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Lefteris Notas dc9c1a6b98 Add DA_RenderPipelineProfile and Platform Render Profiles documentation

- Introduced DA_RenderPipelineProfile data asset to define rendering pipeline configurations for various platforms and quality tiers.
- Documented enums, structs, variables, and default preset tables for render settings.
- Created a comprehensive developer guide for setting up platform-specific render profiles, including file structure, profile creation, and integration with upscalers.
- Included validation rules, console variable references, and testing matrices for ensuring compliance with platform requirements.

2026-05-22 18:10:24 +03:00

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DA_RenderPipelineProfile — Data Asset

Parent Class: UPrimaryDataAsset Dependencies: BPC_RenderPipelineManager Purpose: Defines a complete rendering pipeline configuration for a specific quality tier on a specific platform family. Each profile maps quality presets (Low/Medium/High/Ultra/Cinematic) to concrete UE5 render settings: global illumination method, shadow method, reflection method, anti-aliasing, upscaling, Nanite/LOD strategy, and post-process presets. Designers configure these per-platform so PS4 gets baked light + CSM shadows while PS5 gets Lumen + Virtual Shadow Maps.

Design Rationale

UE5's rendering pipeline is not runtime-switchable for certain features (Lumen ON/OFF, Nanite ON/OFF). These must be configured before the engine initializes or before a level loads. This Data Asset serves as the single source of truth for the render pipeline configuration. BPC_RenderPipelineManager reads the appropriate profile based on the player's quality selection and platform, then applies console variables through UE5's IConsoleManager or UGameUserSettings scalability API.

1. Enums

`ERenderPipelineMethod`

Value	Description
`Lumen_GI = 0`	Lumen Global Illumination + Reflection
`Baked_Lightmass = 1`	Static baked lightmaps + reflection captures
`SSGI = 2`	Screen-space global illumination (mid-range fallback)
`None = 3`	No GI — unlit or emissive-only

`EShadowMethod`

Value	Description
`VirtualShadowMaps = 0`	UE5 Virtual Shadow Maps (Nanite-compatible)
`CascadedShadowMaps = 1`	Traditional CSM (low-end compatible)
`DistanceFieldShadows = 2`	Ray-traced distance field shadows
`None = 3`	No dynamic shadows

`EReflectionMethod`

Value	Description
`Lumen_Reflections = 0`	Lumen reflection system
`ScreenSpace = 1`	Screen-space reflections (SSR)
`ReflectionCaptures = 2`	Static sphere/box reflection captures (baked)
`None = 3`	No reflections

`EUpscalerMethod`

Value	Description
`TSR = 0`	Temporal Super Resolution (UE5 built-in)
`DLSS = 1`	NVIDIA DLSS 3 (requires plugin + RTX GPU)
`FSR = 2`	AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 2/3
`PSSR = 3`	PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PS5 Pro only)
`XeSS = 4`	Intel Xe Super Sampling
`NIS = 5`	NVIDIA Image Scaling (vendor-agnostic)
`None = 6`	Native resolution — no upscaling
`TAAU = 7`	Temporal Anti-Aliasing Upsample (legacy)

`EMeshStrategy`

Value	Description
`Nanite = 0`	Nanite virtualized geometry (UE5 only)
`Traditional_LOD = 1`	Standard static mesh LODs
`ProxyGeometry = 2`	HLOD/proxy geometry for distant objects

`EPlatformFamily`

Value	Description	Default Render Method
`PC_High = 0`	PC with RTX 2000+ / RX 6000+	Lumen + Nanite
`PC_Low = 1`	PC with GTX 900–1600 / iGPU	Baked + CSM
`PS5 = 2`	PlayStation 5	Lumen + Nanite
`PS5_Pro = 3`	PlayStation 5 Pro (PSSR support)	Lumen + Nanite + PSSR
`PS4 = 4`	PlayStation 4 / PS4 Pro	Baked + CSM + TAAU
`Xbox_Series = 5`	Xbox Series X\|S	Lumen + Nanite
`Xbox_One = 6`	Xbox One / One X	Baked + CSM + TAAU
`Switch_2 = 7`	Nintendo Switch 2 (when available)	Baked + CSM + FSR
`Switch = 8`	Nintendo Switch	Baked + ProxyGeometry + NIS
`SteamDeck = 9`	Steam Deck / handheld PC	Baked/SSGI + CSM + FSR

2. Structs

`SRenderPipelineConfig`

Field	Type	Description
`QualityPresetName`	`FName`	Identifier ("Low", "Medium", "High", "Ultra", "Cinematic")
`GIMethod`	`ERenderPipelineMethod`	Global illumination method
`ShadowMethod`	`EShadowMethod`	Shadow rendering method
`ReflectionMethod`	`EReflectionMethod`	Reflection rendering method
`Upscaler`	`EUpscalerMethod`	Upscaling method
`UpscalerQuality`	`int32`	Upscaler quality tier (0=Performance, 1=Balanced, 2=Quality, 3=UltraQuality)
`MeshStrategy`	`EMeshStrategy`	Geometry rendering strategy
`ResolutionScale`	`float`	Screen percentage (0.5–1.0)
`DynamicResolutionTarget`	`float`	Target ms for dynamic resolution (0=disabled)
`ShadowQuality`	`int32`	Shadow resolution/distance tier (0=NONE, 1=LOW, 2=MED, 3=HIGH, 4=EPIC)
`TextureQuality`	`int32`	Texture streaming pool tier (0–3)
`PostProcessQuality`	`int32`	Post-process complexity (0–3)
`ViewDistanceQuality`	`int32`	View distance tier (0–3)
`FoliageQuality`	`int32`	Foliage density tier (0–3)
`AntiAliasingQuality`	`int32`	AA quality tier (0–3)
`bEnableMotionBlur`	`bool`	Motion blur toggle
`bEnableDepthOfField`	`bool`	Depth of field toggle
`bEnableVolumetricClouds`	`bool`	Volumetric cloud rendering
`bEnableVirtualTextures`	`bool`	Runtime virtual textures
`bEnableHWRT`	`bool`	Hardware ray tracing (requires RT-capable GPU)
`bRequiresLevelReload`	`bool`	TRUE if this setting requires a level reload to take effect
`TargetFPS`	`int32`	Frame rate target (0=unlimited)
`bEnableVSync`	`bool`	Vertical sync
`Description`	`FText`	Human-readable description for settings UI

`SPlatformRenderDefaults`

Field	Type	Description
`Platform`	`EPlatformFamily`	Target platform
`DefaultQualityPreset`	`FName`	Preset to use on first launch ("Medium" for most)
`SupportedPipelines`	`TArray<ERenderPipelineMethod>`	Which GI methods this platform supports
`SupportedUpscalers`	`TArray<EUpscalerMethod>`	Which upscalers this platform supports
`MaxResolutionScale`	`float`	Maximum resolution scale (e.g., 1.0 for PS5, 0.7 for Switch)
`MaxFPS`	`int32`	Maximum recommended FPS target
`VRAMBudget_MB`	`int32`	Typical VRAM budget for this platform
`bSupportsNanite`	`bool`	Platform supports Nanite
`bSupportsLumen`	`bool`	Platform supports Lumen
`bSupportsHWRT`	`bool`	Platform supports hardware ray tracing
`ConsoleVariables`	`TMap<FString, FString>`	Additional platform-specific CVar overrides

3. Variables

Configuration (Instance Editable)

Variable	Type	Default	Category	Description
`PlatformFamily`	`EPlatformFamily`	`PC_High`	`Config`	Which platform this profile targets
`PlatformDefaults`	`SPlatformRenderDefaults`	—	`Config`	Platform-specific capabilities and defaults
`QualityPresets`	`TMap<FName, SRenderPipelineConfig>`	`Empty`	`Config`	Maps quality preset names to render configs
`bAllowDynamicPresetSwitch`	`bool`	`true`	`Config`	Whether quality can change without level reload
`bAutoDetectPlatform`	`bool`	`true`	`Config`	Auto-detect platform at startup

4. Default Preset Tables (Per-Platform)

PS5 (EPlatformFamily::PS5) — Target: 60 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	70%	Baked	CSM	Captures	TSR Perf	LOD	60
Medium	85%	Lumen Low	VSM Low	Lumen Low	TSR Balanced	Nanite	60
High	100%	Lumen High	VSM High	Lumen High	TSR Quality	Nanite	60
Ultra	100%	Lumen Ultra	VSM Ultra	Lumen Ultra	PSSR	Nanite	60
Cinematic	100%	Lumen + HWRT	VSM + RT	Lumen + RT	PSSR	Nanite	30

PS4 (EPlatformFamily::PS4) — Target: 30 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	60%	None	CSM Low	None	TAAU	Proxy	30
Medium	75%	Baked	CSM Medium	Captures	TAAU	LOD	30
High	90%	Baked	CSM High	Captures + SSR	TAAU	LOD	30

PC_High (RTX 3080+) — Target: 120 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	70%	SSGI	CSM	SSR	DLSS Perf	LOD	120
Medium	85%	Lumen Low	VSM	Lumen Low	DLSS Balanced	Nanite	120
High	100%	Lumen High	VSM	Lumen High	DLSS Quality	Nanite	120
Ultra	100%	Lumen Ultra	VSM Ultra	Lumen Ultra	DLSS Quality	Nanite	120
Cinematic	120%	Lumen + HWRT	VSM + RT	Lumen + RT	DLSS UltraQ	Nanite	60

PC_Low (GTX 1060 / integrated) — Target: 30 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	50%	None	CSM Low	None	FSR Perf	Proxy	30
Medium	65%	Baked	CSM Medium	Captures	FSR Balanced	LOD	30
High	80%	SSGI	CSM High	SSR	FSR Quality	LOD	30

Switch (EPlatformFamily::Switch) — Target: 30 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	40%	None	CSM Low	None	NIS	Proxy	30
Medium	55%	Baked	CSM Med	Captures	NIS	LOD	30
High	70%	Baked	CSM High	Captures	FSR	LOD	30

Xbox_Series (EPlatformFamily::Xbox_Series) — Target: 60 FPS

Preset	Resolution %	GI	Shadows	Reflections	Upscaler	Mesh	FPS
Low	70%	Baked	CSM	Captures	FSR Perf	LOD	60
Medium	85%	Lumen Low	VSM Low	Lumen Low	FSR Balanced	Nanite	60
High	100%	Lumen High	VSM High	Lumen High	FSR Quality	Nanite	60
Ultra	100%	Lumen Ultra	VSM Ultra	Lumen Ultra	FSR Quality	Nanite	60

5. Functions

This Data Asset has no Blueprint functions. All data retrieval is performed by BPC_RenderPipelineManager reading the struct tables directly.

6. Console Variable Reference (per setting)

When BPC_RenderPipelineManager applies a SRenderPipelineConfig, it sets these UE5 console variables:

[Global Illumination]
r.DynamicGlobalIlluminationMethod  <0=None, 1=Lumen, 2=SSGI, 3=Plugin>
r.Lumen.Reflections.Allow           <0/1>
r.Lumen.DiffuseIndirect.Allow       <0/1>
r.Lumen.TranslucencyVolume         <0/1>

[Shadows]
r.Shadow.Virtual.Enable             <0/1>
r.Shadow.CSM.MaxCascades           <0-4>
sg.ShadowQuality                   <0-4>

[Reflections]
r.ReflectionMethod                  <0=None, 1=Lumen, 2=SSR>
r.SSR.Quality                      <0-4>

[Upscaling]
r.TemporalAA.Upsampling            <0/1>
r.TSR.History.ScreenPercentage     <50-200>
r.NGX.DLSS.Enable                  <0/1>    (DLSS plugin)
r.FidelityFX.FSR2.Enabled          <0/1>    (FSR plugin)
r.FidelityFX.FI.Enabled            <0/1>

[Mesh / Nanite]
r.Nanite                           <0/1>
r.Nanite.MaxPixelsPerEdge         <1-4>
r.StaticMeshLODDistanceScale      <0.5-3.0>

[Post Process]
sg.PostProcessQuality              <0-3>
r.MotionBlurQuality               <0-4>
r.DepthOfFieldQuality             <0-4>

[Textures]
sg.TextureQuality                  <0-3>
r.Streaming.PoolSize              <MB value>

[View Distance]
sg.ViewDistanceQuality             <0-3>
r.ViewDistanceScale               <0.5-3.0>
foliage.LODDistanceScale          <0.5-3.0>

[Volumetrics]
r.VolumetricCloud                  <0/1>
r.VolumetricFog                   <0/1>

[Hardware RT]
r.RayTracing                       <0/1>
r.RayTracing.Shadows              <0/1>
r.RayTracing.Reflections          <0/1>

7. Integration with Planar Capture System

The Planar Capture System (BPC_PlanarCapture, system 136) uses SceneCapture2D components that capture the world from a separate camera. These captures respect the world's current render state, meaning:

Main Pipeline Setting	Effect on Planar Capture
Lumen GI ON	Capture shows Lumen-lit scene (if `bEnableLumen` on capture profile)
Baked Lightmass	Capture shows baked lighting — SceneCapture2D picks this up naturally
Nanite ON	Captures render Nanite geometry (significant cost — bump down capture quality tier)
Traditional LOD	Captures use standard LOD — lower cost
VSM ON	Capture benefits from VSM (if capture profile enables shadows)
CSM	Capture uses CSM — lower cost but lower quality

Key rule: When the main pipeline switches to Baked Lightmass, the Planar Capture System's quality tier profiles should also use bEnableLumen = false to prevent the capture from trying to enable Lumen on a world that doesn't use it. BPC_RenderPipelineManager broadcasts OnRenderPipelineChanged which SS_PlanarCaptureManager binds to, adjusting its GlobalQualityCap accordingly.

See BPC_RenderPipelineManager for the full integration spec.

8. Validation Rules

At least one quality preset must be defined
All preset names must be unique
bRequiresLevelReload must be TRUE for profile changes that modify GIMethod, ShadowMethod, or MeshStrategy from the current value
Platform family must not be Unknown (use auto-detection as fallback)
ResolutionScale must be 0.25–2.0
Upscaler must be in SupportedUpscalers for the target platform

9. Consumed By

BPC_RenderPipelineManager — reads profiles at init and on quality change
BPC_PerformanceScaler — delegates quality-tier CVar application
SS_PlanarCaptureManager — adjusts capture quality cap on pipeline change

10. Reuse Notes

Platform profiles are Data Asset instances — designers create DA_RPP_PS5, DA_RPP_PS4, DA_RPP_PC_High, DA_RPP_PC_Low, etc.
The bRequiresLevelReload flag is critical — UI must display a "requires restart" warning when the player changes a pipeline-affecting setting (GI method, shadow method, Nanite toggle).
Upscaler plugins (DLSS, FSR, XeSS) must be enabled in Project Settings → Plugins. If a plugin is missing, the system falls back to the next available upscaler.
For console certification: each platform must have a DA_RenderPipelineProfile instance that meets Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo TRC requirements (minimum FPS target, resolution floor).
The ConsoleVariables override map on SPlatformRenderDefaults allows per-platform tweaks without modifying the quality preset structs.

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