FAQ
This FAQ contains all your most common questions, and our documentation will further expand on the rest as we improve it. As always, if you're not able to troubleshoot something, please drop a message on our Discord and we'll assist you in no time!
Basics
How to get started?
1. Download Dash with the Download button.
2. Install it and choose your UE versions.
3. Start UE and click the Dash icon located next to the Mode drop dropdown and you will see a popup where you can request a trial or enter your paid license key.
4. If you want to get a paid license after your trial, you need to go to polygonflow.io again and purchase a license.
5. After purchase you will see your license key on screen and in an email, just enter that key into the License Manager inside of Dash. It is located inside the Preferences panel in the main Dash menu.
What type of projects can Dash be used for?
Dash can be used for game development, archviz, environment art, and any other projects you may be doing in Unreal Engine that involve building an environment. Right now it works best for sections of a larger environment or smaller environments in general, the detailing capabilities, ease of use and control you get with Dash is unlike anything else out there. And we are of course improving it continuously to make sure it works equally well for larger environments.
Manage Your license
If you want to adjust the number of seats, adjust payment method, or cancel your paid license you can do that from here: https://polygonflow.onfastspring.com/account
Where to download the latest version?
The latest version of Dash is always available to download from here: https://bit.ly/DashLatestInstaller
Does Dash have an API?
We don't have a public-facing API for Dash, though its codebase for creating, querying and editing tools and their data is fairly simple. We profile a few examples in this page.
Workflow
Can I scatter without using Dash's Content Browser?
Yes. Click on Scatter on the Dash bar to view the scatter tools, then open the tool Surface Scatter. With your terrain/ground actor selected, click on the "+" icon of the Surface property to set your selection as your surface, then do the same for a different actor to set it as your Scatter, and that's about it!
How do I convert Dash's custom mesh type to Static Mesh?
Tools like Road & Terrain create a custom Dash geometry called DashPreviewMeshComponent. While editing in the Dash Tools Panel, you'll notice that such tools have a Bake icon that shows up. Click on it, and you'll be prompted to convert your geometry, which would remove the tool & the custom geometry, and leave you with a static mesh. You can also just type "to static mesh" in the Dash bar with your custom mesh types selected, and the suggested operation will do roughly the same thing.
How do I convert Dash's Instances and break the tool connection?
Our Scatter tools and Physics tool create HISM instances (same as UE foliage or UE PCG) and this means that usually there is no need to convert them to anything else. But if you do want or need to convert them or brake the tool connection there exist a few options:
From within the Scatter Tool in question, open the menu and click Delete, that will delete the tool and thus break the connection so you can't edit the result anymore with our tool. But the result will of course exist in the environment. The result is still an HISM. This connection would also be broken if you delete the original mesh you are scattering, or for example, the spline you have used in a Path Scatter.
If you search for Merge Actors in Dash, you can find an action that lets you merge several actors into one actor. Perfect for cases where you have several static meshes and want to combine them into one mesh, for example if you have used the Dash Physics Tool. To use Merge Actors, simply select the result in the scene and then run the action.
If you search for Convert to Foliage in Dash, you can find an action that lets you convert your Scatter or Physics paint result (HISM) into UE foliage. This breaks the tool connection and gives you the ability to use the normal foliage tool in UE to paint delete/add on the result to further customize it. The result is still a HISM but, it will respect World partitioning which could be very good in certain scenarios. And another bonus is that you can replace the scattered objects with blueprints if you want. So if you know you are 100% certain you don't need to adjust the settings in Surface Scatter any more, doing this conversion is recommended. To use Convert to Foliage, simply select the result in the scene and then run the action.
If you search for Bake Instances in Dash, you can find an action that lets you bake your scatter result into individual static meshes. It is a heavy operation but can be useful if you really need to move each object individually as a last step in your scatter process. To use Bake Instances, simply select the result in the scene and then run the action.
Can I mask my scatter by landscape material layer?
Yes you can! In the tool Surface Scatter, if you scroll down a bit in the properties you'll notice a group called Landscape Layer Masking. You can give to its properties the name of a landscape layer, like let's say "grass", and it'll ensure that your scattered grass is only kept in that layer.
Can I change my pivot with Dash?
That's possible yes! Dash has a few options to set the pivot on the currently selected actors. Go to the Place menu in the dash bar, then expand the Pivot Tools group, and there you'll be able to set the pivot to the center, top or bottom. Keep in mind, this changes the pivot of the actor, not the asset it's bound to.
Does Dash have a blend material and how does it work?
Yes Dash lets you create a blend material with 3 or 4 materials. Right now this only works with Megascans materials from our Content Library and it only works on Static Meshes or the Dash Custom Meshes, like our terrain, but of course we hope to expand this soon! To use it, simply, hold SHIFT to select 3 or 4 materials from the Dash Content Library, hold CTRL and drag them onto your scene, and then release the mouse over your surface and choose Blend Material. This will open the tool and let you fully customize it! P.S. the order you select the materials matter.
How doe I sink scattered assets below the ground?
In Surface Scatter and other scatter tools, we have a sink property that lets you move the scatters up and down easily!
Can I use Dash to create animated scenes?
Dash tools work only in editor mode right now, we are looking into making it possible to animate them but no clear timeline on this. But of course you can still use Dash to build the environment for your animated scene, but you can't change any Dash tool parameters within your animation.
For what projects can I use Dash?
As Dash is built to help you build environments in UE5 faster and easier, it can be used for any project where you need to build a world or just assemble some assets together. As we have many different tools and features in Dash these days, some are certainly more useful for certain projects. Right now we have users from several industries such as architectural visualization, gaming, product visualization, environment art, and automotive.
Can I use Dash for large scale environments?
Usually, when creating large worlds this means scattering lots of assets and that of course can be very heavy on the performance. One thing you can do to decrease the amount of assets needed is merging them together in batches and then scattering the batches of trees for example instead of trees individually. This being said we are constantly trying to optimize our tools to work well for larger environments, in Dash 1.8 we ship a fix so that it should work decently even if you scatter on an 8K landscape. But the performance of this of course heavily depends on your PC specs.
How do I fix issues with overlapping objects in Dash scatter?
For Path Scatter we have added a Density Mode called Fix, which will choose a density that makes the assets fit just right for your given curve and assets. You can customize the result with different options. For Surface Scatter, the best way of dealing with this is adjusting the density to find the perfect value.
Can I pause or freeze tools?
Yes you can! Inside most of the tools in Dash, we have a freeze function inside the tool menu!
Licensing & Pricing
Where do I find my license key?
We send it to the email you've used to buy Dash. Make sure to check the spam, and if you still can't find it, please reach out at support@polygonflow.io or to our Discord.
How many Enterprise Seats do I need?
You only need seats for those artists who want access to the tools and the ability to adjust parameters. You do not need licenses for Build Machines, but you do need to install the Unreal Plugin of Dash.
From a PC where you have Dash installed with a license, copy the "GraphNUnrealPlugin" file from the [UNREAL_ENGINE_INSTALLATION]/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/ folder to the same place on other PCs. This is needed from Dash 1.7 and upwards.
Are there any volume discounts or site licenses available?
Yes, there are! Just send an email to studios@polygonflow.io and we can discuss the different options.
Can I use my license on 2 computers?
Our freelance and student licenses come with the ability to be activated on 2 PCs. If you have an enterprise license and want to switch PC or need to switch to a third computer, you need to open the License Manager and deactivate your license first. It is located inside the Preferences panel in the main Dash menu. Then you are able to activate it on the other computer.
If you are unable to deactivate it on one PC, maybe if you don't have access to it anymore, please send an email to support@polygonflow.io and we can deactivate it remotely so that you can move the license to a new PC.
Can I pay with Alipay and Apple Pay?
Yes, and in order to do that you need to purchase a Dash license through this website: https://polygonflow.onfastspring.com/ and when doing this you also need to make sure the automated subscription renewal is unchecked.
Can I buy another maintenance period / 12 months of updates for the Perpetual License?
Yes, you will be able to do this! We have not yet added this ability to the website nor decided on the exact price. But the price will of course be lower than the perpetual plan and in line with how other companies does price this in the industry and we will add this ability in the near future to the website.
Technical Issues
How to set up and install Dash in a studio environment
If you want to install a trial or a paid license of Dash into a studio environment or a custom version of Unreal Engine, that is of course possible. Just send an email over to studios@polygonflow.io and we will give you instructions and the relevant files to achieve this.
Transferring a UE scene with Dash to another Computer
If you are gonna transfer your UE scene to another PC and want to be able to continue adjusting the Dash tools, you need to make sure to also move the associated JSON file that we create when you are using Dash.
This JSON file is named after your level name and is located next to your level. If you are using P4, Perforce, or a similar solution, make sure that this file is moved alongside the rest of the files. This could for example be done with perforce triggers to unlock/lock the JSON data https://www.perforce.com/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/scripting.trigger.creating.html. Note: If you are using Dash 1.7 or later, this will not be needed as we have improved the saving mechanism. You now don't have to worry about it at all, the data is included in the level itself.
What type of projects can Dash be used for?
Dash can be used for game development, archviz, environment art, and any other projects you may be doing in Unreal Engine that involve building an environment. Right now it works best for sections of a larger environment or smaller environments in general, the detailing capabilities, ease of use and control you get with Dash is unlike anything else out there. And we are of course improving it continuously to make sure it works equally well for larger environments.
Is Dash only available on Windows?
Yes. We're investigating Linux and MAC support, though it's hard to give any release estimates at this stage, since Unreal Engine also doesn't have great Linux/MAC support either, making it harder to port Dash there.
What are the system requirements?
The requirements for Dash are the same as Unreal Engine 5 but you also must have internet access and Windows 10 or 11. Dash doesn't work with Insider Preview versions of Windows.
Sharing the level with someone without Dash?
The level will work just fine and can be continued to be worked on, only those that want to adjust parameters in Dash or use other Dash tools need to have a Dash license. Note, if the user of Dash has created geometry such as cables, terrains etc, that user either needs to convert the meshes to static meshes before sharing the level or this user could add the "GraphNUnrealPlugin" file to their UE marketplace folder. This means, from the PC where you have Dash installed with a license, copy the "GraphNUnrealPlugin" file from the [UNREAL_ENGINE_INSTALLATION]/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace/ folder to the same place on the other PC or build machine.
One of these actions is needed as we are using a custom mesh data structure for our geometry generation as of Dash 1.7 and upwards.
What 3D software does Dash work with?
Right now we are focusing on Unreal Engine and currently support 5.1 to 5.4. Older Unreal Engine version can be made available for enterprise users on demand. Same applies for custom Unreal Engine builds; feel free to reach out to us on our Discord or at support@polygonflow.io
How do I uninstall Dash from UE5?
As of Dash 1.7, we are shipping an "Uninstall Dash" app within the Dash installation, so if you need to uninstall Dash, just search for "Uninstall Dash" in the Windows start bar and you should find the app.
How do I check if there exist an Dash update and install it?
Within the main Dash menu, a button on the left of Dash, there exist an option "Check for Updates". You can always use this to check if there exists an update, but once we push updates you normally get a pop-up notification within Dash that tells you about a new update. And it is always this link that is used for the latest Dash version: https://bit.ly/DashInstallerDB And of course, the best way to stay up to date with our latest updates, news and even beta versions of Dash is by hanging in our Discord! :)
Dash is affecting my performance
If you have used Dash in some way and the performance of your scene is getting bad, the most likely reason is that you have scattered to many assets for your PC to be able to handle this. The easiest solution is to try to decrease scatter density and/or delete the scattering to see if that makes any difference. But if you need the results you have created you can also try scattering batches of grass instead of scattering individual grass pieces, for example. You can always use the Merge Actors action in Dash to merge a few trees for example and then scatter that newly created Static Mesh instead.
How do I adjust the UI scale in Dash?
If Dash is too small or too big you can open Preferences from the main Dash menu, located on the left of the Dash bar. In there, you will find a setting for UI Scale Profile. You have to restart UE for the effects to take place.
Features & Tools
Will the tools affect performance?
Dash can be used for game development, archviz, environment art, and any other projects you may be doing in Unreal Engine that involve building an environment. Right now it works best for sections of a larger environment or smaller environments in general, the detailing capabilities, ease of use and control you get with Dash is unlike anything else out there. And we are of course improving it continuously to make sure it works equally well for larger environments.
What assets libraries are supported?
Dash has a content browser which supports PolyHaven, Megascans (download assets in the Bridge Plugin, and they'll show up. Download atlases in the Bridge standalone, and they'll show up), an IES Library, support for browsing & AI tagging your own content, and even browsing content from other projects in the one you're currently in.
Can I use my own OpenAI API key for AI tagging?
Yes you can! Open the Dash Content Browser, then switch the dropdown at the top to Current Project to ensure that we see the content of your current project.
Click on the three dots icons on the right, then select Insert Custom OpenAI Key. A popup will show up asking you to insert the key. Do it, then you're all set! Tagging limits will no longer apply, and the cost of tagging will from then on be on your end.
For some perspective, our napkin math shows us that tagging 2000 assets costs between $1.0 and $1.5 USD. We're actively adjusting our internal logic to improve quality and reduce costs, but that's where it stands right now.
Can I change the OpenAI Proxy URL?
Yes, you can! In the main Dash menu, you will find the Preferences panel, in there under Base Settings is the place to set your custom OpenAI Proxy URL.
Can I add my texture to the Dash Content Browser?
Yes by following these steps, Open the Dash Content Library and go the the project library tab, then expand the folder hierarchy on the left with the folder icon. Then you can right click on the top folder or any of the sub-folders and choose it the materials from said folder should be included or not. The reason we are excluding them as default is that it is not very useful to tag them with our AI tagging and thus that would only waste your monthly AI tags.
How do I use Dash’s color grading feature with an image?
First, make sure to create a Dash camera by searching for Camera in Dash and then make sure you are looking through it. Then you can drag any image and drop it on the Dash bar and we will extract the grading from that image to your Dash Camera.
Can I add and adjust Displacement through Dash?
Yes you can! This goes for the Megascans materials for UE 5.3 and 5.4 you use from the Dash Content Library. It is both possible through the Dash Material Edit tool and also the Dash Blend Material Tool. For it to work there are a couple of things you need to do:
The mesh you are applying the material on, has to be a static mesh, so if you have a Dash terrain or any other mesh from Dash that uses our custom mesh, you need to convert it to static. You can do this by searching for "static mesh" in Dash of course!
The mesh also needs to have enough resolution/triangles. You can create a dense plane through the Dash menu: Create - Mesh Primitives - Create Plane.
The mesh you are applying the material on has to have nanite enabled. You can search for "Actor Enable Nanite" in Dash to enable it on your selected mesh.
Also make sure that nanite tessellation is enabled in UE5. You can do that by running "enable nanite tessellation" command in the Dash prompt bar, if you haven't enabled it already.
You might also need to delete the material from the UE Content Browser so that Dash can re-import it when you drag it onto your surface.
If you can't get it working, please reach out in Discord with a video and we will help you out!
What is the difference between Object Mask and Proximity Mask?
In some scenarios you might not get good enough results with proximity mask, then you could try the Object Masking feature instead.
Object Masking uses raycasting, and allows you to even remove stuff that's inside the barrel, for example. This results in much better proximity accuracy.
Proximity Masking is point-based and will rely on all the vertices of your barrel to keep the closest plants to them. It has no "interior" awareness or anything of the sort. It's much, much faster, ofc.
Common Issues
My problem is not listed / Dash does not work
If you don't find an answer to whatever issue you may be experiencing with Dash, the quickest way to get help is by reaching out to us on our Discord, and if you don't prefer that you can also send an email to support@polygonflow.io. IMPORTANT: When you reach out, please include as detailed information as possible on the issues + a video or some pictures. Also, please make sure the UE output log is visible in the video/picture, we usually find the reason for the problem in there.
There are no Megascans assets visible
If the Megascans view in the Content Library is empty for you even though you have assets downloaded from UE-Bridge, the most probable reason for this is that the Content Library couldn't locate where you downloaded your Bridge assets.
To solve this you need to find the UAsset folder, you can do this by going to Bridge, right-clicking on one downloaded asset, and choosing “Go to files”, there you can copy the path to the UAsset folder.
Then you need to open the Dash Preferences through the main Dash menu and go to the path section and click the paper clip icon and then paste in the path you copied from Bridge. If you have the same problem with Atlases from the standalone bridge you can follow the same procedure but copy the path from the standalone Bridge.
Poly Haven Issues
If the thumbnails of Poly Haven are not loading and/or you are not able to download the assets please try this:
Close unreal
Delete this folder c:\Users \ "USERNAME"\Documents\PolygonFlow\ContentLibrary\PolyHaven
Open unreal and start Dash + Content Browser
Go to Polyhaven library menu (3 vertical dots) and click Redownload library data, once view is populated try to download
I've downloaded assets in Bridge, but they're not visible in Dash
If you've downloaded assets in the Bridge UE plugin, and Dash's Content Browser still doesn't show them, try to switch libraries through the dropdown at the top-right corner of the Content Browser, then back to Megascans, and see if it fixes it. If it doesn't restart UE, and that should fix it.
If you've downloaded assets in the Bridge standalone software, then only atlases will show up, as we only support those assets through the standalone. Like with the plugin, a restart might be needed in case you still can't see the atlases.
Clicking the Dash icon does not work
There could be many reasons but one thing you could try is to add Unreal Engine and Dash as allowed apps in the Windows Defender, Controlled Folder Access.
Another thing you could try is uninstalling Dash and installing it with Admin Rights.
And a third idea is closing all instances of Unreal (through task manager) and then going to: c:\Users\[USERNAME]\Polygonflow\Dash\Plugins\UnrealEngineContext\resources\plugin\ and opening your UE folder and copy this folder “GraphNUnrealPlugin”.
Then you need to find your UE installation folder and go into this path: [UNREAL_ENGINE_INSTALLATION_FOLDER]/Engine/Plugins/Marketplace and paste the copied folder into the Marketplace folder, overwriting the existing one if one already exists.
If none of these ideas work, please copy any message in the UE output log and send it to us and we will help you out. Contact us
There is no Dash icon in Unreal Engine or the installer got stuck on Installing…
Continue and finish the installation by clicking Next
Go to the Dash installation folder default is c:\Users\USER\Polygonflow\Dash\Inside of that continue to Plugins\UnrealEngineContext\resources\plugin
Inside here you should see a folder corresponding to your Unreal Engine version, e.g. UE_5.3
Copy the GraphNUnrealPlugin folder from inside the version you want Dash installed into. Paste this folder into your engine plugins folder. e.g. C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.2\Engine\Plugins\Marketplace
The resulting path to GraphNUnrealPlugin folder should be C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.2\Engine\Plugins\Marketplace\GraphNUnrealPlugin\GraphNUnrealPlugin
Restart your UE and you should then be able to find the Dash icon as expected.
There were no UE versions found during my installation
If this happens you need to check the checkbox for your UE version and then click the browse button and then navigate to where you have UE installed, i.e. a folder called UE_5.1 or UE_5.3, etc. Then just select the folder and continue the installation. Hopefully you will then see a success message for the UE version you choose to install Dash in.
My trial or paid license can't be activated in the License Manager
If you can't request a trial license or activate a paid license in the Dash license manager there could exist several reasons and usually you will see an error code.
If you get an error similar to "Date header is not valid" the reason is most likely due to your Windows Time being out of sync. By following the steps in this article you should be able to sync it and then once you try to open Dash again it should work just fine. https://www.pcworld.com/article/1513815/how-to-make-your-laptop-change-time-zones-automatically-in-windows-11.html
If you get "unknown authorization method'" or the activation simply does not work, you could try the following:
The time fix above!
Close Unreal, run cmd.exe as admin and then run 'winmgmt /resetrepository' command
Try to disable VPN or Proxy, or give access to the following URL: https://api.licensespring.com/
If none of these help, please reach out in our Discord and let us know what error you see.
My scatter result is not longer visible or the tool can't be opened
If any of these issues are happening, the most likely reason is that you have deleted the original mesh scattered or the surface it was scattered upon. Right now Dash needs both to still exist in the scene, but they can be hidden of course. Hopefully, you are able to open the Tools Panel with with the Edit button in Dash and then use the button on the left side to view all active tools in the scene and find your tool. Once opened you can re-assign the objects that is no longer assigned and keep your other settings intact. Of course, you may have found a bug, and then it is easier if you reach out on Discord, preferably by sending a recording of the issue and we can try to help you solve it!
Some Dash panels are not visible or I can't see the assets in the Content Library
If any of these issues are happening, the issue might be that you are using multiple displays on your PC. If you are, please try and check so the display that UE is on is the main Display in Windows settings. And of course, a Unreal Engine restart is always a good idea. If this doesn't help, please reach out in our Discord with a video of what is happening!
I have LOD/Culling Problems
If you have LOD or Culling problems or simply the scatters not showing correctly there are a few things you could try:
If you have nanite objects with masked materials and they are culled then you can lower Opacity Mask Clip Value for each material.
UE Console Commands for non-nanite meshes:
foliage.MaxTrianglesToRender 200000000 (This is a heavy one and the default value is 100 million, so increase gradually)
r.ForceLOD 0
foliage.forceLOD 0
r.RayTracing.Geometry.InstancedStaticMeshes.Culling 0 (Maybe only useful in Path Tracer)
foliage.LODDistanceScale 5 (or another number, maybe only useful in Path Tracer)
Keep in mind that commands like this could affect performance.
If you experience culling in huge World Partitioning Scenes you have to use the converter in Dash, “Convert Instances to Foliage”. This will break the tool connection so you can’t adjust the scatter anymore with Dash, but you will be able to use the UE Foliage Painter tools to further adjust it.
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