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Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine
Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine: The faster way to build games using UE4 Blueprints , Second Edition

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Profile Icon Marcos Romero Profile Icon Brenden Sewell
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Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine

Exploring the Blueprint Editor

Welcome to the amazing world of game development with Unreal Engine 4. In this book, we will learn about how to develop games in Unreal Engine using the Blueprints Visual Scripting language, which was created by Epic Games for Unreal Engine 4.

The first step that is needed before we can learn about Blueprints is to prepare our development environment. Unreal Engine is free to download. We will learn about how to install Unreal Engine 4 and create a new project. After that, we will learn about some of the basic concepts of Blueprints and explore each panel of the Blueprint Editor.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Installing Unreal Engine
  • New projects and templates
  • Blueprints Visual Scripting
  • The Blueprint Editor interface
  • Adding Components to a Blueprint

Installing Unreal Engine

To use Unreal Engine, you must first install Epic Games Launcher:

  1. Access the website (https://www.unrealengine.com)
  2. Register and download Epic Games Launcher
  3. Install and start the launcher
  4. Click the Unreal Engine tab on the left-hand side
  5. Click on the Library tab that appears at the top of the screen
  6. Click the + button next to ENGINE VERSIONS to add a version of Unreal Engine to the launcher

  1. Click the Install button
  2. Click the Launch button to start an already installed version:

It is possible to keep multiple versions of Unreal Engine. This book uses version 4.20.3, but the examples were tested in version 4.22.0 and worked well. Blueprint is already a stable technology. The examples created in this book should work without problems in later versions.

Creating new projects and using templates

After starting up Unreal Engine Editor, a two-tab window will appear. The Projects tab is used to open existing projects and the New Project tab is used to create a new project, as shown in the following screenshot. The New Project tab has templates that can be used for the creation of a project. There are templates made with Blueprint and templates made with the C++ programming language. In this book, we will only use Blueprint templates:

At the bottom of the preceding screenshot, there are three boxes with project configuration options. These options can be modified later in the project, and they are as follows:

  • Target hardware: Desktop / Console or mobile/tablet
  • Graphical level: Maximum Quality or scalable 3D/2D
  • Starter content: With or without Starter Content

The starter content is a content pack with simple meshes, materials, and...

Blueprints Visual Scripting

The first question you should be asking is: what is a Blueprint?

The word Blueprint has more than one meaning in Unreal Engine. First, it is the name of a visual scripting language created by Epic Games for Unreal Engine 4. Second, it can refer to a new type of game object that was created using the Blueprint language.

There are two main types of Blueprints: Level Blueprint and Blueprint Class. Each Level of the game has its own Level Blueprint and it is not possible to create a separate Level Blueprint. On the other hand, Blueprint Class is used to create interactive objects for the game and can be reused at any Level.

Opening the Level Blueprint Editor

To open the Level Blueprint Editor, click...

The Blueprint Editor interface

The Blueprint Editor contains several panels. Each panel is used to edit one aspect of a Blueprint. The main panels of the Blueprint Editor are listed as follows:

  1. Toolbar
  2. Components
  3. My Blueprint
  4. Details
  5. Viewport
  6. Event Graph

These panels can all be found in the following screenshot:

The Toolbar panel

The Toolbar panel is located at the top of the Blueprint Editor and contains some essential buttons for editing Blueprints:

The buttons are described as follows:

  • Compile: Converts the Blueprint script into a lower-level format that can be executed. That means a Blueprint must be compiled before running the game or the changes made may not be reflected. Click this button to compile the current...

Adding Components to a Blueprint

Now, let's create our first Blueprint. It will be a very simple Blueprint that will only contain Components. For now, we will not use Events and Actions:

  1. On the Content Browser, click the green Add New button and select Blueprint Class.
  2. On the next screen, choose Actor as the parent class.
  3. Rename the Blueprint created to RotatingChair.
  4. Double-click this Blueprint to open the Blueprint Editor.
  5. On the Components panel, click the green Add Component button and select Static Mesh, as shown in the following screenshot. This Static Mesh will visually represent this Blueprint:
  1. On the Details panel, there is a property named Static Mesh, which has a drop-down input. Click on the dropdown and select a Static Mesh named SM_Chair. This is a Static Mesh that is part of the starter content. The following screenshot shows the selected SM_Chair:
  1. Let...

Summary

In this chapter, we learned how to install Unreal Engine and create new projects using the available templates. We learned that there are two main types of Blueprints: Level Blueprint and Blueprint Class.

Then, we explored the different types of panels that are part of the Blueprint Editor. The familiarization with these panels will help when developing with Blueprints.

Finally, we have also created a simple Blueprint using only Components.

In the next chapter, we will learn how to program the behavior of Blueprints using Events and Actions.

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Key benefits

  • Design a fully functional game in UE4 without writing a single line of code
  • Implement visual scripting to develop gameplay mechanics, UI, visual effects, VR and artificial intelligence
  • Deploy your game on multiple platforms and share it with the world

Description

Blueprints is the visual scripting system in Unreal Engine that enables programmers to create baseline systems and can be extended by designers. This book helps you explore all the features of the Blueprint Editor and guides you through using Variables, Macros, and Functions. You’ll also learn about object-oriented programming (OOP) and discover the Gameplay Framework. In addition to this, you’ll learn how Blueprint Communication allows one Blueprint to access information from another Blueprint. Later chapters will focus on building a fully functional game using a step-by-step approach. You’ll start with a basic first-person shooter (FPS) template, and each chapter will build on the prototype to create an increasingly complex and robust game experience. You’ll then progress from creating basic shooting mechanics to more complex systems, such as user interface elements and intelligent enemy behavior. The skills you will develop using Blueprints can also be employed in other gaming genres. In the concluding chapters, the book demonstrates how to use arrays, maps, enums, and vector operations. Finally, you’ll learn how to build a basic VR game. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to build a fully functional game and will have the skills required to develop an entertaining experience for your audience.

Who is this book for?

This book is for anyone who is interested in developing games or applications with UE4. Although basic knowledge of Windows OS is required, experience in programming or UE4 is not necessary.

What you will learn

  • Understand programming concepts in Blueprints
  • Create prototypes and iterate new game mechanics rapidly
  • Build user interface elements and interactive menus
  • Use advanced Blueprint nodes to manage the complexity of a game
  • Explore all the features of the Blueprint editor, such as the Components tab, Viewport, and Event Graph
  • Get to grips with object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and explore the Gameplay Framework
  • Learn Virtual Reality development with UE Blueprint

Product Details

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Publication date : Aug 23, 2019
Length: 380 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789347067
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Product Details

Publication date : Aug 23, 2019
Length: 380 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789347067
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Concepts :
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Table of Contents

21 Chapters
Section 1: Blueprint Fundamentals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Exploring the Blueprint Editor Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Programming with Blueprints Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Actors and the Gameplay Framework Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Understanding Blueprint Communication Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 2: Developing a Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Object Interaction with Blueprints Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Enhancing Player Abilities Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating Screen UI Elements Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating Constraints and Gameplay Objectives Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 3: Enhancing the Game Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building Smart Enemies with Artificial Intelligence Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Upgrading the AI Enemies Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Game States and Applying the Finishing Touches Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Building and Publishing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 4: Advanced Blueprints Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Data Structures and Flow Control Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Math and Trace Nodes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Blueprints Tips Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Introduction to VR Development Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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esteban clua Sep 25, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is an excellent literature work related to Bluprint for Unreal! It is very comprehensible for beginners and game developers that don't have strong programming skills. However, it is also a very good reference for those that have programming abilities and have some experience with Unreal, since it goes deep into many topics. The book is full of practices and examples, making possible to experiment very fast all the learned concepts. Totally recommend!
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jimmy Jul 13, 2021
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Great learning tool for beginners I would highly recommend.
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Grant A. Sep 03, 2021
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Use this with youtube and a good mentor or two and you will begin to solidify a lot of concepts that might get lost for beginners
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Kevin Banks Oct 24, 2020
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This book covers pretty much everything you need to get started In Unreal Engine for game development. I would pair this with a few courses on Udemy to seal the knowledge.
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Michael Becker Sep 16, 2019
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If you've been looking to get into Unreal Engine 4, you'll be hard pressed to find a better introduction. This book is a comprehensive guide to achieving UE4 and Blueprint competency and mastery - a thorough guide to the ins and outs of most aspects of the engine with a huge focus on Blueprints, the design system that makes it tick.What I particularly appreciate about this book is its thoroughness. If you don't have a background in Object Oriented Programming, for example, this book offers enough context to get your mind thinking in the right way before explaining how it all ties together in Blueprints. It's got thorough, easily-followed exercises to get you actually trying things out and making things to make the information make sense and be retained. It covers all the usual suspects you need for typical game dev: actors, pawns, UI, interaction and movement, logic, audio etc. etc. and dives to extended area like particles and materials, XR, AI and state management.Finally it goes farther into advanced blueprints knowledge, covering data structures, flow control, and math concepts in much greater depth than any resource I've ever seen. It's also full of shortcuts, tips and tricks to make your iteration workflow much quicker and easier.I'm not a newcomer to game dev by any means but, my background being mostly in Unity (as I imagine is the case for many), I've always found UE4 to be more imposing and to "think" differently in many subtle ways. Romero's blog has always been my go-to to better understand certain aspects of blueprints and the engine, but this guide is even better organized and more streamlined. If I were starting out with Unreal today I'd be using this book exclusively, and even in my current knowledge level (not an expert by any means) I find it incredibly helpful.If you're considering how to best start your UE4 game dev journey - or want to use the engine for other purposes like previz, arch viz, education or anything else - you'd be hard-pressed to find a better entry point. You can check out Romero's blog if you want to get a taste for the style and substance but I find this book beyond worthwhile regardless of existing info out there. I highly recommend this to anyone looking to get into UE4.
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