Why Do Games on Unreal Engine Look Plastic? Blogger Points to the Use of a 264‑Layer Diffusion Model

Some believe that certain rendering technologies in Unreal Engine could still be improved.

The host of the YouTube channel Threat Interactive continues to scrutinize Unreal Engine. In a recent video he focused on the engine’s reliance on techniques that aren’t state-of-the-art.

He noted that UE still uses the outdated Lambert diffuse model — originally described in 1760, making it well over 260 years old — and that its shortcomings have been known for a long time:

“In 1994 the inaccuracies of the Lambert model became evident when compared against a photographic reference used to demonstrate the improvements of a new diffuse lighting model called Orar.”

As an alternative, Burley’s model (2012) could be used; players encountered it in games like Need for Speed (2015) and Star Wars Battlefront. Those titles appeared realistic at launch and continue to look good today.

Some may recall The Callisto Protocol, which was developed on Unreal Engine — its characters did not look “plastic.” The creator presented a diagram and explained that the developers used a “Kalisto BRDF” — essentially taking the Lambert model as a foundation and enhancing it.

Comparison of the Lambert model with other approaches

Source: iXBT.games