UDN
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WhatToReadFirst
What To Read First
Getting the Engine
Check out the LicenseeFileRepository article on how to get the latest binary release. You may also want to check with other members of your team first, and see if someone's downloaded it already. For official drops made by Epic Games, source and binaries (often with demo content) are provided. Interim or preview drops are usually source-only, more for planning a future merge than for actual production use. Epic Games makes drops designed for Windows PC, Linux PC and Xbox only. Secret Level maintains Sony Playstation 2 console builds of the engine. There are currently no Macintosh versions of the latest Unreal Engine 2 builds, but Unreal Engine 2.5 (also known as UT2004) does run on the Macintosh. Official codedrops are available from the LicenseeFileRepository.Engine Support
Documentation
Navigating the Web Sites
This UDN web site is your first line of support, providing you with detailed documentation, tutorials and example content to get you on your way. UDN web sites share a common layout:
- Site Areas is the toolbar across the top of the site, showing the different areas of UDN.
- Page Contents takes up the majority of the screen, and is where the current document is actually displayed.
- Area Features is the top portion of the toolbox at the right, with links to special, area-specific areas, like search, email notifications, and a master index.
- Page Functions is the next section down in the right toolbar, and contains page-specific features, like Editing the page, Attaching files, or displaying a Printable version.
- Related Content is the bottom section of the right toolbar, and provides links to other documents and categories of documents related to the present topic.
A Caveat on UDN Documentation
UDN documentation is focused on practicality and pragmatism. We try to get you up and running as fast as possible, as easily as possible. To do this, we encourage doing things "the Unreal way," which is however the engine prefers to have things done. In some instances, this may seem backwards, or roundabout, or may require what appears to be some semblance of tomfoolery. However, please remember that the engine is an established system, and for the most part there practical reasons why something has to be a done a certain way in a certain instance, and the solutions that we provide are usually the best and most practical within the context of the Unreal engine. As has been stated in the past, a system designed in isolation could easily be more advanced, easier to work with, or more efficient than Unreal's, but it would also probably cause countless headaches when making it work with the rest of the codebase and making it run at a decent frame rate. We therefore encourage you to use the solutions we provide in an effort to minimize your manipulation of the core engine, as it will save you innumerable hours of time and effort working with and merging future builds. As with all projects using licensed technology, you have to weigh the time and effort to merge updated code with the theoretical improvement your changes (or wholesale subsystem replacement) will make.Reading the Documentation
After getting yourself set up with the RecommendedSoftware and RecommendedHardware, and then check out the latest CodeDropXYZ page, at the top of the Codedrop-Specific Support list in the table of contents. That will be the latest official codedrop release, and provide download links and errata, including bug fixes and known issues.For programmers and other technical people
Once you have the drop, the NewProjectPreparation page should be your first stop. It will walk you through stripping the codebase down and re-integrating it with all your own code and components. It is currently a work-in-progress. The Toolchain Support area of the table of contents lists several documents which may be useful. From setting up Visual SourceSafe to working with VTune, we try to make working with the engine easier here. From there, the main body of the table of contents is sorted by feature, for you to reference as you need to know about certain functionality. Some tutorials are provided, such as working with the skeletal system and with the HUD, and we're always working on more. Nearer the bottom of the list, is the LicenseeCodePool page; consider contributing some of your more general functionality back to the site. When you start actively working with the engine, make sure you add your project's file extensions and Gamespy ID to the LicenseeFileExtensions list. And if you have any documentation requests, please don't hesitate to add it to the UdnStaff? page.For Texture Artists
For 2D artists, TextureSpecifications and TextureComparison are good starting points, followed by MaterialTutorial, since level designers aren't going to be using your raw textures directly; they're going to be using them in materials (like shaders).For Modelers
Modelers can head straight for the bottom of the page, in the Tools area, where most of the skeletal animation documentation currently resides.For Level Designers
Level designers and level artists get the rest. I'd suggest beginning with UnrealEdInterface, and then starting to work through the docs in Primitives, in order. Then go back up and review the rest of the docs in the Basics section, because they make more sense if you already know how to build basic brushes and things. Also if you haven't already checked it out, take a look at the IntroToUnrealEd document.Mailing Lists - Subscribing to UnProg, UnEdit
Your development lead may have signed you up for the UnProg and/or UnEdit technical mailing list already, but if not, you can also subscribe yourself by logging onto your UDN account administration webpage: https://udn.epicgames.com/udnusers/. Check out the UnProg and UnEdit pages for details, including links to the archives, which are invaluable for trying to find answers. There are also weekly summaries of list goings-on, on the UnProgTraffic and UnEditTraffic pages.IRC: Joining the Party
If you're looking for a little more personal (but not necessarily any faster) assistance, a private IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server is maintained for licensees to chat amongst themselves in a relatively secure environment. Check out UnDevIRC for details on connecting to the UDN IRC server, as well as RecommendedSoftware for lists of other IRC clients you might find suitable. For general information on IRC, check out http://www.irchelp.org/.If You Find a Problem
As you go through the available documentation, if you come across something that's incorrect or poorly worded, please fix it! Each page has an "Edit" button in the page functions toolbox on the right, allowing you to make changes to update and improve UDN, in plain text, without having to worry about complex formatting or uploading new documents. Creating new documents is just as easy; just follow the links at the bottom of the table of contents.If You Have a Problem
If you can't find the documentation you need on UDN, the "asking a question" process has three steps:- Check the UnProg archives. You can search them using the search button in the area features toolbox on the left, or by going through the links on the UnProg page. Chances are, someone's asked the same question already.
- Ask on #UnDev IRC. Sometimes everyone's busy or asleep, but sometimes you get lucky and get an answer almost immediately. And if you're really lucky, it's even a correct answer.
- Post a question to UnProg or UnEdit. Someone from Epic will respond as soon as possible. If it's just something that was missing from an existing document, you can simply add it into the document yourself, using the Edit button in the page toolbox on the right.
