Epic Games has introduced a major update in Unreal Engine 5.8 to tackle in-game stuttering, a long-standing issue for players. The engine now integrates Microsoft's Direct X Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD), which offloads shader compilation from the player’s device to the cloud. By packaging shader data into a State Object Database (SODB) and converting it via cloud-based tools into a Precompiled Shader Database (PSDB), developers can ship ready-to-use shaders with their games. This eliminates the need for on-the-fly compilation during gameplay, resulting in faster load times and smoother performance.
Previously, even high-end GPUs could experience stuttering if shaders weren’t pre-compiled efficiently. With ASD, shaders are preprocessed and stored, allowing the engine to invoke them instantly during play. This is a significant leap for Unreal Engine 5.x, known for its computational demands. NVIDIA, AMD, Qualcomm, and Intel have all rolled out support for ASD. NVIDIA enabled it with GeForce 621.01 WHQL drivers, while AMD supports it across RDNA 1 through 4 generations. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Series with Adreno graphics and Intel Arc B-Series (B570, B580), along with Core Ultra Series 2 and 3, are now compatible. Microsoft also expanded ASD support to Intel Arc GPUs this month.
This update promises a smoother gaming experience, provided developers adopt the new system. It marks a crucial step forward in optimizing real-time rendering and reducing hardware strain during gameplay.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing