🗻 UE5 Landscape Workflow Checklist

Complete step-by-step checklist for creating professional landscapes

📄 15 Essential Steps ⏱️ 5 min read 💾 Print or save as PDF

Why Use This Checklist?

Creating landscapes in Unreal Engine 5 involves many interconnected steps. This checklist ensures you don't miss critical setup, optimization, or quality steps. Whether you're importing heightmaps or using tools like Landstamp Pro, following this workflow will save you hours of rework.

Phase 1: Planning & Preparation

Define World Scale and Size

Determine the physical size of your world in kilometers and the required landscape size in UE5.

💡 Tip: Common sizes: 2017x2017 (4km²), 4033x4033 (16km²), 8129x8129 (66km²). Larger landscapes require more memory and longer build times.

Choose Heightmap Resolution

Select appropriate heightmap resolution based on your world scale and detail requirements.

💡 Tip: UE5 requires (2^n + 1) resolution (e.g., 1009, 2017, 4033). Higher resolution = more detail but larger file sizes.

Decide on Creation Method

Choose between manual sculpting, heightmap import, procedural generation, or stamp-based (Landstamp Pro).

💡 Tip: Stamps are fastest for varied terrain. Manual sculpting gives total control. Heightmaps are best for real-world data.

Phase 2: Landscape Creation

Create or Import Base Landscape

Set up your landscape actor with the correct size, scale, and initial height data.

💡 Tip: Use Landscape mode in UE5, or import heightmap as 16-bit PNG/RAW file. Set Z-scale appropriately for your height range.

Verify Landscape Settings

Double-check section size, component count, and overall resolution match your requirements.

💡 Tip: Common section size: 63x63 quads. More sections = better LOD streaming, but more draw calls.

Apply Large-Scale Features

Add major terrain features: mountains, valleys, rivers, plateaus using sculpting or stamps.

💡 Tip: Work from large to small. Establish major landforms before adding detail.

Add Medium Detail Features

Layer in hills, ridges, erosion patterns, and secondary terrain variation.

💡 Tip: Use noise stamps or erosion brushes to break up overly smooth terrain.

Refine Small Details

Add fine details like rocky outcrops, small elevation changes, and texture variation.

💡 Tip: Don't over-detail. Let material displacement and foliage handle micro-detail.

Phase 3: Materials & Texturing

Set Up Landscape Material

Create or assign a landscape material with proper texture layers and blending.

💡 Tip: Use AutoMaterial or height-based blending for automatic texturing. Include at least 3-4 terrain types (rock, grass, dirt, etc.).

Paint Landscape Layers

If not using auto-material, manually paint texture layers where appropriate.

💡 Tip: Paint from broad strokes to details. Use layer blend weight to create smooth transitions.

Enable Nanite (if applicable)

Enable Nanite on landscape for better performance and detail with UE5.1+.

💡 Tip: Nanite landscapes require UE 5.1+. Great for high-poly detail without performance loss.

Phase 4: Optimization & Polish

Configure LOD Settings

Set up landscape LOD distances and forced LOD levels for performance.

💡 Tip: Adjust LOD distribution to balance visual quality and performance. Test with "stat RHI" and "stat FPS".

Test Collision and Walkability

Walk across terrain to ensure collision works correctly and slopes are traversable.

💡 Tip: Use collision visualization (Show > Collision) to verify landscape collision mesh.

Add Foliage and Props

Place grass, trees, rocks, and other environmental assets using foliage painting.

💡 Tip: Use foliage types with proper LODs. Enable grass occlusion culling for performance.

Final Performance Check

Profile landscape rendering cost and optimize any problem areas.

💡 Tip: Use "stat unit", "stat fps", and GPU visualizer. Target 60fps for gameplay, 30fps minimum.

Save This Checklist

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