I am a beginner of UE4 and I want to create some natural landscapes. When using Quixel Megacans, I found that there is a big category called “Atlas” and are some 2D pictures. May I ask what actually are they and can I convert them into some foliages and place them on the level in UE4? Thank you very much.
i havent worked with megascans specifically yet but atlases usually refer to a collection of things in my experiences. specifically ive seen texture atlases which are basically combinations of many meshes textures or patterns. so lets say you have two meshes that dont need huge textures (high rez) you can instead use one image to hold the textures needed for the two but at half rez. the other type mentioned was for storing patterns for example you have a room and you have one image, you separate that image into quadrants and have a floor texture in one, a wall texture in another, ceiling in the third, and misc things in the last. this would result in potentially needing one material for all the meshes in the room.
im sure theres more to it and materials aren’t exactly my area, but thats my view for what its worth.