Volumetric Setup

Exponential Height Fog and Post Process Volume

Exponential Height Fog

Overall Fog Settings

The default Exponential Height Fog settings are set in such a way that allow for minimal environmental fog, yet make the PVLK light's volumetrics stand out. This is why each of the lights have the volumetric scattering intensity set to 500 out of the box. The current default is great for interior scenes where fog doesn't really need to show, but can help give the lights a cinematic look. Unreal Engine sets volumetric scattering intensity to 1 by default, but we're overriding that to allow the volumetrics, per light type, to pop. If you do decide to increase the environmental fog, potentially for an exterior setting, you will need to tune down the volumetric scattering intensity on all the lights, because if you don't, the light's volumetrics explode and overwhelm the visuals. It's best to plan your fog amount ahead of time according to your environment.

Volumetric Fog View Distance

For more information, see the section on Volumetric Fog View Distance under the Cvars page.

Post Process Volume

Infinite Extent (Unbound)

This is to let your PVLK Post Process Volume either cover the entire level (infinite) or be a sizeable box. The box extent settings will show once this is unchecked. If you want to make the default always be bounded, then set the Infinite Extent (Unbound) setting false in Project Settings. This way, any time you spawn in a PVLK Post Process Volume through the Add Volumetric Setup, the default is set to be bounded. If you need to change it in real time, then just change it on the panel here. When you make it bound, the PVLK Post Process Volume is located at the world origin, 650 units up.

If you want multiple post process volumes, you will need to add them like normal post process volume components. You add these from your actor's panel, just like any of the other basic Unreal Engine actors or components. PVLK currently does not have a way to spawn in more than one post process volume, other than manually copying or adding a new one.

Bloom

The default Post Process Volume settings for bloom is set to 0 for PVLK. This is to help with optimization right out of the box, as it can decrease performance slightly when using it. When choosing Convolution bloom, Unreal Engine notes that this is too expensive for games, so use caution. Standard is what games typically use when using bloom.

Exposure

When it comes to exposure, this is set 1:1 by default, to prevent the human eye adaptation effect. If it is desired, or you need to have a lower light threshold, this can be changed to suit your needs. Unreal Engine's default is Min EV100 -10 and Max EV100 20.

Post Process Materials

This is a commonly used section if you tend to use Post Process Materials. Some of the use cases for using Post Process Materials, is for object outling/highlighting, shader effects (like dithering or cartoon outlining), and many more useful scenarios. To read more about it, check out Unreal Engine's documentation on Post Process Materials.

EHF and PPV settings — Some of the most used settings for Exponential Height Fog and Post Process Volume. With the minimal settings shown, it allows you to focus more on what matters most, and not overwhlemed.