Unreal Basics

1
Unreal Basics

• CIS 488/588
• Bruce R. Maxim
• UM-Dearborn

2
Resources

• Unreal Development Kit
• The Buzz3D website http//www.3dbuzz.com
• UDK Game Development
• http//www.delmarlearning.com/companions/index.as
  p?isbn1435460189
• Unreal Developer Network website
  http//www.unrealengine.com/en/udk/

3
UDK Engine

• UDK is an open source version of the open-ended
  Unreal3 system that can be used for many
  real-time projects
• Unreal is good for games, but has also been used
  for industrial visualization (e.g. interactive
  architectural flythrough)

4
Unreal Components

• Graphics Engine
• Sound Engine
• Physics Engine (Karma)
• Input Manager
• Network Infrastructure (client/server)
• Kismet Visual Programing
• UnrealScript Inteprerter
• UnrealScript is object oriented with a syntax
  similar to C

5
Unreal Component Interaction
Graphics Engine
Sound Engine
Engine Core
Physics Engine
UnrealScript Interpreter
6
Unreal Game Loop
Initialization
Events
Game Loop Start
Fire Gun Play Sound Move Player
Check for Input
Event Control
Update
7
Unreal Process - 1

• Game Initialization (starting UDK)
• Core engine initializes all system components
• Components begin to send info back to core for
  synchronization
• Game ready for user input
• Game Launch (starting a level)
• Map is loaded with all its game assets and
  properties
• Each assets info sent to Unreal component

8
Unreal Process - 2

• Gameplay (artistic use of items)
• Each component sends events and tasks to the
  message queue
• Unreal game loop runs with highest priority
  message tasks performed first

9
Game Assets - 1

• Stored in packages (libraries). Each
• package type is stored in its own folder.
• Textures packages (.utx)
• Textures used to color object surfaces come from
  tools like Photoshop or Upaint, could come from
  digital photographs or scanner

10
Game Assets - 2

• Sound packages
• Unreal supports .wav files often created using
  programs like SoundForge, used for sound effects
• Music Packages
• Unreal supports .ogg files create by programs
  like Cakewalk

11
Game Assets - 3

• Static mesh (.upk)
• Highly optimized polygonal models from an
  external 3D package like Maya or 3ds max (you
  need the right plug-in to import them into
  Unreal), used for physical details, best to use
  multiple copies rather than different meshes (for
  performance)

12
Game Assets - 4

• Animation package (.upk)
• Store all animated assets (i.e. characters,
  vehicles, weapons), each elements has two
  component (texture model and animations) to allow
  mixing and reuse, created using Maya

13
Game Assets - 5

• Map (.upk)
• Not a package, a map is a collection of assets
  used to define a complete game level, created
  using UnrealEd
• UCC
• Unreal execution environment is a command-line
  program that allows low-level package editing and
  compilation of Unreal Script programs (.u)