ShaderWorld is a code plugin built by qualified engineers with at least a master degree in computer science.
Downloadable demo map (available in plugin content folder)
December 2023 :
*New*
Tutorial – Use any Landscape Material
November 2023:
11/21/2023 : 3.6 Release Livestream Material Interface | Terrain holes (caves) |
11/8/2023 Version 3.5 Patch Note: GPU Backend translated to CPU | Mesh Brush Components | Tiled import | Performance
Integration Tutorials:
Ultra Dynamic Sky tutorial + material setup (4 first minutes)
Fluid Ninja Integration tutorial
Shader World is an alternative to Unreal Engine Landscape, with a different terrain rendering strategy which better respects the terrain topography thanks to an adaptive terrain topology, it is also fully editable at runtime in packaged games, while Unreal Engine Landscapes cannot be modified once the game is packaged.
Shader World surface rendering can also be used to efficiently compute and render dynamic surfaces such as Oceans.
Shader World relies on GPGPU, General Purpose GPU programming, to generate its surface and place assets. It is currently the only fully GPU accelerated tool for procedural world generation available on the Unreal Engine marketplace.
For a given terrain resolution: World surface, collisions, and asset spawning are all generated on GPU deterministically. The only requirement is compute shaders supports, which for Smartphones means at least OpenGL ES 3.1 compatiblity, and for desktop GPU: any GPU since 2013.
Shader World plugin is a high performance modern procedural world toolkit, integrated in Unreal Engine ecosystem, with fast iteration and instant feedback.
Drawing inspiration from industry leaders and standards, the asset spawning framework is heavily inspired from the one currently used by games such as Horizon Zero Dawn.
Website : shader.world
Email: contact@shader.world
Twitter : twitter.com/ShaderWorldPlugin
Opened Discord : discord.ShaderWorldPlugin
October 2023 :
10/15/2023 Version 3.2 Patch Note : Compute Shader Material Evaluation | Initial Spline support | Biomes & Materials Collections Objects
Version 3.0 Release Stream : PCG Compatiblity | Bounded World | Improved Culling
Version 2.0 + Ultra Dynamic Sky Showcase
Shader World vs Unreal Engine Landscap
Github access : we just need your github username and a proof of ownership.
Proof of ownership, two options :
– By Email : Mailing your Order ID and Epic User name account, as well as github account name to “contact@shader.world”, we will then be able to confirm ownership by contacting Marketplace support.
– From the UE Marketplace, Shader World page – You can leave a Question (even temporary, removed after) or a Full Review (Please no verification only reviews, no unsubstantial reviews). Thanks to a small key appearing next to your username we can instantly attest ownership.
Discord is opened, you don’t need any discord identification.
Technical Details
Tested and compatible with : Windows 10, Mac (arm M1), iOS(IPad mini), Android (S9 OpenGL&Vulkan)
Documentation: Shader World Plugin – Documentation
Github access : see end of Description for proof of ownership
Features:
- World creation from a Material function and Blueprint Brushes : fast iteration, instant feedback
- Modern Virtual HeightField as a Geometry clip map representation
- Landscape data layers : runtime computed equivalent to traditional UE4 Landscape layers
- Mesh and Actor spawning with custom density functions : GPU Driven, using Data layers
- BP Brushes can write into landscape layers : Heightmap Brush demo writes flowmap
- 16 Bits Heightmap import using a blueprint tool (raw/png 16bits)
- Compatible with mobile (Android & iOS) and desktop devices (Windows & Mac)
- Spawnable Meshes can enable collisions only at proximity for optimal performance
- Scalable Landscape Material: Clean and Commented, Manage Multi Biomes and feature performance options
Code Modules:
- ShaderWorld, Type: Runtime
Number of Blueprints: 15+
Number of C++ Classes: 40+
Supported Development Platforms: Windows, Linux, MacOS
Supported Target Build Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, Oculus, PS4, Xbox One, Steam VR, Gear VR
You can contact us at any time and request that the asset you want be added to the site from the Request Asset section.
