What is Granite SDK?
Granite SDK is the fastest texture streaming middleware available to date. Initially designed to integrate into any 3D engine, Granite breaks down texture mipmaps into small tiles, automatically detects visible tiles for each frame, and then loads those tiles into memory.
Thanks to this approach, Granite uses minimal video storage and main memory – without having to depend on the resolution of textures or the number of assets in your scenes.
Granite was previously sold as a standalone SDK, and as a plug-in for the Unity and Unreal game engines. It is now terminated as a standalone product and no longer available outside of Unity.
The first version of Granite SDK was developed by the Ghent University spin-off, Graphine in 2013, and showcased during Microsoft’s //Build conference when Windows 8 was announced in June of that same year. Graphine was then acquired by Unity Technologies in 2019.
Frequently asked questions
No. Granite SDK and the engine plug-ins based on the SDK are no longer available outside of Unity. That said, Granite is now a core part of the Unity engine and powers the Streaming Virtual Texturing feature.
Yes, you can continue using the middleware so long as you comply with the license terms and conditions.
Granite for Unity is only available for Unity 2019, and is not maintained further. Granite for Unreal is available for UE4.24, and is similarly not maintained any further. Standalone Granite SDK will be maintained for users with an active maintenance and support agreement until the termination of those agreements, with all maintenance and support agreements terminating on or before June 1, 2022.
Yes – the online documentation is still available for existing users here until June 2022.
Yes, you can find the latest files within the pages of the online documentation, or through the github link you received when first buying a seat: https://documentation.graphinesoftware.com/. These links will be available until June 2022.