If you've ever imported Quixel Megascans into Unreal Engine only to find weird dark shadows on them, you're not alone. This issue can make your assets look unrealistic and ruin how your scene looks. The good news? It's an easy fix! In this guide, we'll walk you through how to remove the Megascans dark shadow issue and get your models looking as they should.
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Fixing the Megascans Dark Shadow Issue
When you notice unwanted dark shadows on your Megascans assets, it's easy to assume the problem is with Nanite or lighting settings. In most cases, though, the issue actually comes from the material settings.
First, confirm the problem is material-related: add a simple cube to your scene, browse its material and assign it to the Megascans model, and if the dark shadows disappear, the issue is definitely in the material.
Next, locate and modify the material settings: open the material of the affected Megascans asset, notice the dark shadows appear inside the material editor too, and navigate to the parent material to find the Ambient Occlusion (AO) value.
The dark shadow issue is visible inside the material editor
Finally, set AO to 1: adjust the Ambient Occlusion value to 1 in the material, save the material and exit the editor. Your dark shadow issue should now be resolved.
Setting Ambient Occlusion to 1 to fix the dark shadows
And that's it! Your Megascans models should now appear correctly lit, with no unwanted dark patches. This quick fix ensures your assets look more natural and blend seamlessly into your scene.