Global Shader Cache is missing. UE4.3

Hi there,

I’m having a problem with the cooked content. When we try to run the game with UNCOOKED content, we are using Debug Editor or Development Editor with the -game command option. That’s run fine.

The problem raises when we try to run COOKED content in Debug or Development configuration. The game began to execute but the engine rises the pop up that says:

“The global shader cache file ‘{0}’ is missing.\n\nYou’re running a version of the application built to load COOKED content only, however no COOKED content was found. Consider cooking content for this build, or build and run the UNCOOKED version of the application instead.”

This is because the files GlobalShaderCache-PCD3D_SM4.bin and GlobalShaderCache-PCD3D_SM5.bin it isn’t being generated.

Obviously, we cook the desired maps with the unreal frontend tool before to run the game. I’ve been trying to apply many solutions that I’ve red in the forum and the answerhub, but the problem persists.

In the 4.1 engine version, the problem doesn’t exists, it comes with the 4.3 version integration.

I’ve tried to set the default game server mode to other mode than none. Maybe, Is any root data folder wrong?

I will be posting any advance or clue that you may need. Thanks in advance.

The cooked content process finish succesfully. But the .bin GlobalCacheShader files are not being generated.

Other clue: the engine is looking for the GlobalShaderCache-PCD3D_SM5.bin and the GlobalShaderCache-PCD3D_SM4.bin in this folder:

UnrealEngine4.3/Engine, i.e., those files will be siblings of the Binares, Source, intermediate, etc, folders. That’s weird and must be wrong.

I think that the problem is on any .ini file.

UE4.3 Release Notes:
" - Cooked sandbox paths have changed from Game\Saved\Sandboxes\Cooked-Platform to Game\Saved\Cooked\Platform."

Is there any known issue related with this change in the engine?

Switching to “DebugGame Editor” or “Development Editor” fixed this for me.

This forum thread (Lauren Ridge’s comment) helped solved it: GlobalShaderCache-PC3D_SM5.bin is missing - C++ Programming - Unreal Engine Forums

If i understand correctly GlobalShaderCache-PCD3D_SM5.bin (and lots of other things) is generated by cooking, if the setting Platforms->Windows-> DirectX11(SM5) is ticked on. I had the same problem and the setting above was the solution.

Checking the dx11 fixed the issue for me. Thanks!

Me too. I kept thinking it was something with the engine but it was Visual Studios DebugGame (notice the missing Editor) that was giving me the problem. Switch over to DebugGameEditor and it works.

I suddenly started getting this error out of no where when running from VS with “DebugEditor” build config. I changed VS build config to “DevelopmentEditor” which worked. Then I switched it back to “DebugEditor” and the error went away.

I can confirm this is going to happen if you switch off DX11. You need to have it enabled in order to package your game correctly. TIL.