Skip to content

Dependency Graph

The Dependency Graph is an interactive visualization of your entire project's asset relationships. Explore dependencies, find issues, and understand your project structure at a glance.

Opening the Graph

Access the graph explorer via:

  • Dashboard: Click Explore Dependency Graph
  • Toolbar: Click Find Orphans or Find Circular
  • Content Browser: Right-click asset > View in Atlas

Basic Controls

Action Control
Pan Click and drag on empty space
Zoom Mouse scroll wheel
Select Node Click on asset or cluster
Clear Selection Click empty space or press Escape

View Controls

Located in the header bar:

Button Description
+ Increase spacing between nodes
- Decrease spacing between nodes
Reset Reset view to default position, zoom, and filters

Clusters

Assets are grouped into clusters based on their folder location. This keeps the graph organized and navigable even for large projects.

Collapsed Clusters

When collapsed, a cluster shows:

  • Folder name (e.g., "Characters", "UI", "Weapons")
  • Asset count (e.g., "42 assets")
  • Connection info (inbound/outbound reference counts)

Expanding Clusters

Click a collapsed cluster to expand it and see individual asset nodes.

Click again to collapse.

Auto-Layout

When you expand or collapse clusters, the graph automatically re-layouts to prevent overlapping.

Cluster Context Menu

Right-click a cluster for options:

  • Expand/Collapse - Toggle expansion state
  • Select All in Cluster - Select all assets in this cluster

Asset Nodes

Individual assets are displayed as nodes within expanded clusters.

Node Information

Each node shows:

  • Asset name (abbreviated if long)
  • Asset type icon
  • Reference counts (if enabled in settings)

Node Colors

Color Meaning
Default (gray) Normal referenced asset
Orange/Red Orphan - no inbound references
Yellow Part of a circular dependency chain
Green badge Synced with Asset Optics

Selecting Nodes

  • Single click: Select node, highlights connections
  • Ctrl+Click: Add to selection
  • Shift+Click: Range select

When a node is selected, its connections are highlighted with thicker, colored lines.

Connection Lines

Lines between nodes represent dependency relationships:

Line Style Meaning
Thin gray Normal dependency
Thick colored Highlighted (selected node's connections)
Yellow Part of circular dependency

Reading Connections

  • Arrow direction: Points from dependent → dependency
  • Outbound: Assets this node depends on
  • Inbound: Assets that depend on this node

Filtering

Search Filter

Type in the search box to filter by asset name. Matching assets are shown directly, ignoring cluster collapse state.

Type Filter

Use the All Types dropdown to filter by asset class:

  • Blueprint
  • Material
  • Texture
  • Static Mesh
  • And more...

Folder Filter

Use the All Folders dropdown to filter by content folder.

Quick Filters

Button Description
Find Orphans Show only orphan assets
Find Circular Show only assets in circular chains

Clearing Filters

Click the ✕ button that appears when filters are active, or click Reset.

Right-Click Context Menu

Right-click any asset node for actions:

  • Open in Content Browser - Select asset in Content Browser
  • Open in Reference Viewer - Open Unreal's Reference Viewer

Filtering

  • Show Dependencies Only - Filter to show only this asset's dependencies
  • Show References Only - Filter to show only assets that reference this

Editing

  • Copy Path - Copy asset path to clipboard
  • Delete Asset - Delete with confirmation dialog

Asset Optics (if integrated)

  • Open in Asset Optics - View in Asset Optics panel
  • Add Comment to Asset - Add a comment
  • Add Checklist to Asset - Add a checklist
  • Add Comment to All Dependencies - Bulk comment
  • Add Checklist to All References - Bulk checklist

Orphan Panel

When viewing orphans, a side panel appears:

Panel Contents

  • List of all orphan assets
  • Select All checkbox
  • Individual ignore/select checkboxes

Actions

Button Description
Select All Select all orphans in the list
Ignore Selected Mark as intentionally unused
Delete Selected Permanently delete selected assets

Circular Panel

When viewing circular dependencies, a side panel shows:

Chain Display

Each circular chain is listed with:

  • Chain ID (e.g., "Cycle 1")
  • Assets involved in the chain
  • Click to highlight in graph

Actions

  • Ignore - Mark chain as acknowledged
  • Click chain to focus graph on those assets

Performance Tips

For large projects (1000+ assets):

  1. Use filters to reduce visible nodes
  2. Keep clusters collapsed until needed
  3. Increase spacing if nodes overlap
  4. Use search to find specific assets quickly

Orphan Detection Circular Dependencies