Yingcai Xiao

Game Development

Intro to Unreal Engine

Unreral Game EngineEngine (https://www.unrealengine.com)

Open Source (complete source code)

IDE (Blueprint, C++)

Documentation

Tutorials

Examples

Discussion Forums

Educational Use (free)

Installation

• Register an account

https://www.unrealengine.com/register

• Download the dashboard (1GB)

https://www.unrealengine.com/dashboard

• Start the Dashboard, then go to Library, +Add Engine, Subscribe

• Subscribe with the code from the GA

https://www.unrealengine.com/code-redemption

• Download the engine (3GB)

Dashboard, Library, Engines, Download.

(Can be downloaded on multiple computers with one account.)

Basic Game Engine Components

• Rendering

• Collision detection

• AI

• Visibility

• Networking

• Scripting

• File system management

Supporting rendering/graphics engines

• Microsoft DirectX

for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Windows RT

• OpenGL

for OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android, and Windows XP

• JavaScript/WebGL

for HTML5 Web browsers

UE4

• Tim Sweeney, Epic Games, Started in 2003

• Released in 2014

• Shaders/GPU

• Android

• Blueprint

visual scripting

Kismet in UE3 and UnrealScript in UE2/1

Blue prints

• Visual scripting

• Nodes

• Events

• Functions

• Variables

Blue print types

• Level (each level can have one)

• Class (game objects)

• Prefabs

• Pawns (player charactors)

• HUD (heads-up display, status bar)

Blueprint Tutorial• A third person game

• FBX (Autodesk 3D model files)

• https://wiki.unrealengine.com/File:ThirdPerson_FBX.zip

• Skeletons (animation joints/bones)

• Have to use the same skeleton or skeletons with the same hierarchy to share animation.

Import FBX• Create a “Character” directory in the Content

Browser

• Drag HeroTPP from the unzipped FBX.zip to file pan.

• Import.

• Double click on the HeroTPP in the file pan.

• In the skeleton editor, select the Mesh tab.

Import Animation• Create an “Animation” directory under “Character”

directory in the Content Browser

• Drag all the animaton files from the unzipped FBX.zip to the file pan.

• Select the HeroTPP skeleton in the import dialog. file pan.

• Import All.

• Ctrol+S often to save everthing.

Persona• Animation editor in UE4

• Filter animaton files

• Click on the idle animation file.

• Persona will start.

• Right click on a bone allow you to add sockets to hold other things.

• Double click on any animation file in Content Browser will start the Asset Browser. Brows through the list to view the animations.

Persona - Mesh • Mesh tab gives you more details on the mesh than

the Skeleton tab.

• Mesh allow you to morph (change the shape of) a mesh.

Persona - Animation • Click on the animation pan (below the viewing

window).

• You can add notification to trigger a secondary animation.

• You can add a surve to change a property (varable), say, face color.

Input• Edit->Project Setting->Engine->Input

• Action Mapping: key up/down operations

• Axis Mapping: continuous operations

• Axis +, Move Forward• + to add key F – Scale 1.0 • + to add key B – Scale -1.0 • + to add key Up – Scale 1.0 • + to add key Down – Scale -1.0

• Export to be added into product .ini file.

Material• Content Browser->Game->Charactor

• Right click on it Create Asset -> Material

• Name it Character_Parent

• Double click on it

• Go to the Material Editor

Material Editor• Right click in the material editor pan.

• Select a desired color.

• Ok to see the update of the color on the object.

• Create another parameter (scalar) and name it metallic.

• Change its value in “Details” to 0.2

• “Apply”

Use Material• Go to Content Browser

• Right click on Character_Parent

• Create Material Instance

• Name it Charactor_Inst

• Double click on it to edit the instance.

Use Material• Go to Content Browser

• double click on HeroTPP

• Persona will be up.

• Drag the Character_inst from Content Browser to Mesh Details

• The color of the character will change after compilation.

Blend Space• Construct more complicate animations: blend

multiple animations.

• Graph of variables (e.g. speed, direction)

• Click on “Animation” folder in the Content Browser

• In the files pan, righ click

• Animation->Blend Space 1D

• Select the HeroTPP skeleton

• Name it Idle_walk_run

Blend Space• In the asset browser of the Persona, selecton

idle_walk_run.

• Change X Axis Paramters:

• Name: speed• Range: 0, 368• Division: 4• Apply

Blend Space• Drag the animations from Asset Browser of

Persona to blend animations

• Idle to Speed 0• Walk to the middle• Run to Speed 368