaning that the impact on system load is significantly reduced. These assets can be used and reused thanks to the design of Nanite Geometry, without worrying about performance issues. Frame rates and visual fidelity remain intact even with the most detailed assets.

A New Lighting System

Unreal Engine 5 introduces a brand new dynamic lighting system. Lumen creates light and reflections that can react in real-time to events and actions. Whether it’s a torch being blown by the wind or a swinging lightbulb, Lumen can update in real-time to produce more realistic lighting and reflections than ever before.

With Lumen, light can bounce in an infinite amount of directions, essentially meaning that it can mimic real-life light bouncing off reflective surfaces. This can be a real game changer for games going for a realistic look, or games reliant on light and shadow, like stealth games!

New Animation Tools

Among the new functionality in Unreal Engine 5 is Control Rig. This suite of tools is designed to allow animators to rig and animate directly in the game engine. This will undoubtedly prove to be a favorite among animators as it has the potential to cut down on time switching between different platforms to animate, export, and import.

Part of Control Rig is what’s called Animation Mode. This feature is designed to help animators and their workflows. It changes the interface and highlights tools and panels to provide a more animator-friendly experience. In combination with Control Rig, Unreal Engine 5 offers one of the more animator-focused game engine experiences on the market.

If you’re interested in full-cycle development or any other services the Magic Media group provides, make sure to contact us today and find out how we can collaborate on your project and make magic!