CryEngine 5.4 introduces Substance integration and (beta) Vulkan support

After launching into preview two months back, Crytek has released the next full CryEngine update, officially bringing beta Vulkan API support to the engine in the process.

The 5.4 update is now up for download on the CryEngine website along with details about what developers can expect from the latest version of Crytek’s game engine.

As mentioned before, this update brings Vulkan support to the official version of the engine for the first time, though it is worth noting that this support is still listed as in beta. The Khronos Group’s cross-platform 3D graphics API has been growing in popularity as of late, showing up in everything from Dota 2 to Star Citizen.

In addition to Vulkan support, game devs working in CryEngine might be glad to know that Allegorithmic’s Substance material authoring tool is now integrated directly into the Sandbox Editor. In a blog post running through the patch notes, Crytek noted that Substance was a natural addition to the Sandbox Editor since its “internal teams have actively used Substance in their workflow” for some time now already. 

Version 5.4 also brings with it an upgrade to the Terrain System and Terrain Blending, a modular development tool called Entity Components, an Extended Detail Blending feature sourced from Robinson: The Journey, new C# templates, and more. 

Developers curious about the changes can find a full rundown and details on how to update over on Crytek’s website.