Unreal Development Kit Beginner’s Guide

Unreal Development Kit Beginner’s Guide

by Richard J. Moore
Released August 2011
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781849690522

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Book description

A fun, quick, step by step guide to level design and creating your own game world.

  • Full of illustrations, diagrams, and tips for creating your first level and game environment.
  • Clear step-by-step instructions and fun practical examples.
  • Master the essentials of level design and environment creation

In Detail

Unreal Development Kit (UDK) is the free version of the award-winning Unreal Engine 3. It is used to create a wide variety of games ranging from amateur to professional standard next generation AAA titles.

This book will show you exactly how to create an enjoyable and immersive game environment using the UDK. You will learn how to implement, level design, lighting, environmental effects, movement, terrain, map creation, item placement, kismet, materials and complex event sequences.

You will work through the level design process from navigating round the editor to learning how to develop a fully playable environment. You will quickly master all of the engine’s key tools that are accessible through Unreal Engine 3. You will then start putting together your first level using step-by-step instructions. Next we will implement real world features such as dynamic lighting and shadows, particle effects, physics, terrain, item placement and advanced AI/bot pathing. Finally you will learn how to use UDK’s cutting edge high level scripting. By the end of this book you will be equipped with the skills to create an entertaining and imaginative game world.

Table of contents

  1. Unreal Development Kit 3
    1. Table of Contents
    2. Unreal Development Kit 3
    3. Credits
    4. About the Author
    5. About the Reviewers
    6. www.PacktPub.com
      1. Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
        1. Why Subscribe?
        2. Free Access for Packt account holders
    7. Preface
      1. What this book covers
      2. What you need for this book
      3. Who this book is for
      4. Conventions
      5. Time for action – heading
        1. What just happened?
        2. Pop quiz – heading
        3. Have a go hero – heading
      6. Reader feedback
      7. Customer support
        1. Errata
        2. Piracy
        3. Questions
    8. 1. Level Design HQ
      1. Time for action – UDK download and installation
      2. UDK folder structure
      3. Time for action – launching the editor
      4. Autosave
      5. Content browser
        1. What just happened?
      6. Time for action – movement and rotation
        1. Navigation
          1. UDK
          2. WASD key navigation
          3. MAYA users
        2. What just happened?
      7. BSP
        1. Why use BSP?
        2. Can I use static meshes to create my map without using BSP?
        3. Dominance of static meshes
        4. Brushes only, no static meshes
        5. Brushes and static meshes
      8. Time for action – using BSP brushes and static meshes
      9. Additive and subtractive
        1. Additive
        2. Subtractive
      10. Unreal scale and proportions
      11. Grid snapping
      12. Viewport options
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – wireframe brush
        3. Pop quiz
      13. Summary
    9. 2. Hello UDK
      1. Your first map
      2. Time for action – setup, where to save the file, what to name it
        1. What just happened?
      3. Why CSG?
      4. Time for action – the builder brush and our first cube
      5. Subtractive
      6. Brush Order
        1. What just happened?
      7. Time for action – geometry editing tool
        1. What just happened?
      8. Time for action – building our first room
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – second floor
      9. Time for action – placing lights and a player start
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – advanced lighting
      10. Time for action – creating a hallway and a second room
        1. What just happened?
      11. Time for action – applying materials to CSG surfaces
      12. Surface Properties
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – adding more elements to your level
      13. Time for action – test map and add bots
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – content browser
        3. Have a go hero – bot navigation
        4. Pop quiz
      14. Summary
    10. 3. Applying Lighting Effects
      1. Directional lights
      2. Point lights
      3. Spotlights
      4. Skylights
      5. Time for action – different types of light
      6. Point lights
      7. Spotlights
      8. Directional lights
      9. Skylights
        1. What just happened?
      10. Time for action – lightmaps
        1. What just happened?
      11. Time for action – adjusting lightmaps on CSG surfaces
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – reduce lightmap resolution on surfaces
      12. Time for action – lightmaps on static meshes
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – creating lightmaps for custom static meshes
        3. Pop quiz
      13. Summary
    11. 4. Battling the Elements
      1. Time for action – the basics
      2. Time for action – add a new particle emitter
        1. What just happened?
      3. Time for action – the smoke example
        1. What just happened?
      4. Time for action – adding height fog
        1. Setting parameters
        2. Uses
          1. Atmospheric haze
          2. Localized fog
          3. Dense haze
        3. What just happened?
        4. Have a go hero – alternatives to height fog
      5. Time for action – creating the surface
        1. What just happened?
      6. Time for action – water volumes
        1. What just happened?
      7. Time for action – underwater
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – animated cloud shadows
        3. Pop quiz
      8. Summary
    12. 5. Movement with Movers
      1. Time for action – a basic elevator/door
        1. What just happened?
      2. Time for action – elevators UT style
        1. What just happened?
      3. Time for action – a continuously looping animation
        1. What just happened?
      4. Time for action – a continuously rotating animation
        1. What just happened?
      5. Time for action – attaching something
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – triggering sounds
        3. Pop quiz
      6. Summary
    13. 6. Terrain
      1. Time for action – your first terrain
        1. What just happened?
      2. Time for action – applying materials
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – deco layers
      3. Time for action – light mapping
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – foliage layers
        3. Pop quiz
      4. Summary
    14. 7. Adding Gameplay Elements into your Map
      1. Adding gameplay elements
      2. Time for action – naming your map
        1. What just happened?
      3. Time for action – adding a player start
        1. What just happened?
      4. Time for action – play in editor
        1. What just happened?
      5. Time for action – placing pickups
        1. What just happened?
      6. Time for action – placing weapons
        1. What just happened?
      7. Time for action – placing jump pads
        1. What just happened?
      8. Time for action – adding other game object types
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – adding music to your map
      9. Bot pathing
      10. Time for action – adding path nodes
        1. What just happened?
        2. Pop quiz
      11. Summary
    15. 8. Complex Event Sequences
      1. Time for action – a simple sequence
        1. What just happened?
        2. Have a go hero – preview screenshot
      2. Time for action – basic UIScene
        1. What just happened?
      3. Time for action – basic cut scene
        1. What just happened?
      4. Summary
    16. 9. Materials
      1. What is a material?
      2. Time for action – creating a new material
        1. What just happened?
      3. Time for action – adding textures to a material
        1. What just happened?
      4. Time for action – creating a shiny metal surface
        1. What just happened?
      5. Time for action – adding a normal map
        1. What just happened?
      6. Time for action – seeing your material in the world
        1. What just happened?
      7. Time for action – giving a perfect texture to your material
        1. What just happened?
      8. Time for action – color specular highlight
        1. What just happened?
      9. Time for action – adding a tint to the diffuse color
        1. What just happened?
      10. Time for action – making your material easy to read
        1. What just happened?
      11. Summary
    17. Pop Quiz Answers
      1. Chapter 1
        1. Level Design HQ
      2. Chapter 2
        1. Hello UDK
      3. Chapter 3
        1. Applying Lighting Effects
      4. Chapter 4
        1. Battling the Elements
      5. Chapter 5
        1. Movement with Movers
      6. Chapter 6
        1. Terrain
      7. Chapter 7
        1. Adding Gameplay Elements into your Map
    18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Unreal Development Kit Beginner’s Guide
  • Author(s): Richard J. Moore
  • Release date: August 2011
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781849690522