Epic Games is making content from Megascans, its popular online library of real-world 3D scan data, free for everyone, not just Unreal Engine users.

With the launch of Fab, Epic’s new ‘open marketplace’ for stock CG content, users can download and use Megascans content under the Fab Standard licence. Assets will remain free until the end of 2024, after which Epic will begin charging for most of the content, including for use in Unreal Engine projects.

Epic Games describes Fab as an ‘open marketplace’ that will include assets for ‘all leading content creation tools’, including those that directly compete with its own products, such as Unity. It includes a range of content for game development, VFX, motion graphics and virtual production, including 3D models, materials, environments, VFX, audio, animations and plugins.

A built-in 3D viewer makes it possible to inspect some 3D assets in wireframe or shaded views and view individual PBR material channels such as roughness and metallicity. Alongside the web portal, Fab will be integrated into Unreal Engine, making it possible to browse Fab content without leaving the Unreal Editor.