Workflow comparison

Numivo vs. Unreal PCG: Which Should You Use?

Numivo is the better fit when environment artists want fast, paint-first scattering, species rules, masks and native baked output without building procedural graphs. Unreal PCG is stronger when a technical team needs bespoke, data-driven generation or runtime logic inside Unreal. Many productions can use PCG for macro systems and Numivo for art-directed finishing.

Numivo Surface Scatter vs. Unreal Engine PCG

Short verdict

Choose Numivo for an artist-led placement workflow that gets from assets to an editable scatter quickly. Choose Unreal PCG for custom procedural systems whose graph logic is part of the project. They solve overlapping problems, but they are not mutually exclusive.

Side by side

Where each workflow fits

Decision Numivo Surface Scatter Unreal Engine PCG
Best starting point Paint on a surface, choose species, then tune density, slope, height and relationships. Build or reuse a graph that gathers data, filters points and spawns output.
Primary author Environment artists and level designers who want direct visual iteration. Technical artists and designers comfortable designing reusable graph logic.
Custom logic Opinionated controls cover common placement and ecosystem decisions. A general framework can express bespoke rules, attributes and data flows.
Runtime generation Designed around editor authoring and baking approved results to native assets. Supports editor generation and, where the project calls for it, runtime PCG workflows.
Output Bakes placement to native engine primitives with no Numivo runtime dependency. Output remains part of an Unreal-specific PCG setup unless the team explicitly bakes or converts it.
Engine reach A shared Numivo workflow is designed for Unreal Engine and Unity. Deeply integrated with Unreal Engine and intentionally engine-specific.
Iteration style Change visual rules and repaint or regenerate the affected area. Change graph structure, parameters or input data, then regenerate.
Learning curve A narrower surface focused on everyday environment placement. More concepts up front, with a higher ceiling for project-specific systems.

Choose by constraint

Which one should you use?

Choose Numivo Surface Scatter when

  • Artists need believable vegetation or prop distribution without owning a procedural graph.
  • The approved scene should bake to ordinary engine assets before shipping.
  • The same team wants a familiar placement workflow across Unreal Engine and Unity.
  • Species relationships and terrain masks cover the rules the scene actually needs.

Choose Unreal Engine PCG when

  • Generation must react to project-specific data or run during gameplay.
  • A technical team wants a reusable graph framework rather than an opinionated scatter tool.
  • The pipeline is committed to Unreal and benefits from its native PCG data model.
  • Custom nodes, attributes and graph composition are central production requirements.

Use both well

A sensible hybrid workflow

  1. 01

    Give PCG the structural problem

    Use Unreal PCG where the level needs project-specific macro logic, data-driven corridors, biome zones or generation that belongs in a graph.

  2. 02

    Give Numivo the visual placement problem

    Use Surface Scatter for the artist-led pass: species, local density, slope and height masks, clustering and visual cleanup.

  3. 03

    Freeze the approved result

    Bake the Numivo-authored placement to native instances when the art pass is approved, then profile and review the level as shipped content.

Direct answers

Common questions

Does Numivo replace Unreal PCG?

No. Numivo offers a focused artist workflow for placement and related level-design tasks; Unreal PCG is a broad procedural framework. Numivo can remove the need for a custom graph in common scatter jobs, but PCG remains the stronger foundation for bespoke data-driven systems.

Is Unreal PCG free?

Unreal PCG is included with Unreal Engine. The meaningful cost is production time: graph design, project conventions, debugging and maintenance still need people with the right technical skills.

Which is easier for an environment artist?

Numivo is intentionally the more direct starting point for visual placement. Unreal PCG becomes attractive when the artist or a supporting technical designer needs logic that goes beyond the focused controls of a scatter workflow.

Can a project use both?

Yes. Keep their responsibilities clear: PCG for bespoke structural generation, Numivo for artist-directed placement and native baked results. A team does not need to force every procedural task through one system.

See the workflow

Build the placement, then ship native assets.

Explore Numivo's level-design tools for Unreal Engine and Unity.

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