SmartRefs
SmartRefs›Root›Welcome to SmartRefs

Welcome to SmartRefs

Stable

Asynchronous soft reference management, background asset streaming, and memory optimization for Unreal Engine.

Welcome to SmartRefs

SmartRefs simplifies asynchronous soft asset loading and background streaming in Unreal Engine 5. It eliminates the boilerplate of working with TSoftObjectPtr and TSoftClassPtr, giving you clean Blueprint nodes, priority-based background streaming, automatic memory management, and hitch-free asset unloading.
Eliminate Asset Loading Hitches:

Keep your game's memory footprint tiny and prevent loading hitches by streaming characters, weapons, and audio assets on demand in the background.

What is SmartRefs?#

Hard asset references are one of the most common causes of memory bloat in Unreal Engine. If your main menu references an inventory item that references a heavy 3D mesh, the entire mesh, its 4K textures, and materials are forced into memory at startup.

While Unreal provides Soft References to solve this, vanilla soft-reference workflows are cumbersome:

  • Requiring nested Async Load Asset nodes with raw object casting.
  • No built-in priority management or progress callbacks.
  • Forgetting to unload assets leads to silent memory leaks.

SmartRefs provides a streamlined framework:

  • Clean Async Nodes: Load any soft asset or class reference in a single node with typed output pins.
  • Priority Queues: Ensure critical gameplay items load before cosmetic accessories.
  • Smart Unloading: Automatically unloads assets when they are no longer in use, keeping VRAM clean.
Async Load Smart Ref Node
Click to expand
Visual Guide: Async Load Smart Ref Node

Core Features#

CapabilityDescription
Typed Async LoadingLoad soft object or class pointers with automatic typing and zero manual casting.
Priority StreamingSchedule background loads with High, Normal, or Low queue priority.
Batch LoadingLoad entire arrays of weapons, skins, or audio clips with a single progress callback.
Memory PoliciesConfigure automatic asset release policies to prevent memory leaks in long play sessions.
Cook & Package SafeEnforces clean dependency separation so unused assets are not cooked into your build.

Quick Navigation#

Installation

Add SmartRefs to your Unreal Engine 5 project.

Quick Start Guide

Asynchronously load your first 3D mesh or weapon in 5 minutes.

Streaming Concepts

Understand soft references, cook separation, and memory budgets.

Features & Node Reference

Explore batch loading, priority queues, and memory unload policies.

NEXT
Installation