Why BSP Brushes Still Great Option for Level Blockouts in UE5

Category: Newsletters

March 19, 2026

BSP Brushes in Unreal Engine were ONE OF THE BEST ways to block out environments.

BSP offered:

Quick workflow
Fast iterations
All you needed was an idea
And basic lighting map setup

But UE5 blockout methods have changed to favor:

UE5's Modeling Mode
Creating and using Base Static Meshes
Blocking out entirely in 3d modeling application then exporting into UE5

Blocking out with BSP in UE5 has almost disappeared as they have been deprecated and no longer supported in UE5.

But luckily BSP brushes are still available in UE5.7 if you want to continue using them.

If you go under More > Geometry, you'll get access to the BSP brush menu. You would then simply drag BSP shapes from menu right into the level and use Details Panel or Brush Editing Mode (Shift+7) to modify the brushes.

Check out this short video on YouTube I did for more details.

If you decide to use it, you'll have to deal with some problems that BSP tends to have such as gizmo transformation issues, geometry issues of missing faces, lighting issues and horrible pivot point controls.

Despite all that, BSP still offers a quick and super-fast geometry iterations right inside the engine.

Here is an early and rough BSP environment blockout in UE5 I recently did to prototype a sense of space and layout.

As mentioned, there are other blockout methods you could use such as:

Dynamic Meshes in UE5's Modeling Mode
Static Meshes in UE5's Modeling Mode
Cube Grid in UE5's Modeling Mode
Base Modular Static Meshes created in 3d modeling application
Blocking out entirely in 3d modeling application

All will have their pros and cons you'll have to work around.

But I use them all.

In the end, all are means to an end to get your environment idea tested and prototyped.

For breakdown of each method check out this tutorial I've put together: UE5: 3 Methods for Blocking Out Environments and Level Designs.

In addition, I've been building more environments using a Base Modular Static Mesh kit.

Using the Base Mesh Kit as the starting point for blockouts then these same meshes eventually become final, detailed, textured geometry in the level.

This has been a great way to create environments and also build modular assets from scratch.

Make sure to get the complete ultimate guide to creating modular environment assets from start to finish tutorial course: Modular Environment Design Masterclass.