Skip to content

UE4 Plugin Getting Started Guide

Jump to bottom
Adam Marrs edited this page Jan 19, 2021 · 6 revisions

This guide is meant for individuals without a programming background who are interested in using the RTXGI UE4 Plugin. Since the RTXGI plugin modifies small portions of the Unreal Engine source code, it is a bit tougher to get up and running compared to plugins from the Unreal Marketplace. Hopefully this guide will save you time and headaches. I'll try to periodically update the guide with common solutions and workarounds to issues people run into.

Choosing an Engine Version

Your first step is to choose a version of Unreal Engine 4 to work with. This may be as a simple as "I want the latest one" or as complicated as "I have project, asset, or platform constraints that require version 4.2x.x".

Whatever the constraints are that drive your engine version choice, know that the RTXGI UE4 plugin supports Unreal Engine versions 4.26.0, 4.25.4, and 4.24.3. The plugin may work with other (older) engine versions, but we haven't tested them, don't support them, and as a result don't recommend using them if you want to use RTXGI.

In addition to "vanilla" UE4, the RTXGI plugin is also compatible with the NVIDIA UE4 branch (also known as NvRTX). NvRTX includes optimizations for NVIDIA RTX GPUs and enhancements to the DXR support found in UE4. It is ideal for developers adding ray tracing to their games and applications. You can sign up for access to NvRTX here.

Cloning the Engine Source Code

After you have decided on a version, you need to clone the engine source code with Git. Although you can download a zip archive of the engine source, we strongly recommend against this since it makes it difficult to install the RTXGI plugin and prevents you from easily receiving future updates.

  1. Install GitExtensions: the first thing you'll want is a tool that makes using Git a bit easier. I recommend GitExtensions and it will be the tool used in this guide. Head to their site, download the installer, and install it.
  2. Configure GitExtensions: once GitExtensions is installed, open it, and select Repository->Repository Settings.

Clone this wiki locally