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Performance Optimization: Shadows Triggering Zones

Dream Powered - Code Plugins - Aug 13, 2018
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The Shadows Triggering Zones tool provides an easy way to optimize dynamic shadows performance in your levels/maps. Optimization is the key!

  • Supported Platforms
  • Supported Engine Versions
    4.19 - 4.27, 5.0 - 5.3
  • Download Type
    Engine Plugin
    This product contains a code plugin, complete with pre-built binaries and all its source code that integrates with Unreal Engine, which can be installed to an engine version of your choice then enabled on a per-project basis.

The Shadows Triggering Zones tool allows you to enable or disable shadow casting for specific lights, when you are inside a region. It works with lights and lights inside Blueprints.


You can check the performance comparison video: Youtube demo video

It's complementary with our Dynamic lighting portal system tool. This one handles the shadows and the portal system handles lights visibility.


With this tool, you will be able to achieve the perfect performance optimization, having lights casting shadows only when necessary .

Very easy to setup ! Tutorial here: Youtube Tutorial


There is also an "inverse feature", which allows you to disable shadow casting on the linked lights when the player is inside the region. This is extremely useful when you want to optimize a multi floor room for example.


You can have the lights on your floor casting shadows, and all the others ones with shadow casting disabled.


Depending on the number of lights affected, you can expect from 20 to 50% performance improvement in the rooms where you will use this system, making them playable on low end gaming computers (8 years old i7 950 processor and GTX 950 graphic card).


All that in "Epic" settings for everything except shadow (high)!


If you use dynamic lighting, You can get an even better performance boost when used with our Dynamic Lighting Portal System plugin

Technical Details

Features:

  •  Provide tools to optimise Dynamic shadows performance in levels


Code Modules:

  •  ShadowTriggeringZone (Runtime) / handle the actor and ingame feature
  •  ShadowTriggeringZone (Editor) handle the tooling / workflow

Number of Blueprints: 1

Number of C++ Classes: 4

Network Replicated: No ( but works in multiplayer games as it's local for each player )

Supported Development Platforms: win64

Supported Target Build Platforms: windows Linux Mac0s ( should work on any platform, we coudl't test them, that's all )

Documentation: Online Doc

Example Project: demo map in the plugin

Important/Additional Notes: this is for Dynamic Shadows Only


/!\ UE 5 info /!\

due to the nature of Lumen, and lights affecting more than their default area, setting up the system may be harder in some cases


ChangleLog :

V1.1:

Fixed a build error for UE4.22

Added an option to hide editor buttons on the toolbar

V1.2:

Added support for Zone as Child actors

V1.3

QoL : Ability to have all shadow enabled in editor and system will init itself

Fixed issue related to begin play init

Support: Mail / Twitter