Epic presented during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2023 a spectacular video demonstration of version 5.2 of the Unreal Engine. With just over six minutes, the new demo introduces new features that will add and make life easier for those who use this graphics engine.
Entitled Electric Dreams, the insane demo of Unreal Engine 5.2 leaves anyone very impressed. They are practically impressive visuals generated through the new rendering resources that are presented, such as vegetation and foliage, procedurally generated and with a quality that borders on photorealism.
And unlike previous videos, here we don't have a rocky setting, but a dense forest with lots of vegetation, which is traveled with a Rivian R1T electric pickup truck.
Along the way, it is possible to see the Chaos tool from Unreal Engine 5.2 working and making the scenario react to the truck's passage in the smallest details, such as slipping in vegetation, passing through a puddle of water or knocking over a stone.
Another feature presented is the Substrate, which is related to the material structure, that is, what the object is made of. Using this tool, it is possible to quickly change the structural elements that make up the object, as shown in the video when changing the color of the car for the reflective material simulating an opal stone.
And procedural applications are undoubtedly the most exciting for developers, who will be able to make big changes easier, especially for indie game companies, concisely and with great results.
In the demo, for example, a cliff is created within an existing scenery, and it immediately adapts to accommodate the new element in the landscape, as if it had been originally created alongside the scenery.
