Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5: Unleash the true power of Blueprints to create impressive games and applications in UE5

566 Pages·2022·44.453 MB·English

by  Marcos Romero, Brenden Sewell

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learning how Blueprint Communication allows one Blueprint to access information from another w n Third Edition
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Blueprint. Later chapters focus on building a fully functional game step by step. You'll start with ll f
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a basic fi rst-person shooter (FPS) template, and each chapter will build on the prototype to create r

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
Unleash the true power of Blueprints to create
enemy behavior. The book demonstrates how to use arrays, maps, enums, and vector operations
and introduces the elements needed for VR game development. In the fi nal chapters, you’ll learn impressive games and applications in UE5
how to implement procedural generation and create a product confi gurator.
By the end of this book, you'll have learned how to build a fully functional game and have the skills
required to develop an entertaining experience for your audience.
Things you will learn:
• Understand programming concepts • Explore all the features of the Blueprint
in Blueprints editor, such as the Components tab,
• Create prototypes and iterate new game Viewport, and Event Graph
mechanics rapidly • Get to grips with OOP concepts and explore
• Build user interface elements and the Gameplay Framework
interactive menus • Work with virtual reality development in
• Use advanced Blueprint nodes to manage UE Blueprint
the complexity of a game • Implement procedural generation and
create a product confi gurator
Marcos Romero | Brenden Sewell
Blueprints Visual
Scripting for
Unreal Engine 5
Third Edition
Unleash the true power of Blueprints to create
impressive games and applications in UE5
Marcos Romero
Brenden Sewell
BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI
Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5
Third Edition
Copyright © 2022 Packt Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
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First published: July 2015
Second edition: August 2019
Third edition: April 2022
Production reference: 1290422
Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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ISBN 978-1-80181-158-3
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Contributors
About the authors
Marcos Romero is the author of the Romero Blueprints blog, which is one of the main
references on the internet to learn about Blueprints. Epic Games invited Marcos to the
Unreal Engine 4 closed beta program to experiment and collaborate with the evolution
of the tools. He was also one of the first recipients of Unreal Dev Grants for Education.
Marcos is a well-known figure in the Unreal community and, for Epic Games, he wrote
the official Blueprints Compendium and Blueprints Instructors' Guide.
I would like to thank Luis Cataldi and Tom Shannon from Epic Games for
sharing and recommending my Blueprint materials to developers around
the world.
I'd also like to thank Elinaldo Azevedo, Filipe Mendes, and Ingrid Mendes,
for their dedication to Beljogos, which is a local game development group
that I founded in the city of Belém, northern Brazil.
Brenden Sewell is a creative director with a decade of experience leading teams in the
development of compelling interactive experiences that entertain, teach, and inspire.
Prior to joining E-Line, he explored the intersection of educational practice and industry
game development, culminating in his work as the principal game designer at the Center
for Games and Impact. There, he specialized in the development of immersive games
for STEM education and teachers' professional development. Since joining the E-Line
team, he has led developments from concept, prototyping, and production, to release on
a variety of projects ranging from a brain-training first-person shooter to a construction
sandbox exploring the future of digital fabrication.
About the reviewer
Agne Skripkaite is an Unreal Engine software engineer. Coming from a strong
background in physics (with a Bachelor's of Science in Physics from the University of
Edinburgh), Agne likes to focus on the why of things and the overarching structure of
code in games. In the past, they have worked on Unreal Engine VR applications – both
room-scale and seated games, becoming an experienced user comfort and motion
sickness mitigation specialist for these contexts. This is the fifth Packt Publishing book on
Unreal Engine that Agne has reviewed as a technical editor.
Table of Contents
Preface
Part 1: Blueprint Fundamentals
1
Exploring the Blueprint Editor
Installing Unreal Engine    4 The Components panel   13
Creating new projects and The My Blueprint panel   14
using templates   4 The Details panel   15
The Viewport panel   15
Blueprints Visual Scripting   8
The Event Graph panel   16
Opening the Level Blueprint Editor   8
Creating a Blueprint Class   10 Adding Components to
a Blueprint   17
The Blueprint Class
Summary   19
Editor interface   11
Quiz   20
The Toolbar panel   12
2
Programming with Blueprints
Storing values in variables   22 Creating expressions
Defining the behavior of with operators   29
a Blueprint with events Arithmetic operators   29
and actions   25 Relational operators   30
Events   26 Logical operators   31
Actions   27
Organizing the script with
The execution path   28
macros and functions   32
Creating macros   32
vi Table of Contents
Creating functions   36 Summary   41
Step-by-step example   39 Quiz   41
Macros versus functions versus events   41
3
Object-Oriented Programming and the Gameplay Framework
Getting familiar with OOP   44 Exploring the other Gameplay
Framework classes   58
Classes   44
Instances   44 Pawn   60
Inheritance   45 Character   61
PlayerController   62
Managing Actors   46
Game Mode Base   64
Referencing Actors   46
Game Instance   66
Spawning and destroying Actors   51
Summary   66
Construction Script   54
Quiz   67
4
Understanding Blueprint Communication
Direct Blueprint Communication   70 Binding Events   90
Casting in Blueprints   76 Summary   93
Level Blueprint Communication   82 Quiz   94
Event Dispatchers   86
Part 2: Developing a Game
5
Object Interaction with Blueprints
Creating the project and the Material properties and nodes   102
first Level   98 Adding substance to our Material   105
Adding objects to our Level   99
Creating the target Blueprint   107
Exploring Materials   101
Detecting a hit   109
Creating Materials   101 Swapping a Material   110
Table of Contents vii
Improving the Blueprint   111 Getting relative speed using delta time   119
Updating location   120
Adding movement   113
Changing the Actor's Mobility and Changing direction   123
Collision settings   114 Testing moving targets   125
Breaking down our goal   115
Summary   126
Readying direction for calculations   118
Quiz   127
6
Enhancing Player Abilities
Adding the running Increasing the projectile's
functionality   130 speed   143
Breaking down the character Adding sound and
movement   130 particle effects   145
Customizing control inputs   134
Changing target states with branches   146
Adding a Sprint ability   136
Triggering sound effects, explosions,
and destruction   148
Animating a zoomed view   139
Using a timeline to smooth transitions   140 Summary   151
Quiz   152
7
Creating Screen UI Elements
Creating simple UI meters Creating bindings for health
with UMG   154 and stamina   171
Making text bindings for the ammo
Drawing shapes with Widget
and targets eliminated counters   173
Blueprints   156
Customizing the meter's appearance   159 Tracking the ammo and
Creating ammo and targets eliminated targets eliminated    174
counters   164
Reducing the ammo counter   174
Displaying the HUD   168
Increasing the targets
Connecting UI values eliminated counter   176
to player variables   170
Summary   177
Quiz   178
viii Table of Contents
8
Creating Constraints and Gameplay Objectives
Constraining player actions   180 Displaying a target goal in the HUD   202
Draining and regenerating stamina   181 Creating a win menu screen   204
Preventing firing actions when Displaying the WinMenu   210
out of ammo   195 Triggering a win   212
Creating collectible objects   196 Summary   214
Setting a gameplay Quiz   215
win condition   201
Part 3: Enhancing the Game
9
Building Smart Enemies with Artificial Intelligence
Setting up the enemy actor to Overlapping a patrol point   239
navigate   220 Running the Behavior Tree in
the AI Controller   241
Importing from the Marketplace   220
Teaching our AI to walk with the
Expanding the play area   221
Behavior Tree   242
Making the level traversable with a
Selecting the patrol points in the
NavMesh asset   227
BP_EnemyCharacter instance   246
Creating the AI assets   229
Setting up the BP_EnemyCharacter Making the AI chase the player   247
Blueprint   231
Giving the enemy sight with
Creating navigation behavior   233 PawnSensing   247
Creating a Behavior Tree Task   249
Setting up patrol points   233
Adding conditions to the Behavior Tree   251
Creating the Blackboard keys   234
Creating a chasing behavior   253
Creating the variables in BP_
EnemyCharacter   236
Summary   254
Updating the current patrol point key   237
Quiz   255
Table of Contents ix
10
Upgrading the AI Enemies
Creating an enemy attack   258 destructible   272
Making an attack task   258 Spawning more enemies
Using the attack task in the during gameplay   275
Behavior Tree   260
Creating the BP_EnemySpawner
Updating the health meter   261 blueprint    275
Making enemies hear and Creating enemy wandering
investigate sounds   263 behavior   278
Adding hearing to the Behavior Tree   263 Identifying a wander point with a
Setting up the investigating tasks   265 custom task   278
Creating variables and a macro to Adding wandering to the Behavior Tree 
update the blackboard   266  280
Interpreting and storing the Last adjustments and test   281
noise Event data   268
Summary   283
Adding noise to the player's actions   270
Quiz   283
Making the enemies
11
Game States and Applying the Finishing Touches
Making danger real with Creating a transition screen to be
player death   286 shown between rounds   296
Transitioning to a new round when the
Setting up a lose screen   286
current round is won   299
Showing the lose screen   287
Pausing the game and
Creating round-based scaling
resetting the save file   301
with saved games   288
Creating a pause menu   301
Storing game information using the
Resuming the game   303
SaveGame class   289
Resetting the save file   304
Saving game information   290
Triggering the pause menu   305
Loading game information   293
Increasing the TargetGoal   294
Summary   307
Quiz   307