Efficient Asset Loading Pipeline for Fast Unreal Editor Startup

Development Asset Creation
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1

Hi everyone,

I’m exploring the possibility of setting up an efficient pipeline in Unreal Engine where the Editor launches quickly—without spending time loading thousands of assets, compiling shaders, etc.

The idea is to structure the Content folder with a dedicated subfolder (e.g., Assets/) that contains all common Static Meshes, Blueprints, Materials, etc. However, these assets should not be loaded or compiled during Editor startup.

Ideally, the Editor should always open with an empty level. Artists can then build their scenes by dragging assets from the shared Assets/ folder. An asset would only be loaded and compiled when it is actually placed in the level.

Once the artist finishes their work and closes the Editor, the next person who opens Unreal should also experience a fast startup—loading only the assets used in the current level, rather than the entire asset library.

Is this workflow possible? If so, how would you recommend setting it up?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

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This should be doable pretty easily by just setting the editor startup level in the project settings to an empty level. AFAIK the editor will only load assets and compile materials that are referenced through the current level, with some exceptions like assets referenced directly or indirectly through project settings such as the game singleton or game instance class. There is really no need to have a dedicated sub folder for assets.