Fixing the Ugly Shadow Issues in Unreal Engine 5

With UE5 finally released, I've noticed a lot of users are struggling with some wonky shadows in the engine. This video helps shed a bit of light on why that is, and how to fix these problems.
We have three solutions. One simple one, one with a console variable, and a third that is more of a last resort type of fix.

Console Variable for solving buggy shadows: r.Raytracing.Shadows.EnableTwoSidedGeometry 0

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:23 - Solution #1
01:02 - Virtual Shadowmaps vs. Raytraced Shadows
01:36 - Solution #2
03:12 - Solution #3
05:11 - Recap
05:33 - How Nanite works with raytracing
06:33 - Outro & Thanks

---------Cameras and Gear Used To Film This Video -------
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My Streaming / Recording Setup (How this Video was Recorded)

[WilliamFaucher]

To be absolutely clear, when I mention that the nanite fallback mesh has its normals flipped, this is not a fact, I meant it just as a way to describe what we’re seeing, in the hopes of clarifying the result we're seeing with raytraced shadows.

[christopherrobin]

Quality of these videos is through the roof! Thank you!

[zhc]

I just ran into this problem and here you are with the solution I'm looking for. Thatk you so much!

[polyforged]

The fact that such a professional tool like Unreal Engine has issues with basic elements like shadows right at the beginning of a project creation surprises me.

[DUHRIZEO]

This stuff has been such a big initial hurdle for me being new to the engine. Understanding how your hardware, project settings, and assets used all need to work together. It hasn't been as out of the box for me as the engine is advertised, so thank you so much for the detailed explanations in these videos!

[karolinasereikaite]

Wow thank you! I ran into that problem with multiple light sources, I found a solution by enabling dynamic shadows (if I remember correctly) only for one of the light sources (sunlights). It was solved. Super happy to see other smarter options!

[VictorNorman_]

oh man. was scratching my head on how to even search for a solution to this problem and by magic you came along and sorted it out. Thank you!!!

[mihaiciocan]

Just started my unreal journey with unreal sensei s intro tutorial then i found another video that linked to you and 2 other channels and i saved you both in my bookmarks, then I wanted to see how my first scene looks with ray tracing and encountered this problem, searched on google and second option was this video and now i see you are the guy from my bookmarks, thanks a lot and looking forward to learn this software with your help included, thanks a lot again i went with the second option as it seems to resolve the problem the best, the third one still left weird small shadows when i would zoom out

[DatGuyGLK]

I also found that increasing r.RayTracing.NormalBias to 5-10 fixed the shadowing on these organic, rocky nanite meshes, seemingly without any performance impact or quality loss (at least I havent noticed in my scene). EDIT: '' The setting is determining the distance away from the surface where the ray begins. Normally, the ray would begin right at the surface, but you can use this setting to push that beginning location away from the surface in the direction of the normal. The higher you set this, the less accurate results you'll get with reflections and shadows. I imagine it will cause the "Peter Pan" effect where shadows don't connect to their casters if you set it too high. '' - Ben Clover, Unreal shader guru

[timoxton]

Your videos have been ESSEEEENNNTTTIAAAALL to understanding the changes in UE5 - and have saved me hours of headache. Cant thank ya enough.

[sfd]

Your channel is a gold mine, and I greatly appreciate not only that you show your processes, but that you explain the more and sometimes nuanced concepts behind *why* something is occurring.

[graydawn]

This video is a life saver. It is clear, concise and informative. Not only that but it provides multiple solutions. Thank you!

[dogzillal]

I have to say as a level designer not everything you talk about is useful especially when it comes to the render queue but everything else has been immensely helpful and I always look forward to your next video. Great work and keep them coming

[safofilmes]

Man, you saved my life about "Fallback Relative Error 0". Thank you so much. I always watch your content.

[MrSlickBobby]

You are really good William. No one else is doing videos as in deptha dn well explained as you. Thanks for fixing this issue for me.!!!

[perumedem]

Amazing William! I've discovered that using the second solution, you can turn on the "Two Side" option of the material and it will cast shadows on both directions. For me this is the best solution.

[acsomiT]

William, every time the "pop" sound comes up, Im thinking of opening a bottle of wine. I love it! I enjoy your videos! 🙏

[JWPanimation]

Thanks for this! There are some other fixes in the comments along with how to edit your ini file. Unreal seems to have quite a few technical gotchas and I really appreciate William's post here on Youtube.

[maxer]

There are lots misdirecting solutions on the internet about it . Most of them are about the UVs and no one seems to know why. This one clears of everything in an instant. Thanks

[neiljamessloan]

Kudos to you and your school of learnings Mr William Faucher. I tip my hat to the classy, useful and enjoyable experience you and your tutoring gifts.