A plugin called GSX Shadows has emerged for Unreal Engine 5, extending the creative possibilities of Gaussian Splatting in VFX workflows. Designed specifically for real time applications, the plugin introduces directional light shadow casting and streamlined point cloud support, helping artists integrate splat based assets more dynamically into their Unreal Engine scenes.

GSX Shadows allows Gaussian Splatting objects to cast real time shadows from directional lights. The plugin is compatible with Unreal Engine 5.4-6. The plugin also embraces a drag and drop workflow, letting creators drop a .ply file directly into their Unreal Engine project. Once imported, GSX Shadows automatically generates materials, textures, and a Niagara system to drive the effect, drastically cutting down setup time. Two sample Niagara based effects are included to demonstrate the integration and help teams get started quickly.

Beyond shadows, the plugin supports VFX oriented features such as player tracking and low frequency oscillation (LFO), enabling reactive and animated Gaussian effects. There’s also full support for converting .ply files into point clouds, complete with material and texture mapping and Niagara integration.

There are, however, some limitations to keep in mind. GSX Shadows does not yet support VR or dynamic shadows from point lights, rect lights, or spotlights. Ray tracing is not compatible with translucent materials. And when compositing multiple splatting scenes, object rendering order may not always behave as expected. To use GSX Shadows, a DirectX 12-compatible GPU is required, and the Niagara Visual Effects plugin must be enabled in the engine.

While still early in its development, GSX Shadows signals an important step forward in merging real-time VFX and radiance field based rendering. There are currently two ways to purchase it. Either standalone through the fab.com store or through Miwa Maroon's store.