Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender
3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender

3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender: Combine the powerful UE4 with Blender to create visually appealing and comprehensive game environments

eBook
€19.99 €28.99
Paperback
€35.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at €18.99p/m

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender

Chapter 2. Starting Our First Project

Now it's time for the exciting stuff! As we move forward with building our first project, we are going to use the design process we talked about in the last chapter and start with a level sketch. You might be tempted to just open up Unreal and jump right in, right? Why spend time drawing when I could be building that sweet level I've always wanted? Well, here's why. The best way to avoid multiple revisions and costly time spent redoing sections of your level is to plan in advance. Figure out the setting, architecture, background, and story of your level. Put some thought into where you will place story cues and power ups. Run your ideas by friends, players, and team members. Incorporate the feedback you receive and then build your level. It's the level designer's equivalent of "measure twice, cut once".

Let's take a look at our level sketch:

Starting Our First Project

Our first level map!

So here is our first level. The level itself...

Using the Content Browser to start building the level

Go ahead and open Epic Games Launcher, and pull up the project we started at the end of the last chapter. Unreal Engine 4 was a huge upgrade over the last version of the engine, as it gave users a simple drag-and-drop interface. This was accomplished using two important panes in the interface: the Modes pane and the Content Browser. These portions of the interface allow level designers to drag elements into the level and place them where they need to go. Of these two, we will use the Content Browser the most:

Using the Content Browser to start building the level

The Content Browser contains all of the game assets we will use

The Content Browser holds all of the objects, sounds, materials, and particles that can be used in your creation. These are sorted into folders that mirror the file structure where your project is stored. Unreal does this to make it easy to move project files around, should the need arise. Navigating the browser is easy. Double-clicking a folder opens that folder, while...

Using different types of light

Throughout the level, we have been using basic lights just to give our work in progress some illumination. In this section, we are going to transform our lighting into something that seems more realistic for our theme and communicates it to the player. Proper lighting is something that is important to make a scene or environment seem believable. It can make an audience feel anxious or scared, and create a sense of tension. It can communicate danger or safety. In games, it can even be a game mechanic. In our scene, we are going to use lighting to communicate a sense of mystery and a tension that something just might be going on beyond the player's ability to see.

To create this feel, let's think about what we might need. Plunging our corners into shadow and limiting the player's line of sight can go a long way to making them think that something might be stalking them, just out of sight. Using different colored lights to denote danger and safety...

Adding interactive elements using Triggers and Blueprints

Right now, our game level is looking pretty good. We have given it some props that make the player feel they are wandering around the insides of a small cargo ship. Using lights, we have communicated to the player a sense of danger and mystery. The final step in finishing this level will be to add some basic interactive elements. For that we are going to need a Blueprint.

A Blueprint is a visual scripting engine built into the Unreal game engine that allows artists and other non-programmers to program game mechanics and level events without ever looking at a line of code. I have also found during my years of teaching that it is a great way to introduce yourself to programming techniques, as a Blueprint uses many of the same terms. For our purposes, we will use Blueprints to animate our two doors and our elevator so that our player has some interactive elements to play with:

Adding interactive elements using Triggers and Blueprints

All Blueprints have an Event to kick them off, followed by...

Playtesting our level

The next step in our design process is to playtest our prototype level with friends, family, and, most importantly, the people who will be playing our game. Playtesting is one of the most important and overlooked steps of the design process. Many game and level designers want to rush and press on toward a final design and, by doing so, miss out on the valuable feedback that other people who are not involved with the design and construction of your game can offer. It is important to remember that although the level may be fun for you to play, others may find it confusing or missing critical features. Getting feedback from players by allowing them to try the prototype can help us see the things that we take for granted because we are the designers.

If this level were for a commercial game, we would spend some time testing with friends and co-workers, incorporating feedback as we go. The lighting might be too dark or the buttons too difficult to find. We might add more...

Summary

In this chapter, we went through the process of building a level using Unreal Engine 4, based on a design we sketched out on paper. The level itself was simple: two rooms connected by a hallway with doors, stairs, and an elevator. We used a selection of shapes and props that were available in the Starter Content folder to decorate our space to fit our science fiction horror theme. We also looked at how to use lights in the level to create tension and convey mood. Through Blueprints, we were able to explore level programming by animating our doors and elevator. Finally, we talked about the importance of playtesting and how constructive criticism from our players can only make our levels and games better. In the next chapter, we are going to move into using Blender and create a prop for our level, based on some of the basic shapes we used to decorate the ship during the whiteboxing process.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • The only resource that shows how you can incorporate Blender into your Unreal Engine 4 Game environment
  • Create amazing 3D game environments by leveraging the power of Blender and Unreal Engine 4
  • Practical step-by-step approach with plenty of illustrative examples to get you started immediately

Description

Unreal Engine 4 now has support for Blender, which was not available in earlier versions. This has opened up new possibilities and that is where this book comes in. This is the first book in the market combining these two powerful game and graphic engines. Readers will build an amazing high-level game environment with UE4 and will show them how to use the power of Blender 3D to create stunning animations and 3D effects for their game. This book will start with creating levels, 3D assets for the game, game progression, light and environment control, animation, and so on. Then it will teach readers to add amazing visual effects to their game by applying rendering, lighting, rigging, and compositing techniques in Blender. Finally, readers will learn how to smoothly transfer blender files to UE4 and animate the game assets. Each chapter will add complexities to the game environment.

Who is this book for?

This book would be ideal for 3D artists and game designers who want to create amazing 3D game environments and leverage the power of Blender with Unreal Engine 4. 3D design basics would be necessary to get the most out of this book. Some previous experience with Blender would be helpful but not essential.

What you will learn

  • Create a fully functioning game level of your own design using Blender and Unreal Engine 4
  • Customize your level with detailed 3D assets created with Blender
  • Import assets into Unreal Engine 4 to create an amazing finished product
  • Build a detailed dynamic environment with goals and an ending
  • Explore Blender's incredible animation tools to animate elements of your game
  • Create great environments using sound effects, particle effects, and class blueprints
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Malta

Premium delivery 7 - 10 business days

€32.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Jun 29, 2016
Length: 252 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785881466
Vendor :
Epic Games
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Malta

Premium delivery 7 - 10 business days

€32.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Jun 29, 2016
Length: 252 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785881466
Vendor :
Epic Games
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
€18.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
€189.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just €5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
€264.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just €5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total 119.97
Unreal Engine 4.X By Example
€41.99
3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender
€35.99
Mastering Unreal Engine 4.X
€41.99
Total 119.97 Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

10 Chapters
1. Unreal, My Friend, I'd Like You to Meet Blender Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Starting Our First Project Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. It's Time to Customize! Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Getting the Assets to the Level Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Taking This Level Up a Notch Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Monster Assets – The Level Totally Needs One of These Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Let's Dress to Impress! Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Lights, Camera, Animation! Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Bang Bang – Let's Make It Explode Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.3
(8 Ratings)
5 star 50%
4 star 37.5%
3 star 0%
2 star 12.5%
1 star 0%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




Aadi Sharma Apr 07, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
You don't to see loads and loads of YouTube videos.Once you have this book.Very well scripted and good paper quality.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Zain Jul 02, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Really good for readers who are looking to learn the fundamentals of both Bender and UE4. The book takes you through level development in UE4, then walks you through artifact design, texturing, and animation in Blender, then you bring the Blender models into UE4 and incorporate the animations into the game.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Scott Hafner Jul 20, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Hi everyone, I recently had the pleasure of working as a technical reviewer on this book, 3D Game Design with Unreal Engine 4 and Blender. If you've been looking to learn the tricks of bridging the gap between your Unreal work and your Blender work, this is an essential title for your work space. Lessons and skills are presented in an easy to understand manner with a huge range of topics covering everything from creating a game level in Unreal 4, importing 3D assets from Blender into your level and even adding some animation work to bring your creations to life.I'm very pleased with how this book came out, and I feel it will really help take your game design work to the next level!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Marcos Pérez Jul 19, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I liked all the books that have been published UE4. I would like to see soon some focused on UMG interfaces.His books have been of great help in my learning process Unreal Engine 4.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
digi-mech Apr 18, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
another great book, well worth the effort, a lot of useful information in here..
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact [email protected] with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at [email protected] using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on [email protected] with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on [email protected] within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on [email protected] who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on [email protected] within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela