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Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5 - Third Edition

by Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell

May 2022

Intermediate to advanced

568 pages

12h 18m

English

Packt Publishing

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Third EditionForewordContributorsAbout the authorsAbout the reviewer
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchShare Your Thoughts
Installing Unreal Engine Creating new projects and using templatesBlueprints Visual ScriptingOpening the Level Blueprint EditorCreating a Blueprint ClassThe Blueprint Class Editor interfaceThe Toolbar panelThe Components panelThe My Blueprint panelThe Details panelThe Viewport panelThe Event Graph panelAdding Components to a BlueprintSummaryQuiz
Storing values in variablesDefining the behavior of a Blueprint with events and actionsEventsActionsThe execution pathCreating expressions with operatorsArithmetic operatorsRelational operatorsLogical operatorsOrganizing the script with macros and functionsCreating macrosCreating functionsStep-by-step exampleMacros versus functions versus eventsSummaryQuiz
Getting familiar with OOPClassesInstancesInheritanceManaging ActorsReferencing ActorsSpawning and destroying ActorsConstruction ScriptExploring the other Gameplay Framework classesPawnCharacterPlayerControllerGame Mode BaseGame InstanceSummaryQuiz
Direct Blueprint CommunicationCasting in BlueprintsLevel Blueprint CommunicationEvent DispatchersBinding EventsSummaryQuiz
Creating the project and the first LevelAdding objects to our LevelExploring MaterialsCreating MaterialsMaterial properties and nodesAdding substance to our MaterialCreating the target BlueprintDetecting a hitSwapping a MaterialImproving the BlueprintAdding movementChanging the Actor's Mobility and Collision settingsBreaking down our goalReadying direction for calculationsGetting relative speed using delta timeUpdating locationChanging directionTesting moving targetsSummaryQuiz
Adding the running functionalityBreaking down the character movementCustomizing control inputsAdding a Sprint abilityAnimating a zoomed viewUsing a timeline to smooth transitionsIncreasing the projectile's speedAdding sound and particle effectsChanging target states with branchesTriggering sound effects, explosions, and destructionSummaryQuiz

Creating simple UI meters with UMGDrawing shapes with Widget BlueprintsCustomizing the meter's appearanceCreating ammo and targets eliminated countersDisplaying the HUDConnecting UI values to player variablesCreating bindings for health and staminaMaking text bindings for the ammo and targets eliminated countersTracking the ammo and targets eliminated Reducing the ammo counterIncreasing the targets eliminated counterSummaryQuiz
Constraining player actionsDraining and regenerating staminaPreventing firing actions when out of ammoCreating collectible objectsSetting a gameplay win conditionDisplaying a target goal in the HUDCreating a win menu screenDisplaying the WinMenuTriggering a winSummaryQuiz
Setting up the enemy actor to navigateImporting from the MarketplaceExpanding the play areaMaking the level traversable with a NavMesh assetCreating the AI assetsSetting up the BP_EnemyCharacter BlueprintCreating navigation behaviorSetting up patrol pointsCreating the Blackboard keysCreating the variables in BP_EnemyCharacterUpdating the current patrol point keyOverlapping a patrol pointRunning the Behavior Tree in the AI ControllerTeaching our AI to walk with the Behavior TreeSelecting the patrol points in the BP_EnemyCharacter instanceMaking the AI chase the playerGiving the enemy sight with PawnSensingCreating a Behavior Tree TaskAdding conditions to the Behavior TreeCreating a chasing behaviorSummaryQuiz
Creating an enemy attackMaking an attack taskUsing the attack task in the Behavior TreeUpdating the health meterMaking enemies hear and investigate soundsAdding hearing to the Behavior TreeSetting up the investigating tasksCreating variables and a macro to update the blackboardInterpreting and storing the noise Event dataAdding noise to the player's actionsMaking the enemies destructibleSpawning more enemies during gameplayCreating the BP_EnemySpawner blueprint Creating enemy wandering behaviorIdentifying a wander point with a custom taskAdding wandering to the Behavior TreeLast adjustments and testSummaryQuiz
Making danger real with player deathSetting up a lose screenShowing the lose screenCreating round-based scaling with saved gamesStoring game information using the SaveGame classSaving game informationLoading game informationIncreasing the TargetGoalCreating a transition screen to be shown between roundsTransitioning to a new round when the current round is wonPausing the game and resetting the save fileCreating a pause menuResuming the gameResetting the save fileTriggering the pause menuSummaryQuiz
Optimizing your graphics settingsSetting up our game to be played by othersPackaging the game into a buildBuild configurations and packaging settingsSummaryQuiz
Exploring different types of containersArraySetMapExploring other data structuresEnumerationsStructuresData tablesFlow control nodesSwitch nodesFlip FlopSequenceFor Each LoopDo OnceDo NGateMultiGateSummaryQuiz
World and relative transformsPoints and vectorsRepresentation of a vectorVector operationsIntroduction to traces and trace functionsTraces for objectsTraces by channelShape tracesDebug linesExample of vectors and trace nodesSummaryQuiz
Blueprint Editor shortcutsBlueprint best practicesBlueprint responsibilitiesManaging Blueprint complexitiesUsing miscellaneous Blueprint nodesSelectTeleportFormat TextMath ExpressionSet View Target with BlendAttachActorToComponentEnable Input and Disable InputThe Set Input Mode nodesSummaryQuiz
Exploring the VR templateThe VRPawn BlueprintTeleportationObject grabbingBlueprint Communication using interfacesInteracting with the menuSummaryQuiz
Animation overviewAnimation EditorSkeleton and Skeletal MeshAnimation SequenceBlend SpaceCreating Animation BlueprintsEventGraphAnimGraphExploring State MachinesImporting the Animation Starter PackAdding Animation StatesModifying the Character BlueprintModifying the Animation BlueprintSummaryQuiz
Blueprint Macro and Function librariesA Blueprint Function Library exampleCreating the third function and testingCreating Actor ComponentsTesting the Actor ComponentCreating Scene ComponentsSummaryQuiz
Procedural generation with the Construction ScriptCreating the script to add the instances on the levelCreating Blueprint SplinesA Spline Mesh componentEditor Utility BlueprintCreating an Actor Action UtilitySummaryQuiz
The Product Configurator templateThe Variant Manager panel and Variant SetsThe BP_Configurator BlueprintUMG Widget BlueprintsSummaryEpilogueQuiz
Quiz answers
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Content preview from Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5 - Third Edition

Preface

Unreal Engine's Blueprint visual scripting system enables designers to script their games as well as programmers to create base elements that can be extended by designers. With this book, you'll explore all the features of the Blueprint Editor, along with expert tips, shortcuts, and best practices.

The book guides you through using variables, macros, and functions, and helps you learn about object-oriented programming (OOP). You'll discover the Gameplay Framework and advance to learning how Blueprint Communication allows one Blueprint to access information from another Blueprint. Later chapters will focus on building a fully functional game step by step. You'll start with a basic first-person shooter (FPS) template, and each chapter ...