New NVIDIA Updates for Unreal Engine Developers

Updates include improvements to Deep Learning Super Sampling, RTX Global Illumination, RTX Direct Illumination, and NVIDIA Real-Time Denoisers.

Ethan Einhorn
3 min readintermediate
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Overview

The article discusses the latest NVIDIA updates for Unreal Engine developers, focusing on the custom branch of Unreal Engine 4.27 (NvRTX) that enhances various NVIDIA technologies such as Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and RTX Global Illumination (RTXGI). It highlights improvements in performance and usability for game development.

What You'll Learn

1

How to integrate NVIDIA Reflex into your Unreal Engine 4.27 game

2

Why to use RTX Global Illumination for realistic lighting in games

3

How to utilize Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) to enhance game performance

Prerequisites & Requirements

  • Understanding of Unreal Engine development
  • Access to NVIDIA RTX-enabled GPU

Key Questions Answered

What improvements does the custom branch of Unreal Engine 4.27 offer?
The custom branch of Unreal Engine 4.27 (NvRTX) enhances Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), RTX Global Illumination (RTXGI), RTX Direct Illumination (RTXDI), and NVIDIA Real-Time Denoisers (NRD). It also improves support for Metahuman hair and increases the number of volumes supported in indirect lighting from 6 to 12.
How does NVIDIA Reflex reduce latency in games?
NVIDIA Reflex aligns game engine work to complete just-in-time for rendering, which eliminates the GPU render queue and reduces CPU back pressure in GPU-bound scenarios. This allows developers to optimize System Latency (click-to-display) effectively, enhancing overall game responsiveness.
What are the key features of the updated RTXGI plugin?
The updated RTXGI plugin doubles the number of volumes supported in the indirect lighting pass, allows developers to adjust screen-space indirect lighting resolution, and supports blending of more than 2 volumes. This enhances the capability to compute multi-bounce indirect lighting without bake times.

Key Statistics & Figures

Number of volumes supported in indirect lighting pass
12
Increased from 6 to 12 in the latest RTXGI update.

Technologies & Tools

Game Engine
Unreal Engine 4.27
Used for developing games with enhanced graphics and performance through NVIDIA technologies.
Graphics Technology
Deep Learning Super Sampling (dlss)
Boosts frame rates and image quality in games.
Graphics Technology
Rtx Global Illumination (rtxgi)
Provides scalable solutions for multi-bounce indirect lighting.
Latency Reduction Technology
Nvidia Reflex
Reduces latency in gaming by optimizing rendering processes.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Integrating NVIDIA Reflex into your game can significantly enhance player experience by reducing latency.
This is particularly important in competitive gaming scenarios where every millisecond counts, making your game feel more responsive and engaging.
2
Utilizing DLSS can help you achieve higher frame rates while maintaining visual fidelity.
This is especially beneficial for games that rely heavily on ray tracing, as it provides the necessary performance headroom to maximize graphical settings.
3
Adopting RTXGI can improve the realism of your game’s lighting.
By leveraging ray tracing for indirect lighting, you can create more immersive environments without the lengthy bake times associated with traditional lighting methods.

Common Pitfalls

1
Failing to properly initialize DLSS on d3d11 devices can lead to performance issues.
This can be avoided by ensuring that the latest updates and workarounds provided in the article are implemented during the development process.

Related Concepts

Ray Tracing In Game Development
Performance Optimization Techniques
Advanced Lighting Solutions In Unreal Engine