AMD TressFX 4.1 tech can now be integrated into Unreal Engine 4.22

AMD has released its new TressFX 4.1 software library, which brings the next level of hair and fur simulation and rendering -- but there's a new surprise: Unreal Engine 4 integration.

TressFX 4.1 can now be inserted into Unreal Engine which means we could see an uptick in TressFX-capable games, providing us with more realistic-looking games when it comes to hair and fur simulation and rendering. We've seen TressFX in big AAA games before, with Rise of the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided... but since then it has really fallen off the radar completely.

But now that Unreal Engine 4 integration is up and on offer, we could see more game developers deciding to use it. Especially given that the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles are both once again powered by semi-custom AMD designs, TressFX might have a more secure home in the future of games -- and given that Unreal Engine powers countless games on the market, we could be in for an exciting time.

AMD explains:

We are delighted to announce our TressFX 4.1/Unreal Engine integration and our TressFX 4.1/Radeon Cauldron framework implementation. The TressFX library is AMD's hair/fur rendering and simulation technology. TressFX is designed to use the GPU to simulate and render high quality realistic hair and fur.

This latest version - TressFX 4.1 - is designed to be a performance and feature enhancement of TressFX 4.0. Highlights include further optimization of the physics simulation shaders, new rendering features, documentation and tutorials, and an updated TressFX Exporter for Autodesk Maya.

This release also demonstrates TressFX integration with Unreal Engine (4.22). This is a minimal integration to improve ease-of-use with multiple TressFX components, features, and rendering and simulation materials. Developers wishing to further the integration or customize it for their own requirements may find this basic level of integration a helpful first step in that process.

TressFX/Radeon Cauldron demonstrates how TressFX can be cleanly dropped into an existing codebase.

TressFX features:

• Hair and fur support, designed for high quality anti-aliasing
• Animation/skinning support
• Unreal Engine (4.22) integration
• TressFX/Cauldron implementation (source code)
• Maya plugin provided for hair/fur and collision authoring
• Source code provided

New in TressFX 4.1:

• TressFX/Unreal engine integration (patch under Epic Games Unreal GitHub repository) with multiple components, rendering and simulation material support
• TressFX/Cauldron implementation with source code (DirectX 12 and Vulkan)
• Optimized physics simulation shaders can allow more hair to be simulated in real-time
• New rendering features (StrandUV and Hair Parameter Blending)
• New Level of Detail (LOD) system
• Documentation and tutorials
• Updated Maya Exporter with new UI and new features/error checking