Virtual Textures in Unreal Engine

In this episode I'll explain what virtual textures do and show some issues you may encounter with them, and also how to fix them.

In a nutshell, VTs are a replacement for traditional MIP Maps. Those are smaller versions of the full texture, applied as the object is displayed further away from the camera. The downside to MIP Maps is that the whole map still needs to be loaded into memory, and they can sometimes show ugly moiré patterns. VTs use the original full size texture for all objects, but only use a small portion of it in memory - namely for the stuff that actually gets rendered.

VTs can also be used to blend materials together as objects intersect, like a rock sticking out from a landscape. Think of that ugly edge giving away it's a 3D scene. With VTs enabled, Unreal Engine can apply a bit of blending on both edges to make it look more natural.

However, VTs are an optional feature that's not enabled on every project, so it's up to us to use it when necessary. Furthermore, objects that use UDIMs require Virtual Textures to be enabled, otherwise the object itself won't show up as properly textured. This has an impact when you use asset packs that rely on VTs in a new project you've made, where VTs are not enabled.

You can find out more about what Virtual Textures are from EPIC's documentation: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentati...


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