Automating repetitive tasks with custom tools in Unreal Engine 5
Epic Games, Evangelist
- When:
- 15.07.2022, 16:00–17:00
- Hall:
- Yellow Sea Hall (production)
Unreal Engine users have access to its full Source Code. Although, modifying the Engine isn’t the only way you can create custom tools. Most of the time you don’t even have to touch C++ to make useful, and if needed – even fairly complex automations. In this talk we’ll take a look at the different ways the Engine provides, and explore possibilities – from creating a simple button, to refactoring the whole map.
What the talk is about
Krzysztof Pachulski, an Evangelist at Epic Games, shows how to automate repetitive work in Unreal Engine 5 with custom tools, without writing C++. His main point is that building tools is easier than it seems: Blueprints and Python are enough, and a dedicated tool programmer isn't required. He walks through Editor Utility Blueprints and widgets, the Call In Editor button, extending editor menus, Property View and Details View widgets, and transactions for undo and redo. Demos include a tool that distributes objects such as chairs in a circle or a sphere, and a Python script that builds a material from selected textures based on name suffixes. He also covers progress bars for long-running tasks. Useful for indie developers, technical artists and level designers who want to speed up their pipelines.