10:00 a.m., March 23, 2023, author: Ermakova M.
Next-gen graphics on Unreal Engine 5.2
During the GDC 2023 conference, Epic Games showed a video in which the Rivian R1T truck weaves its way through “a realistic environment, densely dotted with trees and lush vegetation”.
The world was created with the Quixel Megascans tool and the rugged rock formations with the Quixel MegaAssemblies.
In live footage, Epic showed off the new Substrate shading system, which gives artists the freedom to dial in and layer different shading patterns to achieve levels of fidelity and quality. Previously, this was not possible in real time.
“Digital rendering realistically deforms the tires as they drive through rocks and roots, faithfully replicates the performance of the independent air suspension as the truck races through mud splashes and puddles, with simulated realistic fluid and water rendering.”
During the presentation, they showed a large open world, which was prepared using procedural tools – the artists created a small part of the location, and the rest was recreated automatically.
Epic is exploring the possibilities of Procedural Content Generation (PCG), which developers can use to implement and populate large areas, guided by selected rules and parameters. The company noted that developers will benefit from simple and hassle-free manual placement of elements.
