This week we focused on preparing our projects for feedback and learning how to render in Unreal Engine. Before rendering, we made sure all project files were updated and documented in the blog. The session was all about understanding how precise and technical rendering can be, and how small changes in settings can make a big difference in quality and performance.
Some of the key render settings we worked with included:
- r.ScreenPercentage (start small, like 120, then increase to 150 if needed) – controls render resolution relative to screen size.
- r.MotionBlurQuality 4 and r.MotionBlurSeparable 1 – for realistic motion blur.
- r.DepthOfFieldQuality 4 – sharpness and realism for focus effects.
- r.BloomQuality 5 – intensity of bloom for bright highlights.
- r.Tonemapper.Quality 5 – affects overall color mapping and final image tone.
- r.TemporalAA.Upsampling 0 and r.TemporalAACurrentFrameWeight 0.5 – for temporal anti-aliasing and smoothing motion.
- r.Lumen.Reflections.MaxRoughnessToTrace 1 and r.Lumen.Reflections.Temporal 0 – controls Lumen reflections and their quality on surfaces.
- r.Shadow.Virtual.ResolutionLodBiasDirectional 0 and r.Shadow.Virtual.ResolutionLodBiasLocal 0 – important for shadow resolution and accuracy.
We also learned about rendering workflows. Rendering as a sequence of images is safer than rendering directly to video. If the render crashes, you can continue from the last saved frame instead of starting over. Direct video render is faster but riskier, especially with high-quality settings. Performance depends heavily on your computer hardware, so knowing your limits is important.
Other important settings to consider:
- ReflectionCaptureResolution – controls the resolution of reflection captures for more realistic reflective surfaces.
- ShadowQuality and ShadowResolutionScale – critical for sharp and accurate shadows.
- Anti-AliasingMethod (FXAA, TAA, or MSAA) – affects how smooth edges appear.
- PostProcessSettings – exposure, color grading, bloom, and vignette can drastically change the mood.
- IES Profiles for lights – makes spotlights behave more realistically.
- Ray Tracing options (if enabled) – improves reflections, shadows, and global illumination but impacts performance.
Overall, this week showed me how technical precision and planning are just as important as creativity.