Document Display Solutions for UE5

📑 PDF Viewer Plugin

Native PDF rendering directly in UMG widgets using specialized plugins.

Pros:

Native UE5 widget
No external dependencies
Fast rendering
Works offline
Supports all platforms

Cons:

Plugin cost (~$20)
Limited formatting control
Some PDF features unsupported

Best For: Training sims, in-game manuals, documentation viewers

🖼️ Image Conversion

Convert PDF pages to PNG/JPEG images and display in image widgets.

Pros:

Free (built-in UE)
Simple implementation
Universal compatibility
Easy to customize

Cons:

Large texture memory
No text selection
No zoom quality
Manual conversion needed

Best For: Static docs, small page counts, maximum compatibility

🌐 Web Browser Widget

Embed HTML/PDF using UE's web browser widget component.

Pros:

Rich formatting
Interactive content
HTML5 features
Text selection works

Cons:

Desktop only (no mobile)
Performance overhead
Security considerations
Complex setup

Best For: Desktop-only apps, HTML docs, rich interactive content

📝 Markdown to UMG

Write documentation in Markdown and render to native UMG using plugins.

Pros:

Full UMG integration
Perfect styling control
Lightweight
Easy to update
Version control friendly

Cons:

Requires Markdown plugin

Limited to Markdown syntax

No complex layouts

Best For: Game tutorials, quest text, dialogue, changelogs

Feature	PDF Plugin	Image Conversion	Web Browser	Markdown
Implementation	Easy	Very Easy	Medium	Easy
Platform Support	All platforms	All platforms	Desktop only	All platforms
Memory Usage	Low	High	Medium	Very Low
Text Selection	Limited	None	Yes	Limited
File Size Impact	Small (PDFs)	Large (images)	Small (HTML)	Tiny (text)
Offline	✅	✅	✅ (local HTML)	✅
Cost	~$20 plugin	Free	Free	~$15 plugin

🎯 Decision Guide

✓ Use PDF Plugin if: You have existing PDFs, need cross-platform support, want professional document viewing
✓ Use Image Conversion if: You have very few pages, need 100% compatibility, documents rarely change
✓ Use Web Browser if: Desktop-only, need rich formatting, have HTML content already
✓ Use Markdown if: You're writing new content, want UMG styling, need lightweight solution

📄 Document Display Solutions for UE5

📑 PDF Viewer Plugin

Pros:

Cons:

🖼️ Image Conversion

Pros:

Cons:

🌐 Web Browser Widget

Pros:

Cons:

📝 Markdown to UMG

Pros:

Cons:

Feature Comparison

🎯 Decision Guide

Display Documents in Your UE5 Project