LiDAR Toolkit for Unreal Engine

Documentation & Get Started Guide

LiDAR Toolkit is an Unreal Engine plugin designed for synthetic LiDAR scanning, point cloud generation, and export. Whether you're working in scientific research, game development, robotics simulation, or machine learning, this plugin provides a fully configurable LiDAR system that integrates with Unreal Engine.

Reference

If you use LiDAR Toolkit in a publication, please cite the following: Stone, Gunner, and Alireza Tavakkoli. "LiDAR Toolkit: Scalable and Efficient LiDAR Simulation for Computational Research in Unreal Engine 5." Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing 2025: The Power of Collaboration. 2025. 1-4.

What You Get

• LiDAR Scanning

  • Simulates real-world laser scanning sweep patterns.

  • Supports single or multi-scanner setups for scalable environments.

  • Parallel processing for increased scan throughput.

• Customizable Scanner Configurations

  • Place scanners in a cylinder, wall, or ceiling layout.

  • Adjust field of view, scan distance, resolution, and scan speed.

  • Stack scanners vertically for multi-layered scanning patterns.

• HUD-Based Controls (No coding required!)

  • Modify scanner settings in real time with an interactive UI.

  • Toggle debug traces, visualization spheres, and scanning modes.

• Point Cloud Export in .XYZ Format

  • Exports scans with XYZ + RGB color data.

  • Supports separate file exports for each scanner or a merged output.

  • Optional YZ coordinate swapping for compatibility with external software.

• Advanced Settings

  • Foliage-aware scanning for compatibility with Quixel Megascans vegetation.

  • Material-based filtering to selectively capture specific objects.

• Flexible Integration for Developers

  • Use LaserScannerGameMode for quick setup or integrate the ALaserScanner class into your own workflows.

Who This Is For

• Researchers generating synthetic LiDAR datasets.

• Developers integrating LiDAR-based navigation or environmental analysis.

• Artists and designers looking to visualize and export Unreal scenes as point clouds.

• Machine learning teams training LiDAR perception models.

This plugin helps enable synthetic LiDAR scanning in Unreal Engine—no external dependencies, no complex setup.