PCG (Procedural Content Generation)
Rule-based placement of content in Unreal
Also known as: PCG · Unreal PCG · Procedural Content Generation Framework · PCG graph
Definition
PCG, the Procedural Content Generation Framework, is a node-graph toolset in Unreal Engine for generating and placing content from rules. A PCG graph reads surfaces, splines, volumes or landscapes and scatters meshes such as trees, rocks, props and debris according to density, slope, noise and exclusion rules. It lets environment artists fill large areas consistently and re-run the result when the layout changes.
In production
Treat PCG as a way of placing your hand-made assets, not a replacement for them: build a good kit of meshes and let the graph distribute them. Artists steer the result with parameters on a PCG volume and keep key hero areas hand-placed. Check the engine version, because PCG has been changing between releases, and test cost with instancing so scattered content does not create too many draw calls.
Tools that use PCG (Procedural Content Generation)
See also
Modular Kit
Reusable building blocks for environments
GPU Instancing
One mesh, many instances, one draw call
World Partition
Unreal Engine 5 large-world streaming
Kitbashing
Composing detail from pre-made parts
Static Mesh
Non-deforming geometry asset in Unreal Engine
Draw Call
GPU rendering command
Geometry Nodes
Blender's node-based procedural modeling system
Houdini Engine
Run Houdini tools inside Unreal and Unity
Copy to Points
Scatter objects across points in Houdini
Set Dressing
Placing props to make a space feel lived in
Terrain Heightmap
Grayscale image that defines terrain elevation