unreal video games development

A basic lesson about using HDR Maps inside Unreal Engine 4

HDR Images Formats

There are a lot of HDR image formats, see the images below:

Edit HDR Images

OPTION 1.

a. Using HDR Shop (http://gl.ict.usc.edu/HDRShop/index.php) to create an HDR Cube Map in cross format

OPTION 2.

a. Using Picturenaut (http://www.hdrlabs.com/picturenaut/index.html) to create an HDR image
b. Using Cube Map Gen (http://developer.amd.com/tools-and-sdks/archive/legacy-cpu-gpu-tools/cubemapgen/) to create a Cube Map in cross format

Sky Lights

1. LEFT COLUMN> Lights> Sky Light

2. You can manually specify a HDR skybox cubemaps.
a. Select the Sky Light
b. RIGHT COLUMN> Light> Source Type> SLS Specified Cubemap
c. Content Browser> Import> a HDR Cube Map, DRAG AND DROP over Key Light> RIGHT COLUMN> Cubemap empty image slot

NOTICE:
1. The ambient light will be emitted by HDR Cube Map
2. Metals materials will reflect HDR Cube automatically

Ufficial docs at: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/LightingAndShadows/LightTypes/SkyLight/index.html

How to manage a scene in Unreal Engine.

Assets Loading and Subdivision

All assets you will use inside your game are pre-loaded and saved by Unreal Engine insise its ‘Content’ folder.
You must divide the contents neatly in order to manage then in the best way.

The standard way is:

Content Browser> Content

– SFX
– BGMusic

– Blueprints

– Maps (here Levels)

– Materials
– Textures

– Particles

– Meshes

Game Levels

A game is divedes in multiple game levels. For example in a platform game there are multiple worlds, every world can be put inside a level.

1. MAIN TOP MENU> File> New Level> default or Empty
2. DRAG AND DROP in Maps folder (it’s not mandatory)
3. RMB over the Map: Edit/Rename/Duplicate etc…
4. MAIN TOP MENU> Window> Levels

Put elements inside a Game Level

1. Content Browser> DRAG AND DROP elements (Actors) into 3D Viewport

2. The elements are added inside RIGHT COLUMN> World Outlines.

Hot Keys of World Outlines are:

– SINGLE LMB empty area: select the actor
– SINGLE LMB over the name: rename the actor
– SHIFT + LMB: select multiple actors
– CTRL + LMB: add/remove selection
– DOUBLE LMB: focus on actor
– RMB: properties rollout> Select> All, Invert etc…

World outliner> Searching:

– Actors matching specific terms can be excluded by using “-” before a term.
– A term can be forced to match exactly, as opposed to a partial match, by adding a “+” before a term.
– Double quotes can be placed around the search term to force an exact match of the full term in the Actor’s long name.

Subdivide a Game Level

1. RIGHT COLUMN> World Outliner> ON THE TOP RIGHT ‘Create New Folder’
2. DRAG AND DROP elements inside the folder you have just created.

An example can be:

– Lights
– Heros
– Enemys
– Environment

NOTICE: the main parent is the Map

Statistics

MAIN TOP MENU> Window> Statistics

Father and son…

1. RIGHT COLUMN> World Outliner> DRAG AND DROP son over the parent

Layers

With layers you can manage visibility of Actors during the creative process.
For example, you might be working on a building that has multiple levels but is comprised of many modular parts. By assigning each floor to a layer, you can hide each of the floors you are not working on making the top view much more manageable.

1. MAIN TOP MENU> Window> Layers, Layer Tab will be added on the RIGHT COLUMN
2. RMB into Layer empty panel> Create Empty Layer
3. Select Actors in the 3D Viewport> RIGHT COLUMN> Layer Tab> RMB over the new Layer> Add Selected Actors to Selected Layers

OR

3. World Outliner> DRAG AND DROP Actor over Layers Tab> yourLayer

NOTICE: an Actor can be in as many layers as you want.

4. Select the Layer> BOTTOM LEFT ‘See Contents’ and TOP LEFT small icon ‘Back’

OR

4. DOUBLE LMB over the Layer name, INTO ‘World Outliner’ the Actors inside the Layer will be selected

Create a 3D Object inside 3DSMax

0. 3DSMax
– Use the setup scene in meters, you can find the right setup for human modeling here: Unit Setup

– Create a Box 1x1x1 name it ‘BoxMesh1x1x1’
– From Material Editor assign ‘BoxMaterial’ into Diffuse Map an ‘uvrefmap.jpg’
– Create a Smooting Group

– Select the Mesh> MAIN Button> Export> Export Selected> BoxExported.FBX

Setup FBX Exporter:
Geometry>
– Smoothing Groups check
– Tangents and Binormals check
– Triangulate check
– Others uncheck

FBX File Format>
– Type: Binary
– Version: FBX 2014

Ref: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Content/QuickStart/1/4/index.html

Import into Unreal4 mesh – smooting groups – materials – textures

1. Launch Unreal Engine

2. Tab New Project>
– Blank
– Desktop / Console
– Maximum Quality
– With Starter Content
– select a Folder for your project for example ‘Unreal’ folder
– choose a project Name for example ‘Test’

Click ‘Create Project’ button

The software will create:
Unreal/Test/Config/ some .ini files
Unreal/Test/Content/StarterContent
Unreal/Test/Intermediate
Unreal/Test/Saved
Unreal/Test.uproject

3. UE4> bottom ‘Content Browser’> select ‘Content’ folder> Add New> New Folder ‘Box’

Now there are:
Content>
– Box
– StarterContent

4. Double Click on ‘Box’

5. Content Browser> Import> select BoxExported.FBX>

– Import as Skeletal uncheck
– Auto Generate Collision uncheck (auto create a collision box)
– Import Materials check (auto import 3DS Max Material)
– Import Textures check (auto import Texture of 3DSMax Material)

>’Import’ button

Now inside Content/Box trere are
– BoxExported (mesh)
– BoxMaterial (3DS Max Material)
– uvrefmap.jpg

NOTICE: the .fbx memorize mesh, smooting groups, max material, texture position into your hard drive

6. There are some asterisks over imported elements because they was not saved inside ‘Content’ folder of the

project. Let’s save it:

UE4> bottom ‘Content Browser’> Save All

Asterisks disappears, watch the folder Test/Content/Box now there are:
– BoxExported.uasset
– BoxMaterial.uasset
– uvrefmap.uasset

All elements was converted in Unreal Assets format.

Import into Unreal4 color / normal map textures

1. Content Browser> Import> select uvrefmap2.png

2. Content Browser> Save All

Insert the mesh into Unreal4 scene

1. Content Browser> DRAG AND DROP ‘BoxExported’ (the mesh) over Perspective view

2. Perspective window> Top Right> Move Rotate Scale / remove Snaps to manipolate the mesh

3. Camera movements:
– LMB + WASD walk
– RMB look around
– Mouse Wheel to Zoom in/out

Father and son…

1. RIGHT COLUMN> World Outliner> DRAG AND DROP son over the parent