How to merge and optimize actors in unreal engine

In this video I will show you how you can combine multiple static meshes into one. Remember this is one of the last steps you want to do since once you merge your actors together you cannot go back, unless you do not check that box that states : "replace current actors" . Make sure all your static meshes are set up for your collision and you are satisfied with it, by merging actors you merging multiple actors into one, all of its materials become one, the location and transformation of each mesh or even deleting one wont be available to you. Why merging actors together? As I stated previously this is your last step after all the set up and tweaking. Notice how I have combined all the static meshes of the ship. There are other ways of doing it as well, you can break it down by floors, rooms and many other ways. I decided to combine one ship into one static mesh. Once that is complete your static mesh will only have the materials that have been applied. In this video I combined 193 static meshes into one. Imagine the game engine compiling each texture and material for each of those meshes all 193 times when you can combine them into few or in this video to jus 1. That will help you in a long run as your level gets bigger. Use LOD's to decrease the amount of triangles your mesh will have, farther you go away the less it will have but notice you see almost no difference and that is because of the distance. Be realistic you are not going to be able to see 555 thousand of triangles from a mile away however a few thousand that look like the original model is what you want. last but not least you don't need to use Normal maps on further LOD's levels since it is only visible at a closer screen view. Just duplicate your materials and delete the normal map from it and replace them on the rest of your LOD's. One more thing that I have not included in the video but can be useful and that is the last step that you will take in optimizing your level... if you are still reading this look into HLOD's I also have a video regarding it. That will optimize your scene even more.

[@pLayC]

when i merge actors and then build lighting the the shadows get all messed up on the mesh, like dark spots and and stuff

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

I had that before you must disable a long distance shadow. I don’t have access to my computer right now but I do have a video on it on my KZbin channel. I had some problems before. Are the shadows forming like on edges and any corners of the mesh and it gets dark/ black? That’s your shadows that need to be disabled on that particular mesh .

[@mae2309]

How you color your folders?. Lol

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Good question, right click on any folder, select "Set color" then click" New Color" pick your color, click "okay". Yo can then re apply existing colors to your folders or delete them. I will make a tutorial on it with other tips for Unreal Engine. I will make them short and strait to the point. Thank you for the question.

[@armondtanz]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames Hahahaha, i literally typed out the same question. I colour all my folders on windows as well. So this will be great. Sooooooo fookin' awesome!!!! and probably the easiest tip EVER involving Unreal ;p

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

@@armondtanz i m glad you have found this video and that it helped you

[@armondtanz]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames ah no worries. Great vid explaining wot needs to be done. As a mini film maker i dont have much knowledge of Unreal technical side. This explained 2 great aspects. Combine mesh & LODs. AAAAND i get to color my folders!!!. If your up for a challenge.... if u could make a vid how to render out shadows on alpha channel. Ive looked into stencil layers/ composure.... so frustrating. Might involve a clever blueprint but so far its an absolute mystery" thanks :D

[@johann3dsouza]

Hi @Scorpion Venom can you invite me to your discord please ?

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Hi Johan, My discord is listed in my about page on youtube.

[@diomiziofattorelli6609]

Probably a silly question but what is the difference to assembly a prop like this in unreal instead of a 3d software like maya or 3ds max? Has the unreal merging some benefits that I can't see?

[@FlawlessSin11]

because instead of taking the time to create several unique models in maya you can instead build out a modular library of assets that you can then use to build out a level in UE4 that all look unique but in reality use several assets in different configurations. then you merge them together to optimize. Not really any different, just makes it easier to use modularity.

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Pretty much what flawless said. Its a quick and easy set up.

[@GokdenizCetin]

Thanks!

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

You are welcome! I am glad it was useful to you!

[@sylvaindelaine]

Thank you for the tutorial ! I have a problem , each time i restart Unreal and load my BP or Level, The Engine rebuild all the Merge Assets and LOD wich is time consuming ( Few Hours ! )All the assets with LOD and Merge are saved in their respective folders. i use Unreal 4.27 for that particular project ! Do anyone have any suggestions or fix ?

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

I am assuming you are using world composition system correct? If so there you can save each mesh, bp anything really in a separate section of a level to always load up. I have videos on that already and it should be under my island world project development that I am a currently working on . However I am now on unreal 5 and they use a bit different system which is called world partition and it is same concept there too.

[@sameervakil4386]

Thanks a lot :)

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

I am glad you have found it useful. Let me know if u have any other questions

[@cabreram.4734]

Hello. Do you know if there's a way to merge actor's textures only inside unreal engine? If I have 4 2k textures and want to have them in one 4k textures but without using 3rt party software? I'd be a life saver but wishful thinking I guess.

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Hello, Cabrera, can you give me an example of what you are referring too? I am not understanding it visually to what you are referring to.

[@KeepItSimplePC]

when i do this i notice the inside of my buildings are brighter then the original. have you noticed this? and if so how did you correct it

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

No I have not noticed it! Are you using same models from the project or are they different? I know some devs. Have separate interior from exterior. Also in future videos I will be re doing my ship anyways . Having it as one static mesh is not ideal. Try using blueprints instead

[@KeepItSimplePC]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames defiantly the same models and i also started using BP's as well

[@mineogames]

Hey, thanks for the nice tutorial. I could not find documentation for the 3 types of merging options (I mean the icons at the top of the merge actor windows). Do you know what are they for and how to use them properly?

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

can you send me a screenshot of what you are referring to? or drop time line in my video so i can look at it?

[@mineogames]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames at 0:49 actually at the top there are three icons. These are options for merging that I don’t find in Official Documentation

[@meanderingdev]

When you built the lighting for the map with that in it, did it complain about overlapping UVs?

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

No why? Are you talking about meshes overlaping each other?

[@meanderingdev]

​@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames When I try to do what you've done here (pre LOD changes), then build lighting on the map, they get a blotchy black light map on them, and mapcheck returns "Error: Lightmap UV are overlapping by 66.7%. Please adjust content - Enable Error Coloring to visualize" It appears to have to do with UV channel 1 having overlapping UVs, but the meshes on their own don't throw any errors - so its not an issue with their import - I think.

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

@@meanderingdev can you add me to discord ScorpionVenom#0849 maybe you can send me some screenshots so i can look at it

[@meanderingdev]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames sure thing, thanks much appreciated

[@adamkareem]

Excellent tutorial! Thank you :)

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Glad it was helpful!

[@trinitylight3011]

how did you select them all so quikly

[@ScorpionVenomStudioGames]

Hold Shift then click what you want to select for multiple items.

[@saga7134]

@@ScorpionVenomStudioGames Thanks for this! And for a video too! It's very useful