At first, nothing spawned. I thought PCG was broken. Turns out, I just didn’t understand how it thinks.
This post is part of my daily learning journey in game development.
I’m sharing what I learn each day — the basics, the confusion, and the real progress — from the perspective of a beginner.
On Day 28 of my game development journey, I learned about PCG (Procedural Content Generation) in Unreal Engine.
What I tried / learned today
I learned that PCG stands for Procedural Content Generation. It’s used to automatically place things like trees, rocks, and grass instead of placing them one by one.
I created a PCG Graph and added a Surface Sampler node. This helped PCG read the landscape surface and decide where to spawn meshes.
I also used a PCG Volume to control where objects should appear. Only inside this volume does PCG generate content.
What surprised me most was that PCG updates automatically. When I changed the landscape shape, the spawned objects updated too.
What confused me
At first, I didn’t understand what PCG graph nodes actually do.
I was also confused about:
- The difference between PCG and the Foliage Tool
- Why nothing spawned at the beginning
- How density and scale affect spawning
- How PCG helps with optimization
It felt abstract compared to manual placement.
What worked or finally clicked
I understood that PCG works based on rules, not manual placement.
PCG:
- Spawns objects only when conditions are met
- Can control count, spacing, and distance
- Can stop spawning objects far from the player
I also learned that on low-spec PCs, PCG can cause lag while editing. Using the Generate and Cleanup options in the PCG details panel helped manage performance.
That made PCG feel more practical and less scary.
One lesson for beginners
- PCG is great for large or open worlds
- Always check PCG Volume bounds
- Start with simple meshes
- Density directly affects performance
Slow progress — but I’m building a strong foundation.
If you’re also learning game development,
what was the first thing that confused you when you started?
See you in the next post 🎮🚀
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