Book Image

Unreal Development Kit Beginner's Guide

By : Richard Moore
Book Image

Unreal Development Kit Beginner's Guide

By: Richard Moore

Overview of this book

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 (17 chapters)
Unreal Development Kit 3
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Pop Quiz Answers
Index

Time for action – building our first room


Time to create our first room, something we can actually run around in. Save your work, create a new file, and save it as DM-CSGTest03.udk.

We want our room to be big enough for the player to run around in. The builder brush is 256x256x256 by default, and the player is 88 units tall. That's going to feel a little cramped, so let's make our cube more like 1024x1024x512 units tall. What we're going to do is create an additive cube which is the size we want, and then hollow it out by using a slightly smaller subtractive cube. Select the builder brush and make sure you're in the Geometry mode. Yes, the geometry editing tools work on the builder brush too.

Also, resize your grid to 32 units either by using the controls in the bottom-right corner of the screen or the bracket [ ] keys. It's important to build on the grid so that we have an easier time-judging size, and so that when we expand our level later, everything lines up nicely. This is also why we...