Create Architectural Scene Variants with Unreal Engine Variant Manager

What will you learn in this guide?

Unreal Engine Variant Manager lets you save different configurations of actors in a level as variants. In this guide, you’ll learn how to group options for an architectural visualization scene into sets, link actors to variants, and apply saved values in the editor. For example, you can keep different states of a scene element in separate variants and organize options into meaningful groups such as rooms, materials, or presentation scenarios. These are workflow suggestions; which properties are available depends on the actor’s capturable properties.

Variant Manager does more than store values: when a variant is activated, it sets the captured properties of its linked actors to their saved values. Variants can also use dependencies to activate other variants. This makes it possible to manage scene alternatives through a structured asset rather than setting up and remembering each configuration individually.

Requirements

• You need an Unreal Engine project and a level to work in.

• The Editor > Variant Manager plugin must be enabled in the project. To enable it, open Edit > Plugins, search for Variant Manager, and activate it. The plugin may be enabled by default if you started with a template in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction or Automotive, Manufacturing, and Product Design categories; still, check the project settings.

• This guide does not require a specific Unreal Engine version. The general guide referenced here does not specify a version requirement, so verify that the plugin and relevant workflow are available in the version used by your project.

• The source materials do not specify account, fee, or special hardware requirements. It would not be appropriate to make additional assumptions about these.

Step-by-step: Create a scene variant

1. Plan your variants in advance. First decide which scene options you need and how to group them. For example, grouping options for an interior presentation into separate sets can make the setup easier to follow. Note any choices that need to work together; you can add these relationships as dependencies later.

2. Create a Level Variant Sets asset. In the Content Drawer, right-click and select Level Variant Set from the Miscellaneous list. This asset holds information about level actors and variants together. Once you open its structure, you can manage sets and options through the Variant Manager panel.

3. Add a variant set and variants. In the panel, click + Variant Set to create and name a new set. The Add (+) button beside the set adds a new variant. Choose names that are clear to the content team and anyone reviewing the presentation. You can right-click a variant to rename it or select Set from viewport to make it represent the current viewport state.

4. Link actors to variants. With a variant selected, use the Add (+) button in the Actors panel, or drag actors from the World Outliner into the relevant list or the variant on the left. Linking creates a relationship between the actor and the variant. You can also add or remove links from the right-click menu.

5. Choose which properties to save. When you link an actor, Variant Manager opens a window where you can select the properties you want to capture. In the Properties panel, you can see which properties of the selected actors are being saved; the Values panel shows the values stored for those properties. Properties exposed to Blueprints can be captured. For Blueprint actors, this may also include variables created in the class and marked as instance editable. You can add a property later using the Add (+) button in the Properties header.

6. Save and apply a variant value. Set the value you want the variant to apply for each captured property. You can edit values in the Values panel or create the desired scene state and then use the Record the current value icon for the relevant property. Record Current Value in the right-click menu serves the same purpose. Double-click the variant to activate it, or right-click it and select Switch on.

   If a variant is already active, changing a value in the Values panel may not immediately update the viewport. To see the result, reactivate the variant or use Apply recorded value for the property. This is especially important when checking the difference between a saved value and the state currently visible in the scene.

7. Use automatic capture carefully. The button at the top of the Variants column, on the left side of Variant Manager, turns automatic linking and capture on or off. First select the variant you want to edit; activate its current state if needed. After enabling automatic capture, change actor properties in the scene. Capturable changes are saved to the selected variant, and actors that are not yet linked may be linked automatically. Turn the button off when you’re done. Since unwanted edits may also be saved if it is left on, don’t keep this mode enabled continuously.

8. Add dependencies if needed. If you want another variant to turn on when a variant is activated, click Add (+) in the Dependencies panel. Then select the variant set and variant you want to activate. The variant selected as a dependency does not have to contain an actor link; this feature can help set up a configuration that, for example, resets multiple options to their initial state.

Common mistakes

Assuming the plugin is enabled: The plugin may be enabled in projects created from templates, but this is not guaranteed for every project. Check Edit > Plugins before opening the Variant Manager panel.

Forgetting to turn off automatic capture: While the mode is on, suitable changes you make in the scene may be saved to the selected variant. Turn it on deliberately at the start of each variant-editing session, and turn it off when you’re done.

Expecting value changes to appear immediately: An update in the Values panel may not show up immediately in the active variant. You need to reactivate the variant or use Apply recorded value.

Trying to capture unsupported properties: Variant Manager can only capture properties it can control. If an expected property is missing from the list, check whether that property on the actor is capturable.

What does it offer for architectural and visualization workflows?

This method is useful for architecture firms, interior designers, and visualization teams that want to keep alternative scene states organized in the same level. You can inspect scene states by switching options on and off in the editor, and consider using the configuration later in a presentation or interactive project. However, when choosing a workflow, look beyond the convenience of the interface and check your project version and which properties of the actors in use can be captured.

If the source scene imported with Datasmith already contains variants created in supported applications, Unreal Engine can automatically set up a Level Variant Sets asset and actor. Epic Games documentation states that in this case, you need to prepare Blueprint logic or UMG widgets to change variants in response to user interaction. So, if your workflow involves importing variants from the source application, first check the imported structure; don’t assume that the import will automatically create the entire presentation interface as well.

Next steps

Start by testing with one set, a few variants, and a single actor in a small, easy-to-check scene. Once you’ve confirmed that the value is saved and the expected state returns when the variant is reactivated, expand the setup. In a larger project, use consistent names for variants and sets; if you add dependencies, clearly plan which options need to change together.

If scene variants were created in another application, inspect the Level Variant Sets asset set up by the Datasmith import. If you need to use variants outside the editor or at runtime, evaluate the runtime and Blueprint steps that go beyond the basic panel workflow separately. This guide is limited to creating and activating variants in the editor.

Source and license

This guide was adapted into Turkish based on Epic Games’ Variant Manager overview and scripting the Variant Manager setup guides. Both sources are marked license=free in the provided materials. Sources: Epic Games Developer Community, “Variant Manager Template Overview” and “Scripting the Variant Manager Setup”.