Epic has updated Unreal Engine to version 4.8. This is said to be the "largest update to Unreal Engine to date," and brings nearly 200 changes from the developer community and a raft of updates from Epic.
One of the most important updates in Unreal Engine 4.8 is going to be its multiplatform VR support. HEXUS readers have noted the swell of news surrounding VR hardware and software of late and the popular Unreal Engine wants be the tool of choice for many VR developers.
The support offered by Epic for VR hardware is certainly multi-platform and includes; Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Steam VR and HTC Vive, Leap Motion, and Sony's Project Morpheus for PlayStation 4.
With reference to the Steam VR API and HTC Vive, Epic says that users/developers will be able to instantly preview games on a connected Vive via a VR Preview button. All Vive motion controller features and inputs are supported. Turning to the PlayStation 4 Morpheus VR system, Unreal Engine now supports 120Hz rendering using temporal reprojection and greatly improved 3D audio playback in VR.
Another highlight of the new release is in its grass rendering and procedural foliage systems. Grass rendering for large open worlds has been improved to allow developers to implement "huge amounts of grass and ground cover with temporal LOD (level of detail) cross-fading". New Landscape Grass Tools and a redesigned foliage editor complement this release. Motion blur is now more accurate than ever and both depth of field and tone mapper effects made more 'filmic'.
Further notable improvements in Unreal Engine 4.8 are 'scrubbable' network replays with rewind support and live time scrubbing. Developers might also appreciate the new high resolution Unreal Example Character included with templates, dynamic reflections on translucent surfaces, quick window switching and an asset size mapper which lets you check how much memory assets will use up. The full release notes for Unreal Engine 4.8 are available here.
In related news General Manager at Epic Games, Ray Davis, has been talking about how the Xbox One could benefit from a step up in performance from DirectX 12 plus Unreal Engine 4.
