What is Blueprint?
Blueprint is a high level, visual scripting system that provides an intuitive, node-based interface that can be used to create any type of script events in the Unreal editor. The tools that are provided can be used by level designers, artists, and any non-programmer person, to quickly create and iterate gameplay (or even create entire games) without ever needing to write a line of the code:
For those of you coming from UE3, Blueprint is the evolution of Kismet. It inherits most of the strong keys of the Kismet system, adding the full range of concepts and tools that are generally only available to programmers.
Through the use of Blueprints, anyone can virtually prototype, implement, or modify any gameplay element. Here, we are going to discover how to create most of them. The following is a list of common uses that are covered by this guide:
- Games: Sets up game rules and tweaks gameplay conditions
- Players: Creates variants with different meshes and materials, or allows character customization
- Cameras: Changes the camera dynamically during play
- Inputs: Handles the inputs that are passed by the player
- Items: Includes weapons, pickups, triggers, and so on
- Environment: Creates randomized props or procedurally generated items
In order to understand Blueprint, we first need to understand its structure. The following image is an extremely simplistic graph that shows where Blueprint is collocated in a game and who are its parent and child:
Each of these elements can have multiple children and each element has its different type and behavior.
