Large Scale Animated Foliage in The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo

Explore the technical challenges and solutions for rendering large-scale animated forests in The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 Tech Demo through this 37-minute conference talk from Unreal Fest Stockholm. Discover how developers overcame complex rendering obstacles and learn about the evolution of their approach before settling on Nanite Foliage with Voxels and Assemblies. Examine the mechanics of Nanite Skeletal Mesh Animation Instancing Wind working in conjunction with Assemblies, and understand how the team addressed critical technical aspects including shadows, ray tracing, and instancing in far-field scenarios. Gain insights into the iterative development process by reviewing earlier attempts and prototypes that led to the final solution. Learn about future plans for wind as an engine feature, building upon the valuable lessons and innovations developed during the demo creation process.