One of the most useful concepts in real-time filmmaking and virtual production is understanding how these work in Unreal Engine.
At a basic level (no pun intended!), a Level is your environment – think of it like a map, a set, or a location. It’s where your scene takes place.
A Sublevel, on the other hand, is how you break that environment down into pieces. And a Master Level puts those pieces back together. Why? Because:
✅ Multiple artists can work on different parts of a scene
✅ You can toggle elements (like lights, VFX, or characters) on and off
✅ You keep your project clean, modular, and render-ready
✅ It speeds up your workflow when working with heavy assets like Metahumans (more on those later)
In production, I always create a Master Level – an empty container – and then slot in sublevels for things like:
Geometry
Lighting setups (Day/Night)
Cameras
Characters
VFX and audio
This makes version control work with multiple artists and lets you load only what you need.
Bonus tip: Unreal’s default streaming behavior can trip you up if you’re not aware. Always double-check whether your sublevels are set to load automatically or via blueprint – or you'll trip up at render time!
I break this down in a short tutorial that’s part of a new series on Hollywood previs techniques for indie filmmakers – all in Unreal Engine.
💡 Whether you're building a game, previs sequence, or animated short, adopting this structure will save you time (and your sanity).
💡 Check out the full series of REALTIME WORKFLOWS!
🎬 REALTIME WORKFLOWS: Levels and Sublevels in UE
in real-time