Enable Neural Super Sampling in Unreal Engine with ML Extensions
Introduction
Introduction to neural graphics and Neural Super Sampling (NSS)
Setting up the emulation layers
Create an example game
Run the example
Using RenderDoc for Debugging and Analysis
Wrapping up
Next Steps

  Log an issue

  Fork and edit

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Create the example project

  1. Open Unreal Engine and create a new Third Person template project using the C++ option.

Image Alt Text:Unreal Engine project selection screen showing C++ Third Person templateFigure 3: Create a new C++ project in Unreal Engine.

  1. Save the project and close Unreal Editor. Open the project’s .sln file in Visual Studio, select Development Editor and Win64, then right-click your game project in Solution Explorer and select Build. Confirm in Output > Build that the <YourProjectName>Editor target builds without errors.

After the build is finished, open your project in Unreal Engine.

Build issues

If a solution build reports failures in AutomationTool, Gauntlet, or other *.Automation projects, build your game project separately. Continue only when its editor target succeeds. For game-project failures, inspect the first error in Output > Build and check the Visual Studio components listed in the development setup notice.

Change Unreal’s Rendering Interface to Vulkan

By default, Unreal uses DirectX. Instead, you need to choose Vulkan as the default RHI:

  1. Go to Edit > Project Settings > Platforms > Windows > Targeted RHIs > Default RHI.
  2. Select Vulkan.
  3. Restart Unreal Engine to apply the change.

Image Alt Text:Project Settings with Vulkan selected as Default RHI under Targeted RHIsFigure 4: Set Vulkan as the default RHI.

Create the Plugins directory

Open your project directory in Windows explorer, and create a new folder called Plugins.

Image Alt Text:Windows File Explorer showing project directory with newly created Plugins folder alongside other project directoriesFigure 5: The new Plugins directory

Enable the plugin

The neural-graphics-for-unreal directory cloned in the previous section contains the plugin descriptor NG.uplugin and its source.

  1. Close Unreal Editor and copy the neural-graphics-for-unreal folder into your project’s Plugins directory. The descriptor should be at <YourProject>\Plugins\neural-graphics-for-unreal\NG.uplugin, with Shaders and Source alongside it. Confirm that Source\NG-SDK contains the SDK source.
  2. Reopen Unreal Engine, allowing it to rebuild missing modules if prompted. Open Edit > Plugins, search for Arm Neural Graphics Plugin, and select its checkbox. Save and close the editor before the Visual Studio build.
  3. Close Visual Studio if it is open. Right-click the .uproject file and select Generate Visual Studio project files (under Show more options on Windows 11). Open the regenerated solution, select Development Editor and Win64, and build your game project. Confirm that its editor target succeeds before continuing.
  4. Reopen Unreal Engine and confirm that Arm Neural Graphics Plugin is enabled in Edit > Plugins. Restart the editor if prompted.

In Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > Neural Graphics 1.1.1, confirm the NSS settings are available. If the plugin is missing from the list, first check the NG.uplugin path above. If the build fails in BuildSDK.py, check that Python and CMake are on PATH and that the SDK submodules and LFS assets were downloaded.

With the emulation layers and Arm Neural Graphics Plugin configured, you’re ready to run Neural Super Sampling in Unreal Engine. Continue to the next section to test the integration.

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