Ultimate Denoiser STRESS TEST in Unreal Engine 5.1 - Path Tracing

Unreal Engine 5.1 has two Denoisers to help clean up noise in path tracing.
In this video, we'll be using the NVIDI OPTIX denoiser and Intel's Open Image Denoiser to reduce the amount of noise in our virtual production scene. This is a 100 sample STRESS TEST in Unreal Engine 5.1 to see the impact of each denoiser on our path tracing renders.
Denoising is very important for those of us making cinematics or path traced renders in unreal, especially for animation, cinematics or virtual production. It is possible to denoise afterwards in softwafe like after effects or Davinci but the results may cause issues because video noise is very different to the type found in vfx renders. For instance getting rid of fireflies can be an issue that traditional video denoisers arent equipped for.
So it's quicker and potentially better quality to get the denoising done in the engine than in post. So that just leaves the question, 'which denoiser should I use when rendering with path tracing in unreal engine 5.1?'
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[@JoshuaMKerr]

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[@as2onish]

I can’t remember where I read it (cycles documentation?) but these denoisers were created for very different purposes. Intel is about denoising final frames for that extra level of polish while the optix denoiser is a more general solution that also helps to make viewport perf closer to real time. The gist I read back then: use optix to get higher frame rates while editing in the viewport, but use open image for final frames.

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Interesting. The way I understood Unreal's documentation was that both were options within the engine but the only key difference mentioned was the temporal AI component within optix. Let me know if you're able to dig out that info. Would be good to read it.

[@JJChalupnik]

Great breakdown. Thanks for this video.

[@user-sn9it2nt8w]

Your video was worth watching. Thanks for the analysis.

[@JoshuaMKerr]

No worries, glad it was useful

[@Tupp0p]

Great Joshua ❤️

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Thanks

[@dani_zi]

Thank you, Joshua! Nvdia denoiser works pretty well in my renderidgs

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Glad it worked well for you

[@matveiegorov2510]

After installing the program on my computer, I have three folders: doc, include, SDK! Which one should be added to the unreal engine plugin?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I'm sorry I don't understand your question. what are you trying to do. could you provide a bit more detail

[@matveiegorov2510]

​​@@JoshuaMKerr Sorry, I'm using a translator!)) What is the name of the folder that needs to be placed in the Unreal engine plugins? I have three of them: doc, include, SDK. Thank you for answering!

[@JoshuaMKerr]

@matveiegorov2510 I didn't place any folder in unreal engine plugins for this. The denoiser just needs activating from within the plugins menu.

[@antonburov2038]

Hi thanks for the content! Please take a tutorial on how to import an animated camera (tracking camera) into Unreal Engine and with it how to add a person cut out on a green screen (who was shot on that camera) to unreal engine 5 just as a preview for a reference point, so that you can create a 3D environment around him and then make a composite in nuke or in after effect, sorry for my English)

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Hi. Glad you like the content. There's a bunch of videos covering those topics on the channel already. There's tracking with after effects, blender and Pre keying tutorials too. Have a look around I'm sure you'll find what you need.

[@bobsteven2363]

Intel Open Image denoiser is also based on ai. All the denoisers for renderers are.

[@Enzait]

Would a denoiser in post look better than these?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I think it would depend on the shot.Also the type of noise isn't the same as standard video noise so it might not be completely effective. Worth testing for sure

[@nmatthes2927]

Could you do a tutorial about pathtracer in general? I have a problem: I have a scene with 100.000s of trees if I render the pathtraced image in editor mode... it all works fine (of course it takes time) but it can calculate 2048 samples and the single image in the end looks crispy. But If I try it in renderque even after only 120 samples... the gpu crashes? But why? Why does it work in preview (with a very high quality) and give me a very very good looking result but it does not work when I do the same process in render? Why isn't it just possible for the renderqueue to process the images as in the editor, and then some kind of save them as a screenshot and go on to the next frame?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

There are a few reasons this might happen. One of them is to do with resolution and screen percentage. How big is your viewport when in Pathtracer mode and what is your screen percentage? Then contrast that with your render queue output resolution and screen percentage (usually 100 if you haven't changed it)

[@barmaleevmax]

Hey! Thanks for the tutorial. I have nvidia denoizer blurring the image much more than intel. If I render with 2048 samples, after nvidia it looks about the same as if there are only 128 samples on the render. Why is this?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I'm not sure. Have you joined the Next Gen Filmmakers discord? It might be a good idea to post the problem in there.

[@hytalegermany1095]

Hello there! I have one question about path tracer: When I render Path Tracer my PC crashes. But if I in editor mode change to path trace, wait until the screen has loaded and is finished, then take a screen shot, then go one frame further and on and on it works. But why does the one thing work and the other not, both seem to have same image quality and when rendered I approached same resolution as preview? Is there a way to automate this load-screenshot-nextframe-load-screenshot procedure? Or is there a way to tell my computer: Yoo if you can do this, then you should also be able to render it! It is the same task!

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Offhand I would imagine you're not going to get any motion blur that way for starters because the viewport doesn't have any temporal history. You also have no control over the output format when taking screen shots.

[@MetalGearMk3]

From my own experience Intel is a better denoiser for still image renders, you don't lose all the details unlike the Nvidia denoiser.

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I imagine there are other variables. From my tests Optix performed very well. Perhaps it depends on the scene to a degree.

[@jd3d_cgi]

There is an option to enable or disable the temporal denoising - you don't mention in your video if you actually enabled it!

[@JoshuaMKerr]

What option do you mean? If I've missed something I can create an update video.

[@hossamghalwash5018]

@@JoshuaMKerr you can use console commands for a plethora of options and setting regarding denoising in ue5 and there you will find CVars for temporal denoising in particular

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I see what you mean. I thikn that would need a whole video of it's own given how many cvars there are. It amazes me how none of this is in the documentation.

[@hossamghalwash5018]

@@JoshuaMKerr i think so. Very deep topic and a lot to experiment with. Btw i always type keywords for everything new in each and every release of unreal it is like a code of mine 😂.

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Top tip mate! Otherwise do you think the video was alright? The way I understand it optix deals with temporal denoising by default anyway.

[@burakdag4931]

I just need to reduce noise in the metahuman hair. For some reason it is super noisy. Unfortunately denoiser does not fix it. Do you have an idea how to solve this?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

how many samples are you using. maybe you need to crank it up?

[@burakdag4931]

@@JoshuaMKerr For path tracing max bounce is 64 samples per pixel is 4096 max path exposure is 30 denoiser is on

[@burakdag4931]

I think it may be a console command issue. Can you please tell which commands you are using.🙏

[@burakdag4931]

Okay in further investigation found what was the problem. I am using substrate mats, it changes the whole material outputs. Instead of using emission I switched to substrate light function in material. It fixed the noise in hair. Thank you for replying. But still it would be great to know what console commands you are using if possible.

[@caporacetuning6581]

does this also work in realtime? for a game maybe

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Pathtracing is not reatime

[@Fikarblackproject]

anything to fix the issu for path tracing?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

What issue do you mean?

[@Fikarblackproject]

@@JoshuaMKerr the noises lights bro, it’s takes time if set the AA 256x256 😔

[@kurokishizx]

@@JoshuaMKerr ur thoughts? could be solved with external software like Davinci tho that's not the answer he needs

[@JoshuaMKerr]

what lightsvare you using, check their radius. Also in postprocess volume, what is your max path exposure

[@khov]

What happens if you use amd CPU and GPU ?

[@JoshuaMKerr]

I'm not sure what you mean. Can you elaborate a bit

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Just to clarify, Intel as nvidia are just the companies that developed the denoisers and it isn't related to your system hardware.

[@adarshwhynot]

I think that the Intel open denoiser is not exclusive to Intel, it works with Amd as well.

[@namesurname624]

Unreal 5.3.2 it's crashing when I render with this Denoiser on

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Interesting, I tried it recently, and it seemed fine. What was the error?

[@namesurname624]

@@JoshuaMKerr I think the error is that I was using legacy renderer instead of current, current one renders without problems and denoises correctly

[@JoshuaMKerr]

@namesurname624 This is good to know

[@BarryLester]

both denoisers are too aggressive in UE5 and pretty much useless when it comes to denoising animation sequences. my favorite denoiser is the arnold Noice denoiser that ships with arnold renderer. unfortunately, it needs a Z, N, and diffuse albedo passes to work and I can't feed exr sequences exported from MQR to Noice.

[@JoshuaMKerr]

Couldn't agree more. I quite like Davincis denoiser and neat video. Both seem to do a decent job with my renders.