Epic Games announced on the 4th that it has officially released Unreal Engine 5.6, which includes various added and enhanced features such as high-quality open world, animation, and MetaHuman implementation.
This update has significantly strengthened features across the board with a toolset that enables rendering at 60 FPS on high-end PCs, next-generation consoles, and mobile devices, enhanced animation production tools, integration of MetaHuman Creator into Unreal Engine, improved UX/UI, streamlined repetitive tasks, enhanced procedural tools, and cinematic and performance capture workflows.
To achieve 60 FPS open world rendering, Lumen technology and hardware ray tracing systems have been improved, and content streaming speeds have increased with tools such as the "Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin." Animation production tools have seen enhancements in precision and intuitiveness with features like "Motion Trail," "Twin Tool," and "Control Rig Physics," while audio scrubbing and sequence navigation capabilities have been added in the sequencer.
The MetaHuman functionality has also expanded to allow for not only face but also body shape and clothing creation, and the animator feature supports real-time acting capture via webcams and smartphones. The UX/UI has been simplified in the content browser, toolbar, and modeling mode, enhancing usability.
In the procedural tools section, the PCG framework has been improved to enable quick work even in large environments, and the "PCG Biome Core v2" plugin allows for the creation of diverse natural settings.
In cinematic and capture workflows, tools such as the "MoCap Manager," "Capture Manager," and "Cinematic Assembly Toolset" have enhanced performance capture and production efficiency.
Epic Games plans to hold a webinar on the 12th at 2 p.m. to introduce the main features of Unreal Engine 5.6.