Learning Path: Unreal Engine: Master Unreal Engine 4.X

Probe deep to enhance your game development proficiency using Unreal Engine 4.x with key elements of C++

What you'll learn

Work with classes and actors in UE4

Understand memory management in UE4

Learn to use the Unreal Engine C++ API

Navigate the API documentation

Add scripts to the character

Spawn the characters using C++

Requirements

Basic programming knowledge of C++ is needed.

Description

Unreal Engine is among the most comprehensive and advanced game engines in the market. It’s a complete suite of game development tools for game developers. Along with the C++ programming language, UE4 will enable you to implement efficient games with unparalleled performance. If you're interested to build complex stunning games with amazing graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4.x, then go for this Learning Path.



Packt’s Video Learning Paths are a series of individual video products put together in a logical and stepwise manner such that each video builds on the skills learned in the video before it.




The highlights of this Learning Path are:

Master aspects of game development in Unreal Engine 4.x
Creating Unreal Engine C++ projects and connecting them to source control
Understanding the relationship between the Unreal Engine blueprint system and the C++ API
Explore and enhance your game programming skills using Unreal Engine 4

Packed with exciting and practical recipes, this Learning Path is a guide showcasing techniques to use the power of C++ while developing games with UE4. In this Learning Path, you will learn basic Unreal Engine 4 C++ programming. You will be exposed to the architecture of Unreal Engine 4 classes, memory management, and basic coding utilizing the C++ programming language.


Further, you will learn how to add and edit C++ classes from within the Unreal Editor. You will then delve into one of Unreal's primary strengths, the ability for designers to customize programmer-developed actors and components. The Learning Path will help you understand the benefits of when and how to use C++ as the scripting tool. With a blend of task-oriented recipes, this Learning Path will provide actionable information about scripting games with UE4, and manipulating the game and the development environment using C++.


Towards the end of this Learning Path, you will be empowered to become a top-notch game developer with Unreal Engine 4 using C++ as the scripting language.



Meet Your Experts:



We have combined the best works of the following esteemed authors to ensure that your learning journey is smooth:




Dr. AlirezaTavakkoli is an associate professor of computer science at the University of Houston-Victoria. He is the director of the Digital Gaming and Simulation program. He is also the founding director of the Computation and Advanced Visualization Engineering Laboratory. During his tenure at the university, Dr. Tavakkoli has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in computer science and gaming, including advanced level design, game engines programming, gaming network architecture, artificial intelligence, parallel computing, and theory of computation.

Paul Mauviel is a freelance contract consultant specializing in virtual reality, Unreal Engine and containerized web application technology. Paul has also worked on multiple containerized application solutions for dynamic web application hosting and deployment.Reuben Ward has helped people create their dreams in Unreal Engine! Till date, he has helped over 450,000 people learn something about making games using the Unreal Engine with his tutorial videos. When he first started using Unreal Engine, he felt the need for the lack of C++ tutorials for game developers. He wanted to make great games but had no idea where to start. Having mastered the art of game development in Unreal he has set out to make tutorials to help people learn, and help solve this very problem.

Overview

Section 1: Basics of Coding with Unreal Engine 4

Lecture 1 The Course Overview

Lecture 2 Installing UE 4

Lecture 3 Setting Up Your First Project

Lecture 4 Logging in Unreal Engine 4

Lecture 5 Creating Classes in Unreal Engine 4

Lecture 6 Making Classes Editable

Lecture 7 Actor and Component Classes

Lecture 8 Implementing Actor Functionality

Lecture 9 Spawning Actors

Lecture 10 Managed Versus Unmanaged Memory

Lecture 11 Tracking Objects in Memory

Lecture 12 Working with the Garbage Collection System in Unreal Engine 4

Lecture 13 Using Profilers and Debugging Your Code

Section 2: Unreal Engine 4 Scripting with C++

Lecture 14 The Course Overview

Lecture 15 Examples of Using C++ for Scripting in Unreal

Lecture 16 Examples of the Unreal Engine Class Hierarchy

Lecture 17 Understanding Components in Unreal Engine 4

Lecture 18 Manipulating Components to Make Our Ideas Come to Life

Lecture 19 Examples of Actors in Unreal

Lecture 20 The Benefits of Understanding the C++ Syntax

Lecture 21 The Advantages of C++ Over Blueprints

Lecture 22 Creating Our First C++ Actor

Lecture 23 Adding Some Scripting to Our Actor

Lecture 24 Using C++ to Spawn Actors into Our Game

Lecture 25 Using a Particle System Component to Create an Explosion

Lecture 26 Exposing C++ Code to the Editor Using Macros

Lecture 27 Finishing Our Explosive Mine

Section 3: Mastering Unreal Engine 4.x Game Development

Lecture 28 The Course Overview

Lecture 29 Assets and Resources

Lecture 30 Project Setup

Lecture 31 Connecting to a Perforce Repository

Lecture 32 Connecting to a Git Repository

Lecture 33 Navigating the C++ API

Lecture 34 Unreal Engine C++ Workflow

Lecture 35 Unreal Engine Data Types

Lecture 36 Common UE4 Macros

Lecture 37 Debugging C++ Projects

Lecture 38 Basic Physics

Lecture 39 Tuning Physics

Lecture 40 Basic Raycasting

Lecture 41 Advanced Raycasting

Lecture 42 Importing Assets + Level Overview

Lecture 43 Character Foundations

Lecture 44 Character Input

Lecture 45 Character Animations and Particle Effects

Lecture 46 Tuning Character Physics

This Learning Path is targeted at game developers with a basic knowledge of C++ programming, who wish to explore Unreal Engine 4 as their game development platform.