Joanna Lee - Learning Unreal Engine Game Development

A step-by-step guide that paves the way for developing fantastic games with Unreal Engine 4About This Book Learn about game development and the building blocks that go into creating a game A simple tutorial for beginners to get acquainted with the Unreal Engine architecture Learn about the features and functionalities of Unreal Engine 4 and how to use them to create your own gamesWho This Book Is ForIf you are new to game development and want to learn how games are created using Unreal Engine 4, this book is the right choice for you. You do not need prior game development experience, but it is expected that you have played games before. Knowledge of C++ would prove to be useful. What You Will Learn Learn what a game engine is, the history of Unreal Engine, and how game studios create games Explore the Unreal Engine 4 editor controls and learn how to use the editor to create a room in a game level Understand the basic structures of objects in a game, such as the differences between BSP and static meshes Make objects interactive using level blueprints Learn more about computer graphics rendering; how materials and light are rendered in your game Get acquainted with the Material Editor to create materials and use different types of lights in the game levels Utilize the various editors, tools, and features such as UI, the particle system, audio, terrain manipulation, and cinematics in Unreal Engine 4 to create game levelsIn DetailUnreal Engine 4 is a powerful game development engine that provides rich functionalities to create 2D and 3D games across multiple platforms. Many people know what a game is and they play games every day, but how many of them know how to create a game? Unreal Engine technology powers hundreds of games, and thousands of individuals have built careers and companies around skills developed using this engine. Learning Unreal Engine 4 Game Development starts with small, simple game ideas and playable projects that you can actually finish. The book first teaches you the basics of using Unreal Engine to create a simple game level. Then, youll learn how to add details such as actors, animation, effects, and so on to the game. The complexity will increase over the chapters and the examples chosen will help you learn a wide variety of game development techniques. This book aims to equip you with the confidence and skills to design and build your own games using Unreal Engine 4. By the end of this book, youll have learnt about the entire Unreal suite and know how to successfully create fun, simple games. Style and approach This book explains in detail what goes into the development of a game, provides hands-on examples that you can follow to create the different components of a game, and provides sufficient background/theory to equip you with a solid foundation for creating your own games.;Cover -- Copyright -- Credits -- About the Author -- About the Reviewers -- www.PacktPub.com -- Table of Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1: An Overview of Unreal Engine -- What goes into a game? -- What is a game engine? -- The history of Unreal Engine -- Game development -- Artists -- Cinematic creators -- Sound designers -- Game designers -- Programmers -- The components of Unreal Engine 4 -- The sound engine -- The physics engine -- The graphics engine -- Input and the Gameplay framework -- Light and shadow -- Post-process effects -- Artificial intelligence -- Online and multiplatform capabilities -- Unreal Engine and its powerful editors -- Unreal Editor -- Material Editor -- The Cascade particle system -- The Persona skeletal mesh animation -- Landscape -- building large outdoor worlds and foliage -- Sound Cue Editor -- Matinee Editor -- The Blueprint visual scripting system -- Unreal programming -- Unreal objects -- A beginners guide to the Unreal Editor -- The start menu -- Project Browser -- Content Browser -- Toolbar -- Viewport -- Scene Outliner -- Modes -- Summary -- Chapter 2: Creating Your First Level -- Exploring preconfigured levels -- Creating a new project -- Navigating the viewport -- Views -- Control keys -- Creating a level from a new blank map -- Creating the ground using the BSP Box brush -- Useful tip -- selecting an object easily -- Useful tip -- changing View Mode to aid visuals -- Adding light to a level -- Useful tip -- positioning objects in a level -- Adding the sky to a level -- Adding Player Start -- Useful tip -- rotating objects in a level -- Viewing a level thats been created -- Saving a level -- Configuring a map as a start level -- Adding material to the ground -- Adding a wall -- Duplicating a wall -- Creating an opening for a door -- Adding materials to the walls -- Sealing a room.