Reworking destructible objects with a time-efficient pipeline; part II

Check out the second part of our story to learn how we created an efficient pipeline for reworking destructible objects!

To optimize memory and game resources, we employed a variety of methods. We reduced the number of fragments and polygons by creating a non-standard LOD0 that still looked great in-game. We also used a single child Emitter for each Niagara system, and applied CPU forces to achieve smooth random animation. Additionally, when splitting objects in 3D software, we kept the original UVs and textures, so that it was easy to load the fragments into the UE project and assign materials automatically on all fragments without additional loading.

We measure the success of our optimizations by looking at draw calls, triangles counts, Niagara systems timings, complexity stats, and hitches while smashing destructible objects.

By optimizing the destruction of objects in an iOS game, we were able to provide players with a more realistic gaming experience. Not only did this optimization keep the beautiful dissolving material after destruction, but it also dropped loot and improved the overall gameplay. This optimization led to a significant improvement in the gaming experience for players.

We conduct testing and debugging during the optimization process by setting tasks for our QA. They provide us with repeatable gameplay and Stat Unit/FPS videos, which we then check using Unreal insight captures to identify any spikes in timings. Additionally, we have created a custom Level with all Destructible objects to enable us to quickly test on target iOS devices.

This custom bpy script for Blender allowed us to quickly and easily rework destructible objects from APEX physics simulation system to Niagara systems for iOS devices in a game. We were able to autofracture, autopivot and save fragments with pivot coordinates to load in UE project, while also adding a function in Parent Blueprint to assign the pivot coordinates to fragments automatically and reworking the dissolve material as in PC version. Despite reducing the number of fragments, the destructions still looked visually nice and had no bad effect on performance, ultimately improving mobile gameplay with realistic random destructions.

Keep up with us to find out about the new cases we've solved!