Drop a PixelArtCamera actor into your level to render your scene in crisp retro pixel art. Includes classic CGA/EGA/VGA/Hercules-style color profiles, palette quantization (with .pal import), ordered dithering, optional edge outlining, and “purity” toggles to disable modern post effects that break the look.
Pixel Art Component is a premium Unreal Engine 5 plugin that lets you render your game world with an authentic retro pixel-art aesthetic using a camera-based workflow.
The primary workflow is the included PixelArtCamera actor: place it in your level, pilot it in the editor, and immediately see the effect. The PixelArtCamera contains a built-in PixelArtComponent that performs a post-process style pass to create chunky pixels and optionally map colors to classic hardware-inspired palettes.
Key capabilities include:
PixelArtCamera actor (drop-in): Place a PixelArtCamera in your scene and use it like any other camera.
Pixelation / low-resolution rendering: Control the look using either a fixed Target Resolution (e.g., 320×200) or a resolution divisor to adjust how blocky pixels appear.
Classic color profiles: Emulate retro display modes (CGA/EGA/VGA/Hercules variants) or use None for full-color pixelation.
Palette-based color mapping: Reduce colors to a limited palette for an authentic retro feel, including importing .pal palette files.
Ordered dithering: Add adjustable dithering to better approximate gradients and shading under limited palettes.
Optional edge outlining: Add stylized outlines using depth/normal-based edge detection with tunable coefficients.
Purity toggles: Disable modern post-processing effects (e.g., motion blur, bloom, depth of field, etc.) that can interfere with crisp pixel presentation.
Editor help + demos: Includes an in-editor documentation window with screenshots and demo utilities to quickly preview the effect.
Use cases: retro/boomer shooters, 2.5D games, stylized prototypes, “PS1/PC-era” inspired visuals, and rapid art-direction exploration.
What’s included
Full C++ Source
4000+ example palettes
PixelArtCamera actor (ready to place in a level)
PixelArtComponent (can also be added to an existing camera if desired)
Palette support (including .pal import)
In-editor Help/Documentation window and demo levels/utilities (if you ship those with the plugin package)
