Introduction

This session was my first introduction to Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine is a 3D game engine that is used in the videogame industry to make games. It can also be used for virtual production in Film and TV, and is part of the course for this year.

Place Actors Panel

The main focus of today’s lesson was the place actor’s panel. This is the main interface for a user to bring standard engine assets into the main viewport of the engine. This can be things such as 3D objects and lights.

Outliner

Outliners are common interfaces in 3D software like Maya and Blender. They are used to interact with objects that are in the main scene and their settings.

Sequencer Panel

The sequencer panel is used to create sequence assets and add them into the level.

Content Drawer

The content drawer is where custom assets are interfaced with and added into the scene in Unreal. It uses a folder system for the user to organise their assets and levels.

Basic Controls and keyboard shortcuts in the engine

RMB + W A S D keys are used to control the camera on the X axis.

Q E keys are used to move the camera up and down the Y axis.

C Z keys are used to zoom in and out in the scene.

Ctrl + Space is used to open the content drawer.

Alt + 2 changes mode to wireframe.

Alt + 3 changes the lighting mode to unlit.

Alt + 4 changes lighting mode to lit.

Creating Landscapes Task

Here is my first attempt at sculpting something in unreal engine:

Conclusion

This lesson was an important introduction to Unreal Engine that laid the foundation for beginning our learning in Unreal in the next few weeks.