Unreal Engine 5.2 is available for download, new features detailed
Epic Games has announced that Unreal Engine 5.2 is now available for download to everyone. Moreover, the team has detailed its new features that developers can use in their games.
For starters, UE 5.2 supports Procedural Content Generation (PCG) tools and the Substrate shading system.
According to Epic, the new Substrate shading system gives artists the freedom to compose and layer different shading models to achieve levels of fidelity and quality not possible before in real-time. In addition, the new PCG tools empower artists to define rules and parameters to quickly populate expansive, highly detailed spaces that are art-directable in manner and work seamlessly with hand-placed content.
Additional updates in Unreal Engine 5.2 include enhancements to the virtual production toolset, including a new iPad app which will offer an intuitive touch-based interface for stage operations; native support for Apple Silicon within the Unreal Editor; and a new ML Deformer sample project which explores how Unreal Engine machine learning technology can be used to create a high-fidelity real-time character with deformations driven by full muscle, flesh, and cloth simulation.
Furthermore, Unreal Engine 5.2 brings some Nanite and Lumen improvements. And yes, this new version has the new PSO precaching mechanism to improve PSO hitching in DX12 titles. This is huge, so let’s hope that developers will take advantage of it.
Do note that the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 games won’t likely support this feature. After all, these DX12 PSO improvements were first introduced in UE5.1. So no, I don’t expect Layers of Fear, Immortals of Aveum, or Atlas Fallen to be using them.
Lastly, you can find the full release notes for UE5.2 here!
Unreal Engine 5.2 Feature Highlights
Watch this video on YouTube
Source: DSOGaming
