At this year’s Unreal Fest in Seattle, Epic Games revealed a groundbreaking feature in Unreal Engine 5.5: MegaLights, an innovation set to redefine how lighting is conceived in virtual worlds. The live demo, a collaborative effort between Epic Games, Quixel, and KitBash3D, showcased the power of MegaLights and left creators buzzing with excitement.
If you missed the event, don’t worry—we’ve included the demo video below. It’s a must-watch for anyone passionate about the future of 3D:
Lighting the Future: The Power of Unreal Engine 5.5 & MegaLights
One of the biggest hurdles creators have faced is the cost and complexity of rendering shadow-casting lights. MegaLights addresses this challenge head-on with groundbreaking technology that enables artists to use exponentially more light sources—at higher quality—than ever before.
This innovation represents a quantum leap in lighting technology, offering creators a new realm of flexibility and realism. Each light in the scene is fully movable and dynamic, casting soft, realistic area shadows and interacting with volumetric fog in real time.
The demo environment—crafted with a blend of Quixel’s organic Megascans and KitBash3D’s precise hard-surface assets—was illuminated by over 1,000 dynamic lights, all running smoothly on current-generation hardware. The results were breathtaking:
✓ Volumetric fog adding depth and atmosphere.
✓ Complex interplay of light and shadow mimicking natural realism.
✓ Cinematic visuals bringing immersive virtual worlds to life.
This technology isn’t just an incremental improvement; it’s a transformative tool for artists, enabling new levels of creativity and immersion across gaming, film, and virtual production.
Shaping the Next Generation of Digital Content
As the creative community continues to explore the boundaries of Unreal Engine 5.5, innovations like MegaLights will play a central role in shaping the next wave of interactive and cinematic experiences. KitBash3D, Quixel, and Epic Games remain at the forefront of this evolution, empowering creators with world-class tools and assets.
Stay tuned for more updates on Unreal Engine 5.5 and the collaborations driving the future of virtual content creation, and make sure to download Cargo to start playing with KitBash3D assets in Unreal Engine 5.5 today.
