rdInst Tutorial 7.6 – Streaming rdSpawnActor Volumes

Last Updated: 4th May 2025
Tutorial created using rdInst version 1.50

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rdSpawnActors have a number of features to allow very flexible streaming during play.

You can assign any distance to any object type used in the SpawnActor to allow the streaming to be split up into smaller amounts. You’re able to stream in (or have resident) larger objects seen more in the distance, then stream in smaller objects like light foliage, scatter etc when much closer.

This tutorial will create a simple SpawnActor and assign 3 different streaming distances (short to make them apparent), one for each object type.

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Step 1. Add 3 different mesh types to a level

Add 3 types of mesh to a new level, make them fairly close together and near the center of the level.

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Step 2. Create a SpawnActor from them

Now Select them all and create a new SpawnActor from them:

Use the default values, just set the streaming distance to 20,000 – that’s just the default streaming distance, if you don’t apply any other overrides, all objects will stream in at that distance – ensure “Load on Demand” and “Free on

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Step 3. Change the Stream-in distances for each object

Now open the newly create BakedDataAsset by double-clicking in the Content Browser and change the “Stream Distance” for each object, -1 means use the SpawnActors default distance, 0=Immediate, otherwise it’s the Unreal Units distance – in the example they’re set close, 6000,8000,10000.

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Step 2. Drag into an empty Level and Play to Test

That’s all you need to do, now just drag the MultiPlacement Asset into your level – set the SpawnActor to default to “Unloaded” (You can do that in the editor to conserve memory while editing too).

Then move to a distance, play and travel towards the actor to stream in the objects.

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