Nanite Performance is Not Better than Overdraw Focused LODs [TEST RESULTS]. Epic's Documentation is Dangering Optimization.

TheKJ
Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:32:57 +0000
Debugging, Optimization, & Profiling

!!!UPDATED MEGA THREAD!!!
This post has been updated to include every major performance test against LODs posted through the current 142 post included here. There is no need for mindless scrolling over opinions and arguments for the facts. Note, these tests get progressively more complex and compelling regarding the faster performance without Nanite.

To Epic Games: FIX this LIE contained in the UE 5.0-5.4+ documentations.

Nanite should generally be enabled wherever possible. Any Static Mesh that has it enabled will typically render faster.

The part where it renders faster is true if quad overdraw has been abused with lots of visible green. Other features you decide to use with a Nanite can make your scene MUCH slower than a scene using automatic and/or maybe 1 minute of manually optimized game focused LODs.

Test links (in chronological order):

1. Test below where done on a 1080p screen on mobile 3060 (click for more details) 2. Another basic test with large scale rendering (click for more details) 3. Performance loss with Nanite tessellation with landscape (click for more details) 4. Outdated Lyra test(Nanite was slower) (click for more details) BONUS: Visual issues with Nanite promoted density. (click for more details) 5. Overdraw abused scene (click for more details) 6. Nanite with last gen lighting vs LODs with next gen lighting (click for more details) 7. Updated Lyra test (click for more details) 8. Six million poly mesh/scene is slower with nanite. (click for more details) 9. Improperly enabled nanite running faster (click for more details) 10. Documented negative experience with nanite (click for more details) 11. Threat Interactive example of subpixel issues promoted by Nanite vs texture quality (click for more details) 12. Overdraw explained and stopping the 'poly count limit' for nanite lie (click for more details) 13: Developer use-case for VR with Nanite (click for more details) 14: Threat Interactive report on Nanite performance vs traditional rasterization performance research. (click for more details) 15: 5.5 Preview Nanite test debunking: More Triangles=Better Culling for Performance (click for more details) 16: UE5.4 (and why version # at this time is irrelevant) Nanite test regarding test link 15 with additional context reply and scenario tier list (click for more details) 17: Nanite city with & without instancing test results (click for more details) 18: (Best test so far) 5.5 nanite test with optimized LODs & Nanite scene (click for more details)
Non-chronological off thread proof:
Optimization? Performance worse WITH Nanite and DX12… : unrealengine (reddit.com)–

Worse performance after enabling Nanite? –

Nanite Performance –

How to optimize Nanite enabled mesh? —(post showcases worse perf after nanite is enabled)

Need more proof?
Test Epic’s 6 billion dollar baby Fortnite performance as an example too.

Stop relying on Nanite people. And YOU/Epic Games need to either fix Nanite or stop revolving other important features around it like VSMs and Lumen.

9th generation Fortnite (Nanite, Lumen, etc) would run better than how it runs now with Nanite just by adding LODs.

Optimize your scene with LODs and mainly quad overdraw for now. Because all these new features are pointless if you have to use blurry/artifact upscalers like DLSS or TSR to reach 60fps which should be a standard by now but devs can barely keep up with it. You’re not going to get that “Nanite detail” anyway with blurry upscalers.

TAA and Upscalers ruin motion clarity. What’s in video games? Motion. Lots of it.

Kevin Jimenez
Founder of Threat Interactive.

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