Book Image

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine - Second Edition

By : Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell
Book Image

Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine - Second Edition

By: Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell

Overview of this book

Blueprints is the visual scripting system in Unreal Engine that enables programmers to create baseline systems and can be extended by designers. This book helps you explore all the features of the Blueprint Editor and guides you through using Variables, Macros, and Functions. You’ll also learn about object-oriented programming (OOP) and discover the Gameplay Framework. In addition to this, you’ll learn how Blueprint Communication allows one Blueprint to access information from another Blueprint. Later chapters will focus on building a fully functional game using a step-by-step approach. You’ll start with a basic first-person shooter (FPS) template, and each chapter will build on the prototype to create an increasingly complex and robust game experience. You’ll then progress from creating basic shooting mechanics to more complex systems, such as user interface elements and intelligent enemy behavior. The skills you will develop using Blueprints can also be employed in other gaming genres. In the concluding chapters, the book demonstrates how to use arrays, maps, enums, and vector operations. Finally, you’ll learn how to build a basic VR game. By the end of this book, you’ll have learned how to build a fully functional game and will have the skills required to develop an entertaining experience for your audience.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Section 1: Blueprint Fundamentals
6
Section 2: Developing a Game
11
Section 3: Enhancing the Game
16
Section 4: Advanced Blueprints

Level Blueprint Communication

Unreal Engine 4 has a special type of Blueprint called Level Blueprint. Each Level of the game has a default Level Blueprint. They are useful for creating Events and Actions that only happen at the current level. To access the Level Blueprint, click the Blueprints button at the top of the Level Editor and choose the Open Level Blueprint option, as shown in the following screenshot:

In the Level Blueprint, we can easily create references to Actors that are on the Level. To see this in practice, let's create an example where Box Trigger is added on the Level. When an Actor overlaps the trigger, Blueprint_Effect_Sparks is activated, producing the effect of a spark:

  1. Create or use an existing project based on the Third Person template with the starter content.
  2. In the Level Editor, look at the Modes panel on the left. In the Basic category, there...