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Debug CVARs

O3DE provides the following built-in debugging and profiling tools that you can use to locate and fix performance issues.

Crash logging

Logging and reporting for crashes that occur in the O3DE Editor or your O3DE game can be turned on by modifying the sys_dump_type console variable. The type of crash log information generated depends on the value:

  • 0 - Disable crash reporting.
  • 1 - Generate a stack trace on crash
  • 2 - Generate a stack trace and limited variable information.
  • 3 - Full crash dump of the stack trace, variable information, and all memory.

Crash logs are written to the Cache\project_name\platform\user\log\error.log file.

By default, only the call stack for the main thread is in a crash dump. In order to get the stack trace of auxiliary threads, set the sys_dump_aux_threads console variable to 1.

Using Console Debug Views

The viewport window displays debugging information by default when you are in gameplay mode (Ctrl+G). You can toggle this information on or off by pressing the tilde (~) key. Use the following console variables and values to generate viewing modes in the viewport that are useful for debugging.

  • e_Camerafreeze 1 - Freezes the camera to see what is rendered from the camera’s point of view and what is occluded. Also useful for debugging object culling and LOD.
  • e_DefaultMaterial 1 - Applies a uniform, flat, gray material to every surface in the level.
  • e_memoryProfiling 1 - Prints onscreen statistics for the amount of GPU memory that textures and buffers use.

Using the e_memoryProfiling console variable to display VRAM usage.

  • e_TerrainBBoxes - Displays terrain bounding boxes.
  • p_debug_joints 1 - Shows the mass of objects in kilograms and the joint that is linked to the object. To display joints, you must first enable p_draw_helpers 1.
  • p_draw_helpers 1 - Shows physics proxy meshes in addition to the render geometry.
  • r_DisplayInfo 0 - Disables the debugging text.
  • r_DisplayInfo 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 - Enables various levels of debugging text. Displays memory consumption, frame rate, triangle count, visible light sources, and drawcall count. Use a value of 2 to display more detailed information. Use a value of 3 to display only frames per second (FPS) and frame time in milliseconds.
  • r_wireframe 1 | 2 - Use a value of 1 to draw the level in wireframe mode. Use a value of 2 to draw the level in vertex mode. Both include the objects that are hidden from view.
  • r_ShowLines 2 - Overlays the wireframe only on the front-facing geometry. Anything behind this geometry isn’t rendered.
  • r_TexBindMode 6 - Applies a uniform, flat, gray material with normal map information to every surface in the level.

Using DebugDraw Console Variables

Use the following console variables and values to display information about your level.

  • e_DebugDrawLodMinTriangles 1000 - Do not draw debug text for objects with less than 1000 triangles.
  • e_DebugDraw 1 - Displays the name of the .cgf used, polycount, and LOD.
  • e_DebugDraw 2 - Displays a color-coded polygon count.
  • e_DebugDraw 3 - Displays a color-coded LOD count. Flashing color indicates a single LOD.
  • e_DebugDraw 4 - Displays object texture memory usage.
  • e_DebugDraw 5 - Displays a color-coded number of render materials.
  • e_DebugDraw 6 - Displays ambient color.
  • e_DebugDraw 7 - Display triangle count, number of render materials, and texture memory.
  • e_DebugDraw 8 - Displays RenderWorld statistics (with view cones).
  • e_DebugDraw 9 - Displays RenderWorld statistics (with view cones without lights).
  • e_DebugDraw 10 - Displays render geometry with simple lines and triangles.
  • e_DebugDraw 11 - Displays render occlusion geometry.
  • e_DebugDraw 12 - Displays render occlusion geometry without render geometry.
  • e_DebugDraw 13 - Displays occlusion amount (used during AO computations).
  • e_DebugDraw 15 - Displays helpers.
  • e_DebugDraw 16 - Displays debug gun.
  • e_DebugDraw 17 - Displays streaming information (buffer sizes).
  • e_DebugDraw 18 - Displays streaming information (required streaming speed).
  • e_DebugDraw 19 - Displays physics proxy triangle count.
  • e_DebugDraw 20 - Displays object instant texture memory usage.
  • e_DebugDraw 21 - Displays animated object distance to camera.
  • e_DebugDraw 22 - Display object’s current LOD vertex count.
  • e_DebugDraw 23 - Display object in red if it is casting a shadow.
  • e_DebugDraw 24 - Display objects with 0 LOD with red text.
  • e_DebugDraw 25 - Display objects with 0 LOD with red text and objects with 1 LOD with blue text.

Using GBuffer Console Variables

Use the following console variables and values to display materials, colors, shadows, albedo, and other characteristics in your level.

  • r_DebugGBuffer 1 - Shows normals of all assets in the level.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 2 - Shows the roughness or glossiness of the surfaces.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 3 - Shows the specular color of materials.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 4 - Shows the albedo of all surfaces in the level.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 5 - Shows the lighting model in the level. Gray = standard | Yellow = transmittance | Blue = POM self-shadowing.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 6 - Shows the translucency values that are set on assets in the level. Black = none.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 7 - Shows self-shadowing of materials that use Offset Bump mapping or Parallax Occlusion Mapping.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 8 - Shows in red and yellow any asset that uses SSS. The brighter the color, the higher the SSS index.
  • r_DebugGBuffer 9 - Shows whether specular colors are in a reasonable range as follows:
    • Blue - The specular color is too low.
    • Orange - The specular color is too high for dielectric materials.
    • Pink - The specular color is valid only for rusted or oxidized metals.