Unreal Engine Projects for Non-coders

A Greek-Brazilian-American developer and entrepreneur, Myron is HELM Systems’ (a South Florida-based independent game development studio) founder, CEO, and lead developer, with more than 20 years of experience in interactive software development and an expert in Unreal Engine, which he has been working with since its first generation. He is knowledgeable in a vast multitude of development roles, making him the perfect individual for efficient project planning and management, from conceptualization to launching a finished qualitative product for a plethora of applications and industries, including but not limited to gaming, entertainment, aerospace, industrial, architectural, VR/AR/XR and more.

He has an excellently balanced approach between creative passion and realization of business necessities, with a strong emphasis on efficient and cost-effective development, with product quality and timely delivery being top priorities.

He has been a recipient of the US residency as an alien of extraordinary ability in the field of video game and interactive software development while has also received an IGF award nomination and an Epic Games Unreal DevGrant for work conducted in video game development, as well as press mentions both for his video game development work and an interactive VR end-product visualization application for the aerospace industry. He also served as a panelist and presenter at conferences. In his free time, he is an avid electric guitar player and musician who composes, plays, and produces original music, having an extensive knowledge and a lifelong passion for music production equipment and techniques.

1. Unleashing the Unreal Engine
2. Unreal Engine UI
3. Unreal Engine’s Building Blocks
4. Project Overview and Main Asset Creation for Statue Scene
5. Importing Assets and Setting Up the Statue Scene
6. Lighting and Cinematic for the Statue Scene
7. Fantasy Castle Project Breakdown and Planning
8. Fantasy Castle Base Mesh Modeling
9. Fantasy Castle High Poly Mesh Sculpting
10. Fantasy Castle Texturing and Materials
11. Fantasy Castle Bringing It All in Unreal
12. Fantasy Castle Character and Interaction Blueprints
13. Fantasy Castle Interactive Blueprint Actors
14. Fantasy Castle Mini Game Blueprints
15. Fantasy Castle Level Finalization and Packaging
16. Statue Scene Introduction to VR

Unreal Engine stands as a powerful real-time 3D creation tool, renowned across industries for its stunning visuals and versatile applications. It enables the creation of immersive and interactive experiences without requiring traditional coding skills.

This book takes a practical, project-based approach. It begins with an introduction to Unreal Engine 5, offering a basic overview of its UI, tools and features, and core technologies. Each project focuses on specific areas and workflows, allowing the readers to get a basic grasp of the Unreal Engine’s basic workflows, to a complete environment, built with custom assets, featuring a mini-game. The book covers topics such as Blueprints (Unreal Engine’s node-based visual scripting), Nanite and Lumen technologies, Quixel Megascan, lighting and materials, a glimpse into the exciting world of VR development, covering base and high-poly modeling, texturing, level design principles, and implementing character interactions.

By the end of this book, you will gain a strong practical foundation in Unreal Engine, capable of bringing your creative visions to life through compelling projects and possessing the skills to explore further into the realm of real-time 3D development.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

* Unreal Engine 5’s basic UI, tools, and workflows.
* Introduction to key UE5 tech, Nanite, and Lumen.
* Plan model base/high-poly castle assets using external 3D software expertly.
* Implement character movement and interactions using Blueprints visually and effectively.
* Develop interactive elements, UI widgets, and mini-game mechanics via Blueprints.
* Grasp VR basics within UE and apply to existing projects technically.

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR

This book is intended for first-time Unreal Engine users who want to gain accelerated learning towards utilizing the engine and intermediate users who want to review or further expand their current knowledge of the Unreal Engine and its workflows. Overall, the book targets generalist developers who want to have a larger understanding of Unreal Engine’s different workflows and simultaneously apply them to complete projects covering different fields of development.