Unreal Engine 5 - The Intermediate Course

Unreal Engine 5 - The Intermediate Course

by David Nixon
Released December 2023
Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
ISBN: 9781835882528

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Video description

This course is designed to enhance your game development and design skills using Unreal Engine 5. Building on foundational knowledge, this course delves into the creation of realistic materials and textures, teaching you to use various textures and understand blend modes and shading models, including how to tackle challenging concepts like normal maps and UV mapping. It also covers extensive training in crafting vast landscapes and open-world environments, where you'll learn about landscape sculpting and painting tools, auto materials, and the implementation of advanced features like world partitioning and Nanite technology.

We then cover animating skeletal meshes, offering insights into animation assets, blending animations for seamless movement, and utilizing advanced animation tools like sockets, state machines, and blend spaces. Finally, in the Intermediate Blueprints section, your blueprinting knowledge is taken to the next level. You'll learn about variable collection types, spawning and manipulating actors, and creating complex game logic through data tables, function libraries, debugging, and communication between blueprints.

This course is designed to bridge the gap between basic understanding and advanced proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, equipping you with the skills needed to create professional-grade video games.

What you will learn

  • Craft detailed, lifelike game settings in Unreal Engine 5 using high-quality materials and textures
  • Sculpt large-scale, immersive landscapes with realistic flora and terrain details
  • Perfect seamless character animations with skeletal mesh and blend techniques
  • Optimize game performance using world partitioning, LOD, and Nanite systems
  • Improve character dynamics with animation blueprints, sockets, and state machines

Audience

This course is ideal for aspiring game developers who have a foundational understanding of Unreal Engine and are eager to deepen their knowledge. You should be equipped with skills in navigating the Level Editor, understanding basic Unreal Engine concepts, and having some familiarity with Blueprints. The course is an excellent fit for individuals aiming to become professional game developers.

About the Author

David Nixon: David Nixon is a professional software developer with a degree in computer science from Florida Atlantic University. He is a lifelong video game aficionado who started with the Atari 2600 and never looked back. He enjoys music, reading, and sports in his spare time.

Table of contents

  1. Chapter 1 : Materials Textures
    1. Materials Overview
    2. Textures
    3. Material Inputs
    4. Normal Maps
    5. Anisotropy and Tangent Inputs
    6. Material Editor Toolbar
    7. Blend Modes
    8. Material Instances
    9. Dynamic Material Instances
    10. Shading Models Part 1
    11. Shading Models Part 2
    12. Water Materials
    13. Math Expressions
    14. Input Data Expressions
    15. Material Functions
    16. Built-in Material Functions
    17. Texture Masking
    18. Material Layers
    19. Material Layer Blends
    20. UV Mapping
    21. Texture Coordinate Node
    22. Gradient Functions
    23. Time Node
    24. Rotator and Panner Nodes
    25. Bump Maps
    26. World Position Offset
    27. Pixel Depth Offset
    28. Decals
  2. Chapter 2 : Landscapes Open Worlds
    1. Landscape Overview
    2. Landscape Manage Mode
    3. Landscape Brushes
    4. Landscape Edit Layers
    5. Landscape Sculpt Mode Part 1
    6. Landscape Sculpt Mode Part 2
    7. Landscape Paint Mode Part 1
    8. Landscape Paint Mode Part 2
    9. Landscape Hole Materials
    10. Landscape Auto Materials
    11. Landscape Splines Part 1
    12. Landscape Splines Part 2
    13. Landscape Collisions
    14. Landscape Grass Part 1
    15. Landscape Grass Part 2
    16. Foliage Mode Part 1
    17. Foliage Mode Part 2
    18. World Partition Overview Part 1
    19. World Partition Overview Part 2
    20. Streaming Sources
    21. Data Layers
    22. Level Instances
    23. Level of Detail (LOD) Part 1
    24. Level of Detail (LOD) Part 2
    25. Nanite Part 1
    26. Nanite Part 2
  3. Chapter 3 : Skeletal Meshes Animation
    1. Skeletal Mesh Animation Overview
    2. Skeletal Animation Editors
    3. Skeletons
    4. Sockets
    5. Animation Sequences
    6. Animation Blueprints
    7. State Machines Part 1
    8. State Machines Part 2
    9. Blending Animations Overview
    10. Blend Spaces Part 1
    11. Blend Spaces Part 2
    12. Blend Multi Blend Poses Nodes
    13. Cached Poses
    14. Layered Blend Per Bone Node Part 1
    15. Layered Blend Per Bone Node Part 2
    16. Blend Profiles
    17. Additive Animations
    18. Aim Offsets
    19. Animation Montages Part 1
    20. Animation Montages Part 2
    21. Animation Notifies Part 1
    22. Animation Notifies Part 2
    23. Animation Curves
    24. Curve Editor Part 1
    25. Curve Editor Part 2
    26. Morph Targets
    27. Animation Attributes
  4. Chapter 4 : Intermediate Blueprints
    1. Blueprints Review
    2. Arrays
    3. Sets
    4. Maps
    5. Structs
    6. Data Tables
    7. Spawning Actors
    8. Referencing Actors
    9. Functions Overview
    10. Function Properties
    11. Advanced Function Properties
    12. Local Variables, Collapsing Nodes, and Overriding
    13. Function Libraries
    14. Macros
    15. Construction Script
    16. Debugging Part 1
    17. Debugging Part 2
    18. Event Dispatchers
    19. Blueprint Interfaces

Product information

  • Title: Unreal Engine 5 - The Intermediate Course
  • Author(s): David Nixon
  • Release date: December 2023
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781835882528