Unreal Development Kit (UDK)

Course details

Unreal Development Kit (UDK) is a complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers. From 2D mobile games to high-fidelity VR experiences to console blockbusters, Unreal Engine 4 gives you everything you need to start, ship, grow and stand out from the crowd.

UDK is a complete stand-alone system that will teach you how to use UDK and construct a game environment using default assets that come standard with UDK in under 8 hours. You will go from complete beginner to intermediate user with UDK.

Here is what you can expect to learn from this guide:

• Go from complete beginner to intermediate user with UDK
• Learn all the fundamental functions of what it takes to use UDK and construct game environments in under 8 hours
• Construct your own game environment using the workflow
• How to download, install and launch UDK step-by-step - explained
• Learn to create UDK shortcuts so that you can launch the level editor and the game faster
• The very first thing you should do when you launch UDK level editor for the first time
• Ways to optimize your layout, navigation and viewport configurations for faster and more efficient workflow
• How to play test from the editor using 3 various Play In Editor functions
• What is the main difference between Static Meshes vs BSP brushes and how should you use them when constructing your environments
• How to enable real-time and game previews so that you see exactly what your environment will look like without launching the game
• How to use Content Browser, the content management system in UDK to search and insert models, textures and materials
• UDK folder structure explained and what is the difference between a map files (.udk) and a package files (.upk)
• How to launch new maps, existing templates, example files and saving your work
• Discover how UDK's template map files are created
• How to build your environment to scale and correct proportion
• 3 most common architecture scale reference and their sizes in Unreal Units
• Learn how to work with BSP brushes and improve your block-in process
• How to block in your environment using BSP brushes so that everything matches to correct scale and the layout you want before you do any detail work
• How to use BSP Geometry Mode, avoid BSP geometry errors and quick fix many common brush problems
• Discover how to quickly change BSP brush pivot points, brush order and CSG operations which minimizes most frustrating issues when using BSP brushes
• How to replace BSP geometry with Static Meshes
• How to insert, manipulate and work with Static Meshes
• How to add detail to your environment
• Complete BSP to Static Mesh workflow explained and shown - learn the process of block in and detailing in a systematic step-by-step approach
• What is the difference between textures and materials
• How to use Static Meshes in modular fashion to create new areas and construct new objects
• How to work and apply textures/materials onto your BSP surfaces and Static Meshes
• How to create parent/child materials and re-use them to add variety to your textures without having to create a totally new material
• How to insert/add skies (skydomes/skyspheres) into your environments
• How to make skies light properly in your level
• How to match your lighting and fog to your skysphere/skydome
• How to light exteriors (sunlight)
• How to work with fog to add atmospheric perspective and realistic look to your level
• How to use multiple fog actors such as one for exterior and one for interior
• How to light interiors
• How to light interiors without using any lights
• How to manage lighting exterior and interior in the same scene
• Learn how to make sense of Depth of Field and add distance blur to your environment with a very simple step-by-step instructions
• Discover how to change accuracy and color of shadows
• How to avoid same interior and exterior color lighting - creating contrast between inside and outside areas
• Learn how to change your scene colors by tweaking high lights, mid-tones and shadows so that your environment has a different feel and atmosphere anytime you want without changing any lighting properties
• How to include multiple post processes within your level for exterior and interior so that outside and inside areas have a different color and temperature feel
• How to hide seams, gaps and geometry problems without re-constructing entire environment
• How to design the surrounding environment to create an illusion of a much bigger, larger world then it actually is - creating a sense of depth
• How to insert water into your level
• How to take extremely high-resolution screenshots from the editor
• Color temperature and color theory consideration for making your environment stand out from rest
• How to take best possible screenshots to showcase your environment - also composition rules explained
• and much more...

Last Updated Dec, 06, 2015