Render a 3DGS Scene on Windows

Render a 3DGS scene in Unreal Engine 5, starting from scratch.

Environment Setup

Step 1: Install Unreal Engine

1. Download and install the Epic Games Launcher

Download and install the Epic Games Launcher from the official site

2. Start Epic Games, select Unreal Engine, and click Library

Open the Unreal Engine library in the Epic Games Launcher

3. Click "+", select an engine version, and click Install to start the installation

Select an engine version and install Unreal Engine

Step 2: Install Visual Studio (required for C++ projects)

Install Visual Studio when creating a C++ project or building a Shipping package:

1. Download Visual Studio 2022
2. Unreal Engine Visual Studio setup documentation

Blueprint-only projects do not require Visual Studio, so this step can be skipped. Packaging still requires a C++ project.

Step 3: Create a Project

1. Start Unreal Engine and click new project

Start Unreal Engine and create a new project

Create a new project in the Unreal Engine project browser

2. Select a template
3. Select the C++ or Blueprint project type
4. Select the project directory and click Create

Configure project type, name, and save directory

• Some templates do not support C++ projects.
• With the LCC Unreal Plugin, Blueprint projects work in the editor only and cannot be packaged.
• Use English characters for the C++ project path and name.

5. For a C++ project, wait until the Visual Studio project files are generated

Project directory structure after C++ project generation

Step 4: Install the Plugin

1. Close the editor
2. Create a Plugins folder in the project root (skip if it already exists)
3. Copy the entire downloaded LCC4Unreal plugin folder into Plugins/

Copy the LCC4Unreal plugin into the project Plugins directory

4. Restart the editor
5. Confirm the plugin is enabled: Edit > Plugins > search for "LCC4Unreal"

• C++ project note: on the first startup after adding the plugin, the engine detects the new module and prompts for a rebuild. If startup fails, do the following:
• In Visual Studio, right-click the project → Generate Project Files → rebuild

Regenerate project files after deleting the Intermediate directory

Regenerate the Visual Studio project files

Hardware Requirements

Register an App Key

Register an App Key before using Pro edition features. Skip this step when using only free edition features. See Editions and Licensing.

Workflow

Step 1: Place the Actor

Quick Add panel:

1. Click the LCC button on the toolbar to open the panel
2. Select "LCC2Actor" in the Quick Add area

Add LCC2Actor through the Quick Add panel

Step 2: Load Data

1. Select the Actor
2. Click Load under the Actions category in the Details panel, then select the data file in the file dialog

3. DefaultLoadPath can also be set directly:

   • Absolute path: D:\data\scene\meta.lcc2
   • Relative path (relative to the Content directory): Scenes/Tower/meta.lcc2

Set the LCC data load path in the Details panel

Load Through Blueprint

LCC2Actor->Load("D:/data/scene/meta.lcc2")

Load LCC data with the Blueprint Load node

Load in C++

Add the module dependency in build.cs:

PublicDependencyModuleNames.Add("LCC4UnrealRuntime");

#include "LCCActorBase.h"
#include "LCC2Component.h"

MyActor->Load(TEXT("D:/data/scene/meta.lcc2"));

Unload Data

MyActor->UnLoad();

Unload LCC data through the Blueprint UnLoad node

Unloading releases all memory and video memory resources held by the Actor.

Step 3: Adjust Display

Step 4: Run

Press Play (Alt+P) to render in real time.

Real-time 3DGS scene rendering after running the project

Release Packaging

Configure Packaging

1. Set the startup level

Open the default map settings in the project settings

Select the startup levels used by the editor and the game

2. Select a build configuration

Select the Development or Shipping build configuration

3. Configure the data directory (when using relative paths)

Add the LCC data directory under ProjectSettings > Packaging. Two settings are available, chosen by distribution method:

Note: both options support the full feature set. In earlier versions, PLY models and collision data failed to load when packed into the pak file via Additional Non-Asset Directories To Package; that issue has been fixed.

The value to enter is a top-level directory name under Content (e.g. LCCData), not a file path. Do not include Content/ prefix or specific file names.

Add the LCC data directory to the non-asset copy list

When neither is configured, the packaged output contains no LCC data and runtime loading fails.

4. Run packaging

Platforms > Windows > Package Project

Run Windows project packaging from the Platforms menu

Select the packaging output directory for the Windows project

Startup Loading of Single-file Formats

In a packaged build, the three single-file formats .ply, .spz and .sog load synchronously at startup by default, controlled by the Sync Load At Runtime property on the Actor (enabled by default).

Keep it enabled when the opening frame has to be complete (presentations, screen recording); disable it to get an image as soon as possible and accept the scene filling in gradually.

Note: this property only affects packaged builds. Loading in the editor is always asynchronous regardless of this setting, and .lcc2 and .lcc use streamed loading, so it does not apply to them either.

Notes

Full Rebuild in the project settings and Rebuild in Visual Studio are not supported for packaging.

Do not enable Full Rebuild or run Rebuild when packaging

Linux Platform

See Quick Start - Linux.

VR (Quest3 Streaming)

See Quick Start - Quest3.