Expanding horizons with Unreal Engine 5.5: what’s new?

A multitude of experimental features (such as Vulkan ray tracing, now in “production” status), in-development game previews on mobile devices aimed at improving the user experience, and “volumetric” realistic fog that will bring even more life to architectural renders (and beyond), making them more in tune with our physical reality.

Yes, our 3D artists in the architectural visualization and rendering studio have been swimming in an ocean of new information since the annual Unreal Fest, which was held this year in Seattle. While some still think that Path Tracer or Lumen has remained the same, they are occasionally hitting the underestimated tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface lie details that beg for deep exploration. And this isn’t just for visualizers; some are already attempting to tame the 24-hour day cycle with the Day Sequence plugin. Hundreds of data-rich sessions will be invaluable not only for developers but also for filmmakers, game creators, and VR developers.

For this reason, we don’t aim to limit the advancements presented in Unreal Engine 5.5 to a narrow niche like interior renders for apartments or the exteriors of country villas – in other words, the rendering product. We are ready to dive deep, absorbing both the tools on the Unreal Editor roadmap and the extended reality technologies for designing HMI (Human-Machine Interface). In short, let’s go step by step!

Lumen 

In addition to the fact that images are now more “stable” (in other words, some artifacts have been fixed), we also get smoother and more detailed visuals thanks to the frame rate (it now supports 60 Hz with HWRT) and improved real-time lighting processing. In short, performance is skyrocketing!

As for lighting, the capabilities of the technology responsible for its baking accuracy – light baking – have been enhanced. With static lighting, the interaction between light and surfaces is improved, along with the visual quality of the renders.

Path Tracer  

The 5th version of the engine, with its “unfinished” Path Tracer, led to a major release that has now streamlined all production processes (including sky atmosphere simulation). Simply put, in progressive rendering mode, it now produces ultra-high-quality images, with DXR contributing to faster creation times. By the way, to back up the claim of its “production-readiness” we can point to the animated feature film about the life of Pharrell Williams, which used Path Tracer.

Additionally, until today, Path Tracer did not support the community using Linux-based operating systems. That has been fixed. Now, they too can integrate the feature into their workflows without being limited to the Windows environment.

Substrate 

Remember how, in its experimental form, the mysterious modular framework allowed for high-quality representation of material layering, say, applied to a scooter model (why not, right?). Can you guess what beast has been unleashed in the beta version now? Substrate has stayed true to its roots, but over time, since showcasing its capabilities in Unreal Engine 5.2, it has undergone a noticeable transformation – now supporting legacy material functions and all platforms that UE deploys to. Total control over the appearance of objects! 

Movie Render Graph 

Movie Render Graph (MRG) keeps up with the times and, in this new release, is officially “production-ready”. Based on a graph system, it now accounts for custom metadata in raster images (visualizers can extract this metadata from EXR files for more precise image processing).

After some user feedback, MRG now supports Spawnables. This feature allows for the creation of individual objects during scene rendering without needing to load them at the start of development. This impacts the system’s dynamics and performance. It is particularly useful for animation, where particles or effects change their state over time.

But that’s not all! Render Layers in MRG now works with all types of objects, from transparent ones (like glass) to heterogeneous ones (such as smoke with varying properties in different parts), from Niagara effects to atmospheric phenomena (like the sun and rain). As a result, the Sky Sphere object becomes unnecessary, as it used to slow down development due to additional configurations.

Additionally, the new spatiotemporal denoiser for Path Tracer is a welcome feature, making complex 3D scenes “cleaner” by removing any noise.

MegaLights  

This is the most exciting breakthrough for game developers and, by extension, architectural visualization enthusiasts, unofficially dubbed “the Nanite of lights”. The innovation of this feature lies in the sheer number of dynamic light sources that can be added and subsequently processed in a scene – hundreds of them, each casting realistic shadows from every object.

Nanite Skeletal Meshes  

In Unreal Engine 5.5, a major update (also released as an experiment) called Nanite Skeletal Meshes has been introduced. Now, animated character models and entire crowds for realistic 3D scenes will be handled by this system.

Previously used for static objects, this feature has made a breakthrough by supporting skeletal meshes, offering a wide range of benefits. For instance, without sacrificing performance, it will no longer be necessary to render each individual character (and process them separately) for exterior scenes, as they will be loaded as a unified stream – without any loss in detail!

ICVFX 

High-quality, effects-rich films and advertisements are now revolutionized thanks to a wide range of new tools for creating virtual content. The first of these tools is…

SMPTE 2110

SMPTE 2110 in Unreal Engine meticulously monitors frame synchronization (automatically correcting any discrepancies), using PTP as the timecode provider and supporting OCIO for 2110 media content.

Camera Calibration

To accurately display images in a virtual environment, it’s essential to properly adjust parameters like focal length, field of view, and a dozen other settings. The camera calibration feature introduced in UE 5.5 handles this excellently, delivering realistic results. Additionally, it simplifies working with effects, such as adding camera shake.

Virtual Scouting  

The toolset for virtual scouting, which was first introduced in version 5.4, has been updated. It now includes a VR content browser and asset placement, making it easier to search for and drag objects in the virtual environment. Furthermore, actions like rotating, moving, and scaling objects can be customized using Blueprint.

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Are you looking to evaluate potential risks before beginning the construction of your cottage or villa? Our 3D visualization specialists will bring your ideas to life with meticulous detail. Tell us more, and we’ll get the process underway!

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