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View, browse and sort the ever-growing list of sessions by day, time, pass type, topic, and format. With this Session Viewer, you can view session and speaker details for Game Developers Conference 2024.

You will be able to build your schedule with the GDC Mobile App. The GDC 2024 app will be available for download in Apple Apps and Google Play late February 2024.

Sessions do fill up and seating is first come, first serve, so arrive early to sessions that you would like to attend. Adding a session to your schedule does not guarantee you a seat.

Technical Artist Summit: GPU-Based Foliage-Interaction for 'Ark: Survival Ascended'

Patrick Schuler  (Tech Artist, Studio Wildcard)

Mark Mihelich  (Senior Engine Programmer, Studio Wildcard)

Location: Room 3004, West Hall

Date: Tuesday, March 19

Time: 2:40 pm - 3:40 pm

Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass - Get your pass now!

Topic: Visual Arts

Format: Session

Vault Recording: Video

Audience Level: Intermediate

Step into the immersive world of "Ark: Survival Ascended" as we delve into our new GPU-based foliage interaction system. Our presentation outlines how we've combined UE5's Nanite technology with a custom force-injection system to create truly dynamic open-world environments. Explore how millions of Nanite-based assets—from trees to grass—interact in real-time with players, NPCs, weapons, visual effects and even each other. Our process leverages tools like SpeedTree 9 and Houdini for asset creation and data encoding, significantly optimizing computational loads. You'll get insights into our custom compute shader pipeline, dynamic memory allocation, and how forces are injected into multiple volumetric render targets to achieve the fully dynamic open multiplayer world of "Ark: Survival Ascended".

Takeaway

Attendees will acquire a deep understanding of the key components driving our dynamic solver system, including the use of custom compute shaders, data textures, and per-instance custom data. Learn how these elements come together to form a highly interactive and fluid environment, and how we used SpeedTree and Houdini to prepare the necessary data on our assets.

Intended Audience

Tech artists, engine programmers, Houdini artists.
Basic understanding of computer graphics mathematical concepts and unreal engine pipeline would help. We will assume audience knows how blueprints, shaders, rendertargets work, as these are the pillars of the system.
Basic understanding of Houdini is a plus.



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