> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://stylizededge-devs.gitbook.io/aqs-doc/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://stylizededge-devs.gitbook.io/aqs-doc/building-menus/virtual-cvar-settings.md).

# Virtual CVar Settings

Sometimes a setting you want to expose to players doesn't correspond to any of the 23 named fields — Ray Tracing Max Quality, for example, or any other CVar that only exists in the engine, never in `FAQSPresetData`.

**Virtual CVar Settings** let you add a fully-functional menu row for exactly this case, with no new C++ field required.

## How It's Different From a Regular Field

A regular field reads/writes through `WorkingSettings` (a copy of your preset's data) and gets saved when a preset is authored. A virtual row has **no backing field at all** — it reads and writes a CVar directly, applies the instant the player changes it, and is never saved into any preset asset. It exists completely independently of whatever preset is currently active.

## Adding One

On your `AQS Descriptor Overrides` asset, add an entry to **VirtualSettings**:

| Property                | Example                                                                              |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `VirtualFieldName`      | `RayTracingMaxQuality` (unique identifier, no spaces)                                |
| `CVarName`              | `r.RayTracing.Reflections.MaxRoughness`                                              |
| `DisplayName`           | "Ray Tracing Quality"                                                                |
| `TooltipText`           | "Controls the maximum roughness ray-traced reflections will render at."              |
| `ValueType`             | `Int`                                                                                |
| `ControlType`           | `IntDropdown` (must be valid for the ValueType)                                      |
| `MinValue` / `MaxValue` | `0` / `3`                                                                            |
| `GroupOverride`         | Optional — same grouping mechanism as regular fields                                 |
| `SortOrder`             | Defaults to `1000`, placing virtual rows after real fields unless you set this lower |

Bake the asset. The row appears in the menu exactly like any other field.

## Validation

Same rule as regular field overrides: `ControlType` is checked against `ValueType` at bake time. An invalid combination falls back to the sensible default for that value type, with a warning in the Output Log — it never silently breaks.

## When To Use This vs. CVarOverrides

|                       | CVarOverrides (Layer 2)                | VirtualSettings                           |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Lives on              | Each individual preset                 | The Override asset (project-wide)         |
| Shows up in the menu? | No — invisible to the generator        | Yes — renders as a real row               |
| Saved per-preset?     | Yes                                    | No — applies live, independent of presets |
| Use for               | Per-preset fine-tuning a dev sets once | A genuinely new player-facing control     |

If you just want preset A to tweak a CVar slightly differently than preset B, use `CVarOverrides`. If you want players to control that CVar themselves from the menu, use a Virtual Setting.


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