This is a new workflow I designed for quickly laying out scenes in Unreal Engine. The overall design concept is to first use Geometry Script to create a parameterized stone generation Blueprint, enabling real-time, repeatable procedural model generation. Then, using the Editor Utility Widget authoring tool, I can replace the instances created in the scene using the Foliage Tool with Blueprint Actors with a single click, completing efficient batch layouts.
This workflow is primarily designed for individuals or low-budget studios. It eliminates the need to switch between multiple software programs and incurs no overhead.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0lg0Vy
This section features a procedural stone generation tool I created using Geometry Script. While it still lags behind Houdini in terms of shape complexity and control precision, it’s sufficiently practical for pre-production and rapid scene building.
The generated stone can be converted into a Static Mesh at any time later, further refined through sculpting, topology optimization, and texturing, and incorporated into the complete asset pipeline.
More importantly, because the entire generation process is built on Blueprint and Geometry Script, it seamlessly integrates with other Unreal Engine systems, such as the “one-click replacement of Foliage with Blueprint Actor” feature I’ll demonstrate next. This composability greatly enhances the flexibility and scalability of the overall pipeline.
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rlngZE
After completing the procedural stone generation, I also created a Blueprint tool based on the Editor Utility Widget to enable the one-click replacement of Foliage instances with Blueprint Actors.
Using the Foliage Tool, simply select the desired location and click the tool button to automatically replace all foliage instances with the custom Blueprint objects. Each generated Blueprint Actor includes adjustable parameters for Expose on Spawn, retaining the layout convenience of the original Foliage while providing the flexibility of independently adjusting each instance.
Compared to traditional foliage systems, this tool not only retains the efficiency of brush selection but also overcomes the limitation of individual instance editing. Each replaced Blueprint Actor has independent parameters, allowing for on-the-fly adjustment of form and custom logic such as interactions, animations, and special effects. This makes it far more flexible than static foliage.
Compared to the Houdini toolchain, it eliminates the tedious node setup and cross-software integration process, being built entirely within the Unreal Engine. This allows for faster initial stage layouts and supports real-time iteration. This makes it ideal for independent developers or small teams seeking a highly efficient and controllable level-building process without relying on external software.
If this workflow seems helpful, I’d be happy to clean up the Blueprint logic and share a tutorial or breakdown. ：）