This repository provides a pre-integrated build of Unreal Engine 4.18.3 with multiple NVIDIA GameWorks technologies, targeting game developers and researchers seeking to leverage advanced visual effects. It offers a consolidated environment for exploring and implementing features like destruction, particle simulation, fluid dynamics, advanced hair rendering, realistic water, and real-time global illumination.

How It Works

The project integrates several NVIDIA GameWorks libraries as UE4 plugins: Blast for destruction, Flex for GPU-accelerated particle simulation (fluids, cloth, etc.), Flow for voxel-based fluid simulation, HairWorks for character hair rendering, WaveWorks for real-time ocean simulation, and VXGI for voxel global illumination. This approach allows developers to utilize these specialized, GPU-intensive features within the familiar UE4 framework.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: Requires cloning the repository, running Setup.bat (Windows), Setup.command (Mac), or Setup.sh (Linux) to download binaries, then generating project files (GenerateProjectFiles.bat/.command) and building the engine via Visual Studio (Windows) or Xcode (Mac).
• Prerequisites: Windows 8+, Visual Studio 2017 (with "Game Development with C++" workload), Mac with Xcode, or Linux. NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support is required for WaveWorks. Android NDK, Emscripten, or console SDKs are needed for respective platform support.
• Build Time: Compilation can take 10-40 minutes depending on system specs.
• Resources: Binary download is 3-4GB.

Highlighted Details

• Integrates Blast, Flex, Flow, HairWorks, WaveWorks, and VXGI.
• WaveWorks requires a CUDA-capable GPU; alternative licensing for CPU/Direct Compute is available via contact.
• VXGI configuration involves specific console variables and actor placements for optimal results.
• UE4 version is fixed at 4.18.3.

Maintenance & Community

Discussions and support are primarily handled through the NVIDIA GameWorks Integration forum thread on Unreal Engine forums. Specific VXGI questions can be directed to forum user Alexey.Panteleev or GitHub issues.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project's license is specified in LICENSE.md. Commercial use and linking with closed-source projects depend on the terms outlined in that file, which is not detailed here.

Limitations & Caveats

VXGI's DirectX 12 support is experimental and may be slower than DX11. Pre-computing VXGI lighting for lower-end systems or mobile is not implemented. The integration is tied to a specific UE4 version (4.18.3), potentially limiting compatibility with newer engine features or workflows.