Intro to Unreal Engine

Set up your development environment and get familiar with the Unreal Engine editor.

1. ReadingWhat Is a Game Engine?
2. Download and install the Epic Games Launcher, then install Unreal Engine 5 from the Unreal Engine tab.
3. Create a new Third Person Blueprint project with Starter Content enabled.
4. ReadingThe UE5 Interface
5. VideoYour First Hour in Unreal Engine 5

Learn to construct 3D environments using meshes, materials, landscapes, lighting, and foliage.

1. ReadingViewport Navigation & Controls
2. ReadingMeshes, Transforms & Materials
3. Exercise 1.1: Place and arrange static meshes to build a simple room or courtyard. Practice Move (W), Rotate (E), and Scale (R) transforms. Duplicate meshes with Alt+Drag.
4. ReadingLandscapes & Terrain Sculpting
5. Exercise 1.2: Create a Landscape, sculpt mountains and a valley, then paint it with a multi-layer material (grass, dirt, rock).
6. ReadingLighting & Atmosphere
7. Exercise 1.3: Add a Directional Light, Sky Atmosphere, Sky Light, Volumetric Clouds, and Exponential Height Fog to your level. Adjust the sun angle and observe how the mood changes.
8. ReadingFoliage & Detail Painting
9. Exercise 1.4: Use the Foliage tool to scatter trees, bushes, and grass across your landscape.
10. CheckpointUnit 1 Activity - Build a Castle Courtyard

Learn the Blueprint visual scripting system to add logic, interactivity, and gameplay elements to your levels.

1. ReadingIntro to Blueprints
2. VideoBlueprints in 5 Minutes
3. Exercise 2.1: Open the Level Blueprint and create a keyboard event that prints "Hello, World!" when you press N. Add a PlayerName variable and append it to the greeting.
4. ReadingVariables, Branches & Functions
5. Exercise 2.2: Create a gold-collecting system in the Level Blueprint. Add a TotalGold integer and an AddGold function. Use a Branch node to print a special message when gold reaches 10.
6. ReadingActor Blueprints & Collision
7. Exercise 2.3: Create a BP_Key and BP_Door Actor Blueprint. The key is picked up on overlap (setting a boolean), and the door only opens if the player has the key.
8. ReadingCollectibles, Jump Pads & Movement
9. Exercise 2.4: Create BP_Coin (with rotating movement), BP_JumpPad (Launch Character), and enable double-jump on the player character.
10. CheckpointUnit 2 Activity - Obstacle Course

Create user interfaces, plan a game design document, and build a complete playable level as your final project.

1. ReadingUMG Widgets & HUD
2. Exercise 3.1: Create a HUD Widget Blueprint that displays the player's coin count. Bind it to the CoinCount variable and add it to the viewport on BeginPlay.
3. ReadingEnhanced Input & Sprint Mechanics
4. Exercise 3.2: Set up an IA_Sprint Input Action with Left Shift, create SprintStart/SprintStop functions that modify Max Walk Speed, and connect them to your Input Mapping Context.
5. CheckpointReading - Game Design Documents
6. ReadingLevel Design & Grayboxing
7. Exercise 3.3: Write a short Game Design Document for your final level: title, genre, theme, core mechanics, reference images, and a top-down sketch.
8. ReadingWin, Lose & Checkpoint Systems
9. Exercise 3.4: Create BP_Win (triggers victory), BP_Enemy (sends player to a checkpoint), and BP_Checkpoint (stores respawn location).
10. CheckpointFinal Project - Build Your Game Level