Epic Games Unveils Final Release of Unreal Engine 5.6 with Enhanced Features for Open World Development

Epic Games has officially unveiled the final edition of its game engine, Unreal Engine 5.6, which is now accessible to all developers. This version is designed for creating vast open worlds that run smoothly at 60 frames per second on current-generation hardware.

One of the key improvements in Unreal Engine 5.6 involves a complete overhaul of the hardware ray tracing algorithms to enhance the efficiency of the Lumen Global Illumination dynamic lighting system. Developers have also significantly boosted overall performance in streaming static content with the Fast Geometry Streaming plugin, which minimizes loading delays for large static environments.

The MetaHuman toolkit has been integrated directly into the engine and enhanced with new features, including advanced capabilities for generating realistic character bodies. Users can now intuitively edit animations visually using Motion Trails, with the ability to configure intervals directly in the viewing window and select styles such as Dashed, Time-based, and Heat/Speed. Functions for pinning, offsetting, and spacing are also available.

The Tween tools have been redesigned for quicker animation setup on controls or selected keys. New keyboard shortcuts for slider management and the ability to switch between different types of sliders and toggle Overshoot mode have also been introduced.

The Curve Editor toolbar has been revamped for improved speed and performance, making keyframe management simpler and more user-friendly. Icons have been streamlined and consolidated, and Tween tools have been embedded directly within the curve editor interface. A new Lattice tool and the Smart Key binding feature have been added for better control over keyframe data.

Sequencer updates have enhanced timeline control, allowing for navigation through complex hierarchies using the Sequencer navigation tool and confidently synchronizing animations, dialogues, and effects with real-time Audio Scrubbing. The Sequencer’s capabilities for scaling based on localized audio have also been expanded, enabling sequences to sync with various languages.

Additionally, GPU Spawning optimizations have been implemented for more efficient object creation during gameplay, and updates have been made to AI systems and procedural game design.

Developers demonstrated the performance of several technologies, including Nanite Foliage, which allows for rendering dense vegetation without significant performance drawbacks. This was showcased through gameplay footage of The Witcher IV by CD Projekt Red, who are collaborating with Epic Games.

Meanwhile, a Russian student has successfully launched Unreal Engine 4 on the local operating system «Aurora.» He obtained the source code of UE4 for his master’s thesis and ported it to «Aurora 5» using the Aurora SDK. Currently, only the basic stage has been implemented — the engine can run.