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Epic’s Unreal Optimization Disaster | Why Nanite Tanks Performance!

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In this video, we dive into how Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite technology is dragging down your game’s performance and debunk misleading claims made to convince you it’s superior to traditional rendering.

This is a crucial topic for both gamers and developers and we offer a unique insight that aims to change how you understand mesh rendering and potential we could be exploiting in 9th generation hardware. Thank you!

Chapters:
Intro & Current Research: 0:00
Debunking Nanite Poly Myth: 0:33
Why is Nanite Slower?: 1:49
LODs & Topology Performance: 3:24
Temporal Aliasing & Performance Connection: 4:06
Nanite vs Traditional Quad Cost Per Pixel: 4:28
The Downward Performance Spiral: 5:13
Debunking Lies About Nanite Skeletal Meshes: 5:38
Why Draw Calls Are Not an Excuse For Using Nanite: 6:58
Better Systems Could Exist: 7:44
How Epic Devs Are Neglecting Optimization Support: 8:06
Good News: 8:39
Mitigating LOD pop properly vs Nanite: 9:07
Studios and Consumers Need a Quality Compromise: 9:54
Why AI Should Replace the Nanite Workflow: 10:19
Why Nvidia Wouldn’t Want to Get Involved: 11:24
If You Can’t Win, Make Competition Worthless: 12:17
Support Us!: 12:34
Outro: 12:52

Our Website: https://threatinteractive.wordpress.com

Updated Mega Thread:
https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/nanite-performance-is-not-better-than-overdraw-focused-lods-test-results-epics-documentation-is-dangering-optimization/1263218

For Updates or Questions, contact our studio or founder on with these links:
Threat Interactive:
Email: ThreatInteractive@gmail.com
Twitter: https://x.com/ThreatInteract
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/ThreatInteractive/

Studio Founder:
Twitter: https://x.com/TheKevinJimenez

Credits:
https://www.humus.name/index.php?page=Comments&ID=228

IGNORE TAGS!
——————————————————
1080p, 1440p, temporal anti-aliasing, TAA, TSR, MSAA, SMAA, FXAA, CMAA 2, Topology, Surface Area, Optimization, PS4, Video Games, Gaming.

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31 comments

@ThreatInteractive February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
PLEASE READ FOR UPDATES & RESPONSES:

Thank you so much for your support!
1. As always, watch our videos in 4k (as in streaming settings) to see our comparison details through Youtube compression.

2. Please remember to subscribe so we can socially compete with leading tech influencers who push poor technology on to everyday consumers. Help us spread REAL data, empowering consumers to push back against studios that blame your sufficient hardware!


* RESPONSE TO COMMUNITY QUESTIONS:

1. We've repeatedly seen comments attempting to explain how Nanite works; arguing that quad overdraw isn't relevant. That's the whole point of the video. Comparing Nanite (which doesn't use quads) to quad overdraw is the only contextually fair comparison.

Additionally many have claimed that Nanite has a "large but flat and consistent cost". This is utterly false. Nanite can and does suffer from its own form of overdraw (though not quad related). A major issue that people are missing involves Virtual Shadow Maps. Which are tied to Nanite.


Nanite's shadow method not only re-renders your digital scenes at massive resolutions but these maps are also re-drawn under basic scenarios typical in games. Such as moving the CAMERA's position, shifting the SUN/MOON, or having moving objects or characters spread across your scene. Does that SOUND like good performance to you? News flash…It's not.


Even Epic Games admitted VSMs were terrible for Fortnite but instead accepting it wasn't fundamentally a good fit. They "bit the bullet" and use it anyway. But they didn't really bite anything...consumers did.


2. To those defending Nanite because it saves on development time. We are fully aware of that. We have constantly stated this in previous videos and comments. We have also said this is a great thing to work towards.


What these ignorant people fail to grasp is that Nanite is a FORCED alternative, due to a workflow deficiency in legitimate optimization for meshes.


3. Like we stated in our ‘Fake Optimization Video’, Pro-Nanite users fail to recognize the CONTRADICTION Nanite causes in "visual fidelity".


If you are using a technology that has such a massive domino effect on performance that you end up having to use a blurry, detail-crushing temporal upscaler to fix performance then you end up smearing all the detail anyway for a distorted presentation. Then if you were to explore CHEAP deferred MSAA options. All that subpixel detail possible in Nanite and VSM's gross use of soft shadow sampling is promoting temporal aliasing/reliance on flawed TAA/SS.


4: The test shown at 3:36 shows a workflow deficiency rather than an implementation issue. Unreal does support per-instance LOD selection but the engine defaults to ISM(Instanced Static Meshes) which doesn't support per instance LODs. But UE5's HISM(Hierarchical Instanced Static Meshes) does but the developers have not made this as accessible and have not produced a system that combines all these meshes with precomputed asset separation culling. Before some people complain about "duplicated" assets and increased file size, we encourage viewers to research how Spider-Man PS4's open worlds where managed.
@MayhemMilIer February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
0:35 2000 20 23 ?????
@ceanyflamingo5127 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
So here's a more I guess positive way to look at things. Instead of talking about how bad nanite is you should talk about how it can be improved. Suggest ways to make nanite actually better since so many people use it already. Make the thing people are already using better instead of talking about alternatives that people most likely won't use.
@Stax-m5t February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
With ai training and user data so important , the fill fake frames etc could be to allow space for sending data back later for ai trianing , likr adobe also now takes users data.
@saminyead1233 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Now my question is, WHY IS NANITE LIKE THIS?
@vtirayushchiy_dich February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
комментарий для продвижения в тренды
@sosa0 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Nanite scales well, but it just has a steep initial performance cost.
@SandyM1993 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Nanite is now forced on all projects and has completely ruined everything I've done over the past 2 years. It broke everything! The performance is shot. I can't adjust LODs anymore so now the fps is always at 3 or lower and impossible to do any work. Nanite has forced me to quit UE5 for good.
@ballinbulgruuf5920 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
All those so-called "optimization issues" with UE5 can be fixed with just two lines in the config. The first disables Nanite (because who needs Mesh Shaders anyway?), and the second turns off Lumen (because global lighting is so overrated). And voilà, you’re back to those 'amazing' graphics from before that ‘look exactly the same.’
@zealobiron February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Love when someone is genuinely passionate about their work. Holds a level of integrity when it comes to what they consider a finished product.
@Gore-okami February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I think nanite is faster but only in some circumstances - like on that demo they showcased - when we are going to absurd amount of details models that are really looking like a next step and not when we talk about normal models that should be handled in normal way.
@outlander234 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I love that you mention Decima, that's why Horizon 2 looks so good. I feel like many people dont even play videogames they just watch and comment on Youtube videos because the first thing that came to mind when playing Horizon 2 after all that UE5 hype... Was like UE5 what? Horizon is still best looking out there. Whetever tech they are using is clearly best.
@tristunalekzander5608 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
It's crazy to me that anyone would want to use unreal, it's so bulky and gimmicky, and the documentation is atrocious. It's like they expect everyone to only use their blueprint system, which is disgustingly inflexible.
@g4md0r32 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I was wondering, why aren't they already using AI to make the scenes less heavy in the first place, instead of using it on unoptimized scenes?
@MaxRussel-m7t February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Commenting for the algorithm
@dataanalystbynight4375 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Hopeful they don’t Epstein or Clinton your ass 😂
@Al.j.Vasquez February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
You explained it perfectly, they don't want to fix the problem, they want to sell you the remedy, Nvidia needs DLSS to be the best upscaler, so if there are issues that look more apparent on other AA solutions, it's better for DLSS.
I dislike when developers are too high on their horse that they won't listen to someone calling out a problem with their products.
@kephryccephryc863 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
NANITE AND LUMEN IN UNREAL ENGINE 5 ITS SJUT TRASH FOR GAMING PERFORMENCE
@LloydBickford February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I'm a learning developer. I'm pleased that you're pointing out important issues, but I'm curious in learning methods of how to fix them. Such videos seem to be few and far between on YouTube, though. I would be interested in tutorial resources that teach how to do this. I have found a few good resources to increase realism, such as fixing tone mapping. I don't suppose you would be able to point me in the right direction?
@matthewvelazquez2013 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
As long as Threat Interactive avoids reviewing Boeing Flight Simulator games, he will be okay...☠️
@AllOfGamingIsDead2025 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
AND STOP FORCING US TO USE UPSCALING AND RAYTRACING... except maybe!! RT LIGHTING/ GLOBALILLUMINATION & Reflections IS ALL WE NEED! Tell Epic to knock it off with SLOWING DOWN OUR GAMES AND FORCING US TO EITHER UPSCALE OR BUY HARWARE WE "GAMERS" CANT REALLY AFFORD!!!! CUZ ILL JUST STOP BUYING HARDWARE AND GAMES IF THIS CONTINUES!!!
@AstaIsAMonster February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Great video
@user-mh6ie9wm6m February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I hate Unreal engine. All of them, idc anymore. I have faced nothing but performance issues with those engines, it's a joke. I've had to do weird fixes galore to make them play nice on a number of PC's i've owned. I'm done, I'm sick of poor performance, I'm sick of having to disable CFG on every single UE4 game I play because it micro stutters to no end if I don't, I am done. Even If GTA VI was announced to run on UE5, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.
@railerswim February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
What devs don’t understand is in their complaining about informed enough consumers, they are telling us to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to be able to play them in a decent fashion.

If the industry is going to force RT, they have to optimize, have to. Or they will lose on sales strictly because people can’t play.

Some devs have said this is the same thing that happened with introducing having a discrete gpu as a requirement. I highly disagree with this assessment. Why? Because RT has a negative impact on performance to making lighting “easier” for devs to where they don’t have to bake it.
@zwywhoo February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Remember guys, he's sane and fully healthy.
@videogamesart8057 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
I think your approach is wrong, sorry. UE is bringing game development to a wider audience by implementing simplified and automatic tools that don't need so much expertise. That's good. Obviously such simplified tools, as nanite or lumen or blueprints and so on, take many resources away. It's a compromise between easier access to game development and worse optimization. However competent developers with more expertise can still use UE and apply better optimized solutions, i.e. by using C++, smart LOD settings instead of nanite, traditional lighting instead of lumen and so on. UE is not the problem. The problem is the shortage of senior programmers able to implement optimization and low.level solutions in game development. Or maybe big companies are not hiring such experts and relying on the simplified tools of UE to decrease cost and increase profits to the detriment of quality. The lack of quality comes from game production, not from the engine. Expert programmers can still optimize and work at low-level with UE. I suggest you to change your approach. It's true that games lack of optimization lately, but it's not UE fault. UE is doing fine by bringing game development to a wider audience.
@jakepeterson6488 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Learn how to use nanite properly before shitting on it with that angry baby face
@Murlokck February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Leaving my comment for support!
@jonhobbs5113 February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Thanks for the explanation in this video. Since nanite will be disabled, which technologies (or even project configuration) do you recommend enabling/disabling/implementing for a world builder game where, during runtime (as opposed to in the UE editor), the player is allowed to drag and drop in lights and objects that are moveable and dynamic? Is there a way to create instances of objects (or combining objects as one) during runtime if the player decides that the selected objects are no longer going to be moving? How about for lighting? Still considering runtime, should megalights be the go-to technology to enable or is there a better method to accommodate thousands of lights that the players will drag into their world? Thanks for all that you do. I support your movement!
@ignisGladius February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
Dude doing Gods work
@YuvalDorfman February 4, 2025 - 4:57 am
All these solutions aren’t ment to be more efficient then extremely efficient optimised games, it’s meant to lower the workload and manpower required to make a game, by doing so making it realistic for single or small dev teams to make graphically stunning games.
Ofcorse if you make your own highly optimised engine and assets it will run better then nanite and lumen but only the big devs have the money and manpower for that.
Giving these tools to all devs is a good thing

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