Godot 4.8 Dev4 Released

The next version of the Godot game engine, Godot 4.8, just got one step closer with the release of Godot 4.8 Dev4. The previous Dev1 and Dev2, Dev3 releases were a little light on shiny new features, but the Dev4 release does not disappoint.

New features of the Godot 4.8 Dev4 release include:

Here is a summary of the top 8 new features introduced in the Godot 4.8 dev 4 snapshot:

• VFX: Native 3D Trails (Trail3D): An official Trail3D node has been added to make creating complex 3D visual effects accessible out-of-the-box. Developers no longer need deep knowledge of linear algebra or custom mesh generation to build smooth trailing effects.
• Shaders: VisualShader Node Groups: Visual shaders now support node groups to significantly reduce graph clutter and redundancy. This allows users to encapsulate and easily reuse frequently used shader logic across complex visual shader graphs.
• Editor: Main Screen Plugins Converted to Docks: Main screen editors have been converted into regular EditorDock instances, making them no longer rigidly tied to specific plugins. As a result, main screens can now be customized, tab-styled, floated, or closed independently.
• Editor: Script Method Outline converted to Tree: The script method outline in the editor transition from a flat list to a structured tree view. This improves code navigation and preserves your current selection when saving projects.
• GUI: Auto-Resizing Font Options: Three new properties (auto_font_size, min_font_size, and max_font_size) were added to Label and RichTextLabel. These settings allow text to automatically resize to stay within container bounds without breaking layouts.
• Rendering: Multi-Bounce Ambient Occlusion Approximation: A new, low-cost multi-bounce ambient occlusion approximation accounts for interreflections that previously caused over-darkened scenes. This brings more accurate, vibrant lighting visuals that align with modern industry standards.
• Rendering: Directional Lightmap Specular Light: Static directional lights combined with directional LightmapGI can now bake specular lighting information. This produces directional specular highlights on lightmapped surfaces that rival real-time directional lighting.
• Export: Automated Android & Java SDK Setup: The new AndroidSDKManager completely automates downloading and configuring required Android and Java SDKs. Developers can now easily resolve missing export dependencies directly through the export presets or project menu prompts.

Key Links

Godot 4.8 Dev4 Blog Post

Godot Homepage

You can learn more about the exciting new features, and see several of them in action, in the video below.