Nanite + Lumen: Blueprint Integration (UE 5.6)

📚 Official Documentation & Resources

Nanite System:

• 📖 Nanite Virtualized Geometry - Complete Nanite overview
• 📖 Nanite Blueprint Integration - Runtime control and debugging
• 📖 Nanite Performance Guide - Optimization strategies

Lumen System:

• 📖 Lumen Global Illumination - Lumen system overview
• 📖 Lumen Performance Optimization - Performance tuning guide
• 📖 Lumen Blueprint Controls - Dynamic quality control

Related Video Tutorials:

• 🎥 Nanite LOD Management - Dynamic LOD control strategies
• 🎥 Lumen Quality Scaling - Adaptive quality techniques
• 🎥 Console & Mobile Optimization - Platform-specific tuning

---

🛠️ Blueprint Implementation

What/Why: Control UE5.6's Nanite virtualized geometry and Lumen global illumination from Blueprints for dynamic quality scaling and performance optimization.

Prereqs

• UE 5.6 project with Nanite and Lumen enabled (default for new projects)
• Hardware-accelerated raytracing support for full Lumen features

Steps

1. Nanite Blueprint Control

• Use Set Console Variable by Name: r.Nanite.MaxPixelsPerEdge (0.5-2.0) for quality scaling
• r.Nanite.ViewMeshLODBias (-2 to 2) for aggressive LOD control under performance pressure
• Runtime mesh complexity via Nanite Settings on Static Mesh Components: Override Position Precision and Percent Triangles

2. Lumen Dynamic Control

• Set Console Variable by Name: r.LumenScene.GlobalIllumination (0/1) to toggle GI
• r.Lumen.TraceMeshSDFs (0/1) for mesh distance field tracing vs surface cache
• Use Post Process Volume → Lumen Global Illumination: Intensity, Max Trace Distance, Scene Lighting Update Speed

3. TSR Quality Management

• r.TSR.ShadingRate (0.5-2.0) for performance vs quality balance
• r.TemporalAA.Upsampling (0/1) to toggle upsampling
• Monitor GPU time with Stat GPU and adjust TSR shading rate dynamically

4. Performance Scaling Pipeline

• Create BP_RenderingQualityManager (GameInstanceSubsystem)
• Functions: SetNaniteQuality(Low/Medium/High), SetLumenQuality(Low/Medium/High), ScaleTSR(float Quality)
• Auto-scale based on Stat Unit frametime thresholds (16ms = 60fps, 8ms = 120fps)

5. Platform-Specific Presets

• DataAsset DA_PlatformRenderSettings with Nanite/Lumen/TSR presets per platform
• On Begin Play: apply settings from platform-detected preset

Data

• DA_RenderQualityPresets: arrays of console variable settings per quality tier
• Soft references to quality-specific texture/mesh variants

Networking

• Quality settings per-client; don't sync visual settings across players
• Use Server RPC for shared world state (time of day affecting Lumen intensity)

Performance

• Budget GPU ms per frame: Mobile 20ms, Console 13ms (75fps), PC High-end 8ms (120fps)
• Profile with r.ShaderComplexity overlay and Stat RHI for draw call analysis
• Nanite reduces draw calls but increases GPU compute; balance with triangle density

Testing

• Test map with high-density Nanite meshes and complex Lumen lighting scenarios
• Profile across quality tiers; ensure 60fps minimum on target hardware
• Validate TSR upsampling doesn't introduce visible artifacts during fast movement

Suggested prompts

• "UE 5.6 Blueprints only. Create a BP_RenderingQualityManager subsystem that scales Nanite, Lumen, and TSR settings dynamically based on framerate."
• "Show Blueprint console variable nodes to control Nanite triangle density and Lumen trace distance at runtime."
• "Provide a platform detection system that applies optimal Nanite/Lumen settings for Mobile, Console, and PC targets."
• "Create a DataAsset for render quality presets and show how to apply them via Blueprint on startup."

Prompts for this example

• "Write the Blueprint nodes to monitor GPU frametime and reduce Nanite quality when exceeding 16ms per frame."
• "Show how to toggle Lumen GI and mesh SDF tracing via console variables in a performance scaling system."