Optimization & Performance
The Nanite Foliage – High-Performance Realistic Grass pack is built with performance and scalability in mind. Whether you're targeting cinematic visuals or a 60+ FPS open-world game, this guide will help you optimize grass rendering without compromising quality.
🚀 Core Optimization Features
100% Nanite-enabled meshes – no LODs required
Lightweight material instances with tons of shading customizations
LargeWorld System for advanced distance optimization
Low overdraw, high-density performance tuning
🎯 When to Use LargeWorld System
The LargeWorld System is not always necessary — it's designed for very large environments where traditional foliage setups would result in GPU bottlenecks or excessive overdraw.
Small levels or linear scenes
❌ Not recommended
Medium-sized outdoor maps
⚠️ Optional
Massive open-world terrain
✅ Strongly recommended
Procedural landscapes or streaming worlds
✅ Ideal
Consoles or lower-end hardware
✅ Helps performance
💡 Performance Tips
✅ General Foliage Optimization
Use Nanite for all meshes Avoid traditional LODs and let Nanite handle geometry complexity.
Minimize Overdraw Dense overlapping blades can kill GPU performance - use wider blades or fewer instances at distance (e.g. via LargeWorld).
Disable Shadow Casting on distant grass In the Foliage Tool or Grass Varieties, disable:
Cast Dynamic Shadow
Cast Static Shadow
Cast Contact Shadow
Cull Smartly Even with Nanite, culling helps. Set
Cull Distance Maxappropriately based on your camera height and landscape scale.
📊 Test, Profile, Repeat
Always test your scene in realistic scenarios:
Use Unreal Insights or GPU Profiler to monitor overdraw and instance cost.
Test with cinematic cameras, top-down views, and fast movement (to simulate gameplay stress).
Use stat Foliage and stat GPU to check foliage draw calls and GPU timings.
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