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 – light mapping


  1. Unlike Unreal Engine 2, terrain is light mapped now. However, if the quality of the light map is not satisfactory enough, it is possible to bump up its quality. To do so, open up the properties of the terrain and expand the Lighting section. Enable bIsOverridingLightResolution, and enter a higher value under StaticLightingResolution.

    Note

    This can have quite a performance impact; so again, use it wisely.

What just happened?

We have assigned a light map to the terrain so when static meshes are introduced to our map and light hits the meshes, we will get dynamic shadowing, giving a more atmospheric approach to our map.

Have a go hero – foliage layers

Foliage layers are embedded into regular terrain material layers, and are thus linked to the material. Paint another material over the one that contains the foliage layer, and the foliage layer too will disappear.

  1. In the generic browser, browse to the terrain material of the layer of choice, usually found within the Mylevel...