Console Variable Browser

Module: Design · Category: Systems · Tool ID: ConsoleVariableBrowser

Two-tab CVar manager. Search & Filter enumerates every console variable in the engine via IConsoleManager, supports search by name / value / help text, filters by category prefix or modified-only, and lets you edit values inline. Presets ships 20+ built-in presets across Cinematic / Debug / Performance / Platform / Workflow categories (including per-discipline presets for Environment Artist, Lighting Artist, Animator, VFX Artist), with a manual CVar builder for custom presets that persist to JSON.

Browser open on Search tab with "Modified Only" toggled, showing several edited CVars. Tab bar visible.

When to use it

• Tuning rendering / scalability CVars without typing into the console every time
• Saving tested CVar combos as named presets for future sessions
• Onboarding to a project: applying the team’s standard “Lighting Artist” or “VFX Artist” preset
• Debugging: quickly toggling between Default and a custom debug-vis preset

What it isn’t for

• Don’t use this for runtime gameplay CVars. Those need to be set via game code, not editor session.
• Don’t expect persistent project-wide CVar changes. Most CVars reset on editor restart unless saved to a .ini.

Opening the tool

1. Open the EQLabs Hub and search for CVar or Console (or browse to Design → Systems).
2. Click the tool card.
3. Use the tab bar: Search & Filter or Presets.

Tab 1: Search & Filter

Enumerate, search, and edit individual CVars.

Interface

Section	What it does
Scan button	Enumerates every CVar via IConsoleManager
Filter text	Search by CVar name, current value, or help text
Category combo	Filter by category prefix (r., s., tg., etc.)
Modified Only checkbox	Hide CVars at default values
Export CSV	Saves the visible list
Copy to Preset Builder	Per-row action — adds the CVar to the Presets tab’s manual builder
Stats	Total CVars / modified count
Results list	Per-CVar row: name, current value (editable), source, help text, category, modified flag

Inline editing

Click the value column on any row — UE’s inline editor opens. Press Enter to commit. Read-only CVars are flagged and skipped.

Search results filtered to "r.Shadow", multiple shadow CVars visible with current values.

Tab 2: CVar Presets

Browse built-in presets, build custom ones, save to disk.

Built-in preset categories

Category	Examples
Cinematic	Cinematic Render Quality, Cinematic Lighting Setup
Debug	GPU Visualizers, Wireframe Mode, Stat Counters
Performance	Quality Low / Medium / Epic, Mobile Profile
Platform	Console Profile, Mobile Profile, Quest VR Profile
Workflow	Environment Artist, Lighting Artist, Animator, VFX Artist, Tech Artist, Designer, Audio

Click a preset row to see its CVar list in the detail panel. Click Apply to set every CVar in the preset.

Manual CVar builder

Section	What it does
New Preset Name	Name for the custom preset
CVar Name + Value inputs	Type to add a single CVar to the builder
Add CVar to Builder	Adds the row to the builder
Builder list	Per-row CVar entries; remove individual rows
Save Builder as Preset	Persists to JSON in the user presets directory
Clear Builder	Resets the builder

Persistence

User presets save to [Project]/Saved/EQLabs/CVarPresets/<presetname>.json and reload automatically when the tool opens.

Workflow

Apply a preset

1. Open the Presets tab.
2. Browse / filter by category.
3. Click a preset — review the CVar list in the detail panel.
4. Click Apply Preset.

Build a custom preset

1. Apply a baseline preset (e.g., Quality Epic).
2. Switch to the Search tab, dial in the CVars you want to tune.
3. Per-row, click Copy to Preset Builder.
4. Switch back to Presets, give the builder a name, click Save Builder as Preset.

Reset

Apply the Reset to Default preset to restore engine defaults.

Settings reference

Field	Default
Filter Text	empty
Modified Only	false
Selected Category	All

User presets save to: [Project]/Saved/EQLabs/CVarPresets/

Output

• In-panel CVar list, preset list and builder.
• CSV export. Current filtered view.
• JSON files. User presets saved per file.
• Engine state changes. Applying a preset modifies CVar values in the live editor session.

Tips and gotchas

• CVar changes are session-only by default. To persist, save to a .ini file or use a startup CVar preset.
• Some CVars are read-only or threadsafe-locked. The tool flags these and skips inline edit.
• The 20+ built-in presets are a starting point. Copy and tweak, don’t fight the defaults.
• Workflow presets are per-discipline. Environment Artist’s preset turns on visualizers an env artist needs; same for VFX, Lighting, etc.

Related tools

• Enhanced Input Mapper — input bindings often interact with CVars (e.g., r.PostProcessAAQuality)