# Dash 1.9.0

This new update is focused on the Content Browser in Dash but also comes with a new water and falling leaves system, along with an RVT workflow! The Content Browser gets a few new features like a Collection System, Fuzzy Search, and Multi-Asset Picker, but of course, also important improvements, especially to the Compute/AI Tagging process. All in all, Dash 1.9.0 will make your asset management experience a lot better!<br>

## [Download Dash 1.9.1](https://www.polygonflow.io/download-latest-dash) (Please Uninstall First)

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## Uninstall Previous Dash Version (You will not lose any work you have created with Dash)

1. Search for "Uninstall Dash" in Windows Search
2. Run the Uninstall Dash exe
3. Install new Dash version
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As of June 5th, 2025, we have also shipped a small hotfix, Dash 1.9.1, that includes Unreal Engine 5.6 support along with some small bug fixes.&#x20;
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## THE CONTENT BROWSER IN DASH IS NOW FREE

We know many users have enjoyed using the Content Browser in Dash, and we've long wanted to offer a free version of Dash. With version 1.9.0, we’re making it happen, the Dash Content Browser is now free for everyone!\
\
This means that you will have easy access to Megascans, FAB, Poly Haven, and IES assets, but of course, the Tagging System and the Centralized Asset Experience are also included. This means that for free you can easily browse, search, and drag and drop in all your assets, in all your UE5 projects.&#x20;

If you want more detailed info on the Content Browser you can find it here: [Content Browser Basics](https://docs.polygonflow.io/getting-started/user-interface/content-browser), and if you want more info on the Centralized Asset Experience you can find it here: [Centralized Asset Browser](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/centralized-asset-browser)

Some important notes:

* With a free Dash license, you won't be able to use any of the other tools in Dash, for example, [Easy Scattering](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/scatter-masking-features), [Procedural Meshes](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/mesh-based-tools), [Physics Tools](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/physics-tools), or [Material Blend and Edit](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/material-authoring).&#x20;
* **✅ You can start a free license from the License Manager in Dash 1.9.0 or later. ✅** \
  ( If you enjoy the paid tools in Dash, we really appreciate the support from a paid license as that is what helps us continuously improve Dash 🙏)
* The AI Assistant Sophon is also included in the free version, so make sure to use that to get quick help on how the Content Browser works.&#x20;

## Collection System and Tags

**Organize Your Library**

Organize your assets in any way you like with Collections, a new way to find and store the asset data inside the Dash Content Browser.\
Keep the collections for yourself or share them with your team, to let everyone know the best assets for the next project you will be working on.&#x20;

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Full information on this new collection system can be found here: [Collections in Dash Content Browser](https://docs.polygonflow.io/getting-started/user-interface/content-browser#collections)
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{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/cqu29w>" %}

**Improved Asset Details**

Display the details of the asset with a simple double click, see the most relevant asset information, and edit the tags all in one window.

{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/x42lg7>" %}

## Improved Search

* #### Semantic/AI Search

  Find objects that have semantically similar names. If you have one asset named apple and another one named pear, you will see both of them if you search for fruit. <br>
* **Fuzzy Search**

  Your spelling now does not matter as much, you can now find assets even with misspelled search words. <br>
* **Score-Based Search Results**\
  The more an asset matches your search, the higher it will be displayed in the search result.\
  Best matches at the top, and less likely matches at the bottom, so you can see first what<br>
* **Boolean Search**

  You can now add or remove terms from the search with + and - operators. For example, searching for "Forest -Rocks" will give you all the forest-related assets but exclude all your rocks. Another example could be "Flowers +Bushes"

{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/u417m1>" %}
Finding the assets you need is now even more flexible and powerful
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## Shader Updates

With version 1.9 we are bringing some nice new shaders to Dash. \
Some of these are highly requested by you guys. Here's what's new:<br>

#### **Advanced Water Shader**

This is a revamped water shader. For quite some time our users requested a water shader that comes with some waves and underwater effects. Now it's all there! \
By going to the Create tab, you will find the Advanced Water shader. Click on it and there you have it!\
This shader comes with a rain-on-water effect as well.  \
Let's go through how to use our Advanced water and some of its properties:\
\
Creating Water:\
In the Dash Toolbar we go to the Create tab, and in the dropdown menu, we select Create Advanced Water.

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Water creation with Dash
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Playing with some properties to get some nice waves: In the Tools Panel, you can tweak the values of the properties to get the best result for your project.

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Water properties showcase
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Another cool thing we added to our new water system is the ability to go underwater and have the feeling of being actually under a body of water. Likewise, these settings can be tweaked as required from the Tools Panel.

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For a better underwater fog effect, a small value like 0.008 and below would be ideal.&#x20;
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{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/19amo0>" %}

#### **Falling Leaves**&#x20;

When creating a forest/park or an urban street, we usually want to add some leaves falling in a certain direction. All this is now possible with a single click. In the Dash toolbar go to the Create menu and select Create Falling Leaves. Some beautiful leaves with all the settings necessary for nearly any scenario will appear in your scene.&#x20;

{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/z00muq>" %}

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Full information on the new water system and falling leaves can be found here: [Water and Leaves info](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/misc-tools)
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#### **Runtime Virtual Texture**

With Dash 1.9, we are introducing our first Runtime Virtual Texture (RVT) workflow.\
Here's how you can enable it; Select your mesh or terrain. Make sure it's Baked into a Static Mesh, then go to the Dash search bar and run the RVT action. Now all you need to do is open Material Edit for your assets that are placed on the RVT-enabled surface and enable "Virtual Texture".&#x20;

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Make Sure **Enable virtual texture support** is checked in your project settings
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It works best on Dash terrains or UE Landscapes. If you want to use it on a flat surface, like a plane, you need to select the plane and an asset on the plane and then run the RVT command, instead of running the RVT command on only the surface.&#x20;
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{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/nei53y>" %}
RVT workflow
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For our Blend Material workflow with RVT, when changing the Weight and adding grass or another layer of texture. In order for the changes to take effect, select an asset in the scene, then select Edit Material in the Tools Panel, and your changes will appear as you change from the Blend Material.\
Video demo below for more details.

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Updating RVT for BlendMaterial
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More information about using RVT in Dash can be found here: [RVT Documentation](https://docs.polygonflow.io/how-it-works/material-authoring#runtime-virtual-textures-rvt)
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## Improved Project Library

We have listened to your feedback, and the Project Library is now more efficient, easier to use and to share with your team. This is just the first stage of a long-term plan that will make the Dash content browser the only browser you need to manage your assets.

* **Tagging Performance**\
  The Tagging and Compute process has been optimized and improved so now, especially for big Unreal Projects, it should work much better and faster! ⚡️  Please try it out and let us know how it goes!<br>
* #### Blueprint Support

  Now if you have *blueprints with meshes inside*, you can have them browsable, searchable, and useable from the Current Project Tab in the Dash Content Browser! <br>
* **Easier Managing and Sharing of Projects**
  * New storage of Dash metadata is now directly within the Unreal project, making it as easy as sharing your project to see all the Dash content library data for any member of your team.
  * Streamline the experience with external projects by adding or removing them directly from the Content Browser menu on the right side. <br>
* **Materials Enabled by Default**

  As requested by many of you, materials tagging is now an opt-out feature.<br>
* **Quality of life requests**
  * You can toggle a different color for folders without computed assets inside the project library.
  * You can right-click and re-compute a folder of assets, or recompute any invalid asset inside the folder
  * You can opt-out from the popup asking you if you want to proceed to compute tags

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More information can be found here: [Organizing and using your custom assets in Dash](https://docs.polygonflow.io/getting-started/user-interface/content-browser#current-project-organizing-your-custom-assets)
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## Multi-Asset Picker

You can now pick interactively the variation on assets with multiple meshes. \
Hold CTRL when dropping your asset in the scene, and choose Select Asset. \
A floating UI will appear that makes it very easy to iterate on the available asset variations and pick the one you are looking for!

{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/37kal2>" %}

## Quick Asset Search

You can now search for assets directly from the Dash bar to have one or more small views of the search result.  Just type "Find rocks" or "Find grass", and a new mini-version of the Content Browser will open where you can see all your rocks or all your grass assets.&#x20;

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Keep multiple floating searches open will help your iterations while looking for the right asset for your scene
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## New Metadata Location (My previous computed/tagged assets are gone)

While making the project library more efficient and easier to share, some previously computed data might not be found automatically for everyone. **But don't worry, it is not gone!** \
If your previous data can't be automatically detected, you can set the right folder manually in the Dash preferences with the Metadata Path. If you don't know your old path, you can find it by:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Dash preferences and find the Advanced section.
2. Click Open Data Location
3. In the folder that opens, search for your project name, and the search result should give you back a folder named after your project.&#x20;
   1. If you don't find the right folder here, you must have used another location before, and then you need to search for your project name throughout your PC.&#x20;
4. Right click on the folder once you have found it and click "Open folder location"
5. Then open that folder and copy the full path, including the project name.&#x20;
6. Paste that path into the Metadata Path in the Dash preferences.&#x20;

{% embed url="<https://streamable.com/d366zv>" %}

Now that you have your metadata data back, you can decide to keep it where it is, or use the "Move Metadata To Unreal Project" button to place the Dash library metadata within the root of your Unreal project. This is the new preferred location that makes it easier to associate the library data with the unreal project, and every new project where you create tags with Dash, it will have this location.

## Smaller new features and bug fixes:

* You can now zoom in and out in the folder/tree view on the left side of the Content Browser. Simply hold CTRL and use the mouse scroll wheel.&#x20;
* You can zoom in and out in the asset view in the Content Browser by holding CTRL and using the scroll wheel, or by holding the middle mouse button and moving the mouse left and right.&#x20;
* Python environment installs much faster: We have dramatically improved the dependencies installation at the end of the installer.
* You can now use CTRL-Z on some Dash changes. If you have adjusted a value or a slider in a Dash tool you can now undo that change. Important to note, it only works if you haven't clicked anywhere outside of said Dash tool.
* From the Dash preferences you can enable local compute which basically means that when you compute/tag your assets it happens in the current Unreal Instance, instead of happening in a background instance of Unreal. This makes the process go faster, but it more or less freezes your current Unreal instance until it is done. &#x20;
