Unreal Engine Blueprint: A Simple Way to Develop Video Games
Are you familiar with the concept of "Blueprint for Unreal Engine"? No? Then keep reading, because we will now explain what this technique consists of and how it is used to create video games. Let's go!
Unreal Engine: What Is It and What Is It For?
Unreal Engine is a game engine created by the American video game development company Epic Games. Game engines are software tools that allow you to create, design, and run video games. This game engine is one of the most common today, and for proper selection, it is worth studying the comparison between Unity and Unreal.
With Unreal Engine 4, you can create AAA-quality games compatible with various platforms: Linux, macOS, SteamOS, iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, HTML5, Xbox One, SteamVR/HTC Vive, Google Daydream, Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, OSVR, and Samsung Gear VR. This makes the engine an excellent tool for mobile game development.
Blueprint in Unreal Engine: Features
Blueprints are assets in the Unreal Engine editor. They are a visual scripting system based on the concept of adding and connecting nodes to create various elements. With these assets, you can use the full range of tools and concepts available to programmers. Such a system makes video games more visual and straightforward.
The Blueprint methodology complements C++ programming without replacing it, as these two systems coordinate and integrate well with each other.
Some of the options and capabilities of this methodology include:
- Creating cameras and angles, objects (e.g., weapons or spells), particles such as rain or snow, etc.
- Interacting with the environment
- Creating, implementing, and modifying elements
- Creating meshes, materials, and characters
- Interacting with menus
Unreal Blueprint: Typology
There are several types of Blueprints in Unreal Engine. Let's look at the most important ones:
Blueprint Class
The Blueprint Class allows you to quickly add functionality and content to existing game types. Instead of writing code, Blueprints are generated visually in the Unreal Editor and can then be saved as assets within a content package.
This type of Blueprint defines new classes or types of actors that can be placed on maps as instances, exhibiting the same behavior as any actor type.
Level Blueprint
This type of Blueprint is a global-level node graph. Each level by default has its own Level Blueprint, which can be edited from Unreal. However, it is not possible to create new Level Blueprints via the interface editor.
The Level Blueprint provides a management mechanism for streaming and Matinee, as well as for connecting to analog events.
Blueprint Interface
Blueprint Interfaces are collections of functions that can be added to other Blueprints. These collections allow different Blueprints to share data and pass it to each other. Content creators can create such interfaces, but they have some limitations: new variables or components cannot be added, and graphics cannot be edited.
Widget Blueprints
With Widget Blueprints, you can create menus. The Widget Blueprint Editor opens by default in the 'Designer' tab. Using this visual design representation, we can get an idea of how it will look in the game.