Summary
On a World Partition map, a Landscape whose material uses a Landscape Layer Blend node renders completely black as soon as Nanite is enabled on the Landscape. The material and layers are set up correctly (Layer Info assigned, base layer filled). Disabling Nanite — or bypassing the Landscape Layer Blend (wiring a layer’s output directly to the material outputs) — makes the Landscape render correctly again. So the black only appears with the Nanite + Landscape Layer Blend combination. UE 5.8, Windows. Likely related to UE-386355.
What Type of Bug are you experiencing?
Editor
Steps to Reproduce
1- Create a World Partition level (e.g., Open World template).
2- Create or import a Landscape.
3- Create a Landscape material that uses a Landscape Layer Blend node (blending per-layer Material Attributes), and assign it to the Landscape.
4- In Landscape Paint mode, create a Layer Info asset for each layer and Fill the base layer, so the weights are valid.
5- Confirm the Landscape renders correctly (textured) with Nanite OFF.
6- Select the Landscape → Details → Nanite → Enable Nanite → click Build Data.
7- Observe the Landscape.
Expected Result
The Landscape renders identically with Nanite enabled — the Landscape Layer Blend material should look the same as it does with Nanite disabled.
Observed Result
The entire Landscape turns black once Nanite is enabled (and after Build Data). Immediately after a Fill/Paint operation the correct result flashes for a moment, then reverts to black. The black persists across Build Data.
Confirmed isolation:
Nanite ON + Layer Blend → black.
Nanite OFF + Layer Blend → renders correctly.
Nanite ON + Layer Blend bypassed (single layer wired directly to the material outputs, no Landscape Layer Blend) → renders correctly.
The black is exclusive to the Nanite + Landscape Layer Blend combination — it is not a missing-setup issue (Layer Info is assigned and the layer is filled).
Affects Versions
5.8
Platform(s)
Windows
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For crash reports, include your callstack
N/A — this is a rendering issue, not a crash. No callstack is produced.
Additional Notes
Engine: UE 5.8, Windows. GPU: RTX 4080
The material has “Use Material Attributes” enabled and feeds per-layer Material Attributes into the Landscape Layer Blend node.
Disabling Nanite tessellation/displacement (r.Nanite.AllowTessellation=0, r.Nanite.Tessellation=0) does not fix it — the black is independent of tessellation/displacement.
Build Data does not fix it; toggling the material off/on only restores it momentarily.
Appears related to UE-386355 (UMaterialExpressionLandscapeLayerBlend broken with Material Attributes in 5.8) and to these community reports:
“UE 5.8 Nanite – Landscape Layer Blend Material Turns Grey Bug”
“Nanite Landscape does not show layer blend materials”
Workaround: either disable Nanite on the Landscape, or restructure the material to blend individual channels (Base Color, Normal, Roughness, Displacement) through separate Landscape Layer Blend nodes instead of Material Attributes.