Sam's teach yourself Unreal engine 4 game development in 24 hours

In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, learn how to start using Unreal Engine 4 to build amazing games for Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, iOS, Android, the web, Linux-or all of them!

Sams Teach Yourself Unreal Engine 4 Game Development in 24 Hours ' straightforward, step-by-step approach shows you how to work with Unreal Engine 4's interface, its workflows, and its most powerful editors and tools. In just hours you'll be creating effects, scripting warfare, implementing physics-even developing for mobile devices and HUDs. Every lesson builds on what you've already learned, giving you a rock-solid foundation for real-world success.

Organize new projects and work with the Gameplay Framework Master Unreal's units and control systems Import 3D models and work with the Static Mesh Editor Create new landscapes and use Unreal's foliage system Bring characters and creatures to life with the Persona Editor Apply materials and build lighting Integrate and modify audio with the Unreal Sound Cue Editor Craft particle effects and simulate physics Set up and react to player inputs Build levels and entirely new worlds Get started with powerful Blueprint visual scripting system Script an arcade game from start to finish Create events that respond to player actions Spawn Actors during gameplay Design and create action-based encounters Optimize games for mobile devices and touch-based inputs Build menus with Unreal's UMG UI Designer Prepare your game for deployment
Step-by-step instructions carefully walk you through the most common Unreal Engine 4 game development tasks.
Practical, hands-on examples show you how to apply what you learn.
Quizzes and Exercises help you test your knowledge and stretch your skills.
Notes and tips point out shortcuts and solutions.

All the project files and assets you'll need are available for download, including "before-and-after" files demonstrating initial setup and proper completion for every exercise.

• Hour 1 Introducing Unreal Engine 4 p. 1
• Installing Unreal p. 2
• Creating Your First Project p. 4
• Learning the Interface p. 7
• View Modes and Visualizers p. 14
• Playing a Level p. 16
• Summary p. 17
• Q&A p. 18
• Workshop p. 18
• Exercise p. 19
• Hour 2 Understanding the Gameplay Framework p. 21
• Available Resources p. 21
• Asset References and the Reference Viewer p. 29
• Gameplay Framework p. 30
• Summary p. 35
• Q&A p. 35
• Workshop p. 35
• Exercise p. 36
• Hour 3 Coordinates, Transforms, Units, and Organization p. 37
• Understanding Cartesian Coordinates p. 37
• Working with Transforms p. 38
• Assessing Units and Measurements p. 42
• Organizing a Scene p. 45
• Summary p. 50
• Q&A p. 51
• Workshop p. 51
• Exercise p. 52
• Hour 4 Working with Static Mesh Actors p. 53
• Static Mesh Assets p. 53
• Static Mesh Editor p. 54
• Viewing UV Layouts p. 57
• Collision Hulls p. 59
• Static Mesh Actors p. 66
• Summary p. 73
• Q&A p. 73
• Workshop p. 73
• Exercise p. 74
• Hour 5 Applying Lighting and Rendering p. 75
• Learning Light Terminology p. 75
• Understanding Light Types p. 76
• Using Light Properties p. 82
• Building Lighting p. 83
• Summary p. 87
• Q&A p. 87
• Workshop p. 87
• Exercise p. 88
• Hour 6 Using Materials p. 89
• Understanding Materials p. 89
• Physically Based Rendering (PBR) p. 90
• Material Input Types p. 91
• Creating Textures p. 94
• Making a Material p. 96
• Summary p. 105
• Q&A p. 105
• Workshop p. 106
• Exercise p. 107
• Hour 7 Using Audio System Elements p. 109
• Introducing Audio Basics p. 109
• Using Sound Actors p. 112
• Controlling Sounds with Audio Volumes p. 119
• Summary p. 120
• Q&A p. 120
• Workshop p. 121
• Exercise p. 122
• Hour 8 Creating Landscapes and Foliage p. 123
• Working with Landscapes p. 123
• Sculpting Shapes and Volumes p. 127
• Using Foliage p. 133
• Summary p. 136
• Q&A p. 136
• Workshop p. 137
• Exercise p. 137
• Hour 9 World Building p. 139
• Building Worlds p. 140
• World Building Process p. 141
• Summary p. 157
• Q&A p. 157
• Workshop p. 158
• Exercise p. 159
• Hour 10 Crafting Effects with Particle Systems p. 161
• Understanding Particles and Data Types p. 161
• Working with Cascade p. 162
• Using Common Modules p. 168
• Setting Up Materials for Particles p. 172
• Triggering Particle Systems p. 176
• Summary p. 177
• Q&A p. 177
• Workshop p. 178
• Exercise p. 179
• Hour 11 Using Skeletal Mesh Actors p. 181
• Defining Skeletal Meshes p. 181
• Importing Skeletal Meshes p. 186
• Learning Persona p. 191
• Using Skeletal Mesh Actors p. 199
• Summary p. 201
• Q&A p. 201
• Workshop p. 202
• Exercise p. 202
• Hour 12 Matinee and Cinematics p. 203
• Matinee Actors p. 203
• Matinee Editor p. 206
• Curve Editor p. 212
• Working with Other Tracks p. 215
• Working with Cameras in Matinee p. 216
• Summary p. 220
• Q&A p. 220
• Workshop p. 221
• Exercise p. 222
• Hour 13 Learning to Work with Physics p. 223
• Using Physics in UE4 p. 223
• Simulating Physics p. 227
• Using Physical Materials p. 230
• Working with Constraints p. 234
• Using Force Actors p. 239
• Summary p. 241
• Q&A p. 241
• Workshop p. 242
• Exercise p. 242
• Hour 14 Introducing Blueprint Visual Scripting System p. 245
• Visual Scripting Basics p. 245
• Understanding the Blueprint Editor p. 247
• Fundamental Concepts in Scripting p. 252
• Summary p. 264
• Q&A p. 264
• Workshop p. 265
• Exercise p. 266
• Hour 15 Working with Level Blueprints p. 269
• Actor Collision Settings p. 271
• Assigning Actors to Events p. 272
• Assigning Actors to Reference Variables p. 274
• Summary p. 284
• Q&A p. 284
• Workshop p. 285
• Exercise p. 286
• Hour 16 Working with Blueprint Classes p. 287
• Using Blueprint Classes p. 287
• The Blueprint Editor Interface p. 289
• Working with the Components p. 291
• Working with the Timeline p. 296
• Scripting a Pulsating Light p. 300
• Summary p. 307
• Q&A p. 308
• Workshop p. 308
• Exercise p. 309
• Hour 17 Using Editable Variables and the Construction Script p. 311
• Setting Up p. 311
• Making Editable Variables p. 312
• Using the Construction Script p. 314
• Summary p. 321
• Q&A p. 321
• Workshop p. 322
• Exercise p. 323
• Hour 18 Making Key Input Events and Spawning Actors p. 325
• Why Spawning Is Important p. 325
• Creating a Blueprint Class to Spawn p. 326
• Setting Up the Spawner Blueprint p. 329
• Spawning an Actor from a Class p. 332
• Summary p. 336
• Q&A p. 336
• Workshop p. 336
• Exercise p. 337
• Hour 19 Making an Action Encounter p. 341
• Project Game Modes p. 341
• Knowing Characters' Abilities p. 342
• Using Blueprint Classes p. 344
• Actor and Component Tags p. 350
• Summary p. 351
• Q&A p. 351
• Workshop p. 352
• Exercise p. 352
• Hour 20 Creating an Arcade Shooter: Input Systems and Pawns p. 355
• Identifying Requirements with a Design Summary p. 356
• Creating a Game Project p. 356
• Creating a Custom Game Mode p. 359
• Creating a Custom Pawn and Player Controller p. 361
• Controlling a Pawn's Movement p. 365
• Setting Up a Fixed Camera p. 371
• Summary p. 373
• Q&A p. 373
• Workshop p. 374
• Exercise p. 375
• Hour 21 Creating an Arcade Shooter: Obstacles and Pickups p. 377
• Creating an Obstacle Base Class p. 378
• Making Your Obstacle Move p. 381
• Damaging the Pawn p. 384
• Restarting the Game on Death p. 388
• Creating a Health Pickup p. 391
• Creating an Actor Spawner p. 397
• Cleaning Up Old Obstacles p. 403
• Summary p. 403
• Q&A p. 404
• Workshop p. 405
• Exercise p. 405
• Hour 22 Working with UMG p. 407
• Creating a Widget Blueprint p. 407
• Navigating the UMG Interface p. 408
• Creating a Start Menu p. 413
• Sample Menu System p. 425
• Summary p. 426
• Q&A p. 426
• Workshop p. 427
• Exercise p. 427
• Hour 23 Making an Executable p. 429
• Cooking Content p. 429
• Packaging a Project for Windows p. 430
• Resources for Android and iOS Packaging p. 435
• Accessing Advanced Packaging Settings p. 436
• Summary p. 437
• Q&A p. 438
• Workshop p. 438
• Exercise p. 439
• Hour 24 Working with Mobile p. 441
• Developing for Mobile Devices p. 442
• Using Touch p. 454
• Using a Device's Motion Data p. 459
• Summary p. 462
• Q&A p. 462
• Workshop p. 463
• Exercise p. 464
• Index p. 465