How REALDRAW Manages Unreal Assets Differently

Hello, this is Beni, Tech Lead at REALDRAW. Unreal Engine, known for its photorealistic graphics and powerful toolset, is widely used in fields like game development, architectural visualization, and film production. However, in our unique environment — webtoon production — Unreal asset management required a different approach.

At REALDRAW, we create small, reusable spaces as assets for webtoon backgrounds and continuously apply them to new projects. This workflow led to several distinct requirements for asset management within Unreal Engine.

Key Requirements for REALDRAW’s Asset Management

1. Continuously generating new projects from existing assets: Each webtoon episode or synopsis requires a different setting. We needed a way to quickly assemble new scene projects by combining existing assets — directly affecting development speed.

2. Avoid oversized or duplicated asset management: As the number of webtoon projects grows, copying and pasting assets into every project would quickly bloat storage and make management impossible. To avoid this, we needed a system where assets could be referenced efficiently across multiple projects without duplication.

3. Maintain clear in-project asset organization: Multiple artists often collaborate on background production. It’s crucial to understand which assets are used in which scenes and how dependencies connect — not only for efficiency but also to reduce errors.

To meet these needs, we had to rethink our entire approach to Unreal asset management.

Let me walk you through how we built it.

Why We Chose Git for Unreal Asset Management

After extensive consideration, we decided to take a new approach to Unreal asset management — particularly regarding how to share and version-control base projects.

While Perforce is commonly used for large-scale Unreal projects, we concluded that Git was better suited to REALDRAW’s environment and project workflow. As a distributed version control system, Git provides flexibility and integrates more naturally with our existing project management tools and infrastructure.

Figure 1: Conventional Unreal asset management structure

REALDRAW’s Unique Asset Library System: Combining Git and Symbolic Links

Here’s how we actually addressed those challenges using Git. To minimize duplication and enable efficient management, we built a distributed main asset library system based on Git repositories.

Each asset category resides in its own dedicated Git repository, such as Props_GitRepo, Architecture_GitRepo, or Vegetation_GitRepo.

When creating a new webtoon project, the necessary asset repositories are cloned, and specific folders from each repository are linked into the Unreal project’s “Content” folder via symbolic links — so they appear as if they exist inside the same project directory.

This approach provides several clear advantages:

1. Prevention of Duplicate Asset Management: Each asset lives in its own Git repository as a single source of truth. Projects reference them via symbolic links instead of copying, keeping project size minimal.

2. Modular management: Categorized repositories allow for focused updates and maintenance per asset group.

3. Fast project creation: New webtoon projects can be created much faster — just clone the required repositories and link them automatically.

4. Synergy with Git Workflow: By leveraging Git’s powerful version control at the asset level, it becomes easier to track changes, manage version history, and resolve conflicts.

Figure 2: REALDRAW’s Unreal asset management structure

Solving Symbolic Link Complexity with PowerShell and requirements_prop.txt

Of course, using symbolic links introduces its own complexity — particularly in Windows environments, where most of our artists and developers work.

To streamline the process, we built a lightweight PowerShell automation script. Each project contains a file named requirements_prop.txt, which defines the asset library folders that need to be linked for that project.

For example:

Buildings
Vegetation
Walls

Based on this list, the PowerShell script automatically finds the corresponding cloned Git repositories (e.g., located under C:\rd_blog_unreal_asset_example\) and creates symbolic links inside the Unreal project’s Content folder. If Buildings is listed, the script links D:\RealDraw_Assets\prop\Buildings to Content/ExternalAssets/Buildings in the current project.

Here’s an example of our folder structure:

workspace/
    prop/
        Buildings/
            Content/
                Buildings/  (actual asset files)
    scene/
        RD_SCENE_0001/
            requirements_prop.bat  (PowerShell launcher with admin privileges)
            requirements_prop.ps1  (PowerShell script that creates symbolic links)
            requirements_prop.txt  (defines which asset libraries to link)
            Content/
                ExternalAssets/ (symbolic links created here)
                    Buildings -> workspace/prop/Buildings/Content/Buildings (actual link)

In short, our scene projects use symbolic links to connect to assets under prop. You can see a reference example here: rd_blog_unreal_asset_example repository

Thanks to this automation, team members no longer need to manually type complex symbolic link commands. They simply edit requirements_prop.txt, and the script handles everything. This dramatically reduces human error and shortens setup time, enabling faster project iteration.

Figure 3: Symbolic link icons in the project folder

Join REALDRAW in Shaping the Future of Webtoon Production

With this efficient asset management system, our team can now build webtoon environments faster than ever. Through technical innovation, we continue to expand the creative possibilities of webtoon production — which lies at the heart of REALDRAW’s mission.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ve faced this exact challenge!” or “I could improve this approach even further,” we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for passionate developers and artists who want to explore the intersection of Unreal Engine and webtoon creation — and build something groundbreaking together.

At REALDRAW, we’re dedicated to using technology to transform the webtoon industry and empower artists to create their best work. If our culture and tech stack resonate with you, don’t hesitate to knock on our door — we’re always open to innovators like you.