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Unreal Engine 5

Creating Main Menu

Vlatko Chankulovski

In this course you will learn how to create Main Menus for your games, using Unreal Engine 4/5.

The Menus you are going to create will be fully responsive for EVERY screen size, such as: Mobile/Tablet/PC/Laptop/TV.

This means, the Menus you are going to create will look beautiful and organized on every device.

Why this Course is special:

Read more

In this course you will learn how to create Main Menus for your games, using Unreal Engine 4/5.

The Menus you are going to create will be fully responsive for EVERY screen size, such as: Mobile/Tablet/PC/Laptop/TV.

This means, the Menus you are going to create will look beautiful and organized on every device.

Why this Course is special:

  • You can use any versions of Unreal, from UE4, UE5 and newer

  • You will learn Optimization techniques and best practices that are not shown on Youtube

  • Learn how Canvas Panels are used everywhere, but it should be avoided

  • This Course is for very Beginners and Advanced users

  • We are gradually increasing the complexity as we progress

  • Each and every lesson explained in great detail, in easy to follow and understandable way

  • The goal for this Course is to ensure that you'll understand each and every UI element and Blueprint we do

By the end of this Course, you will master the following and more:

  1. Widget Blueprint Fundamentals:

    • Design captivating, highly optimized, professional and production-ready Menus.

  2. Blueprint Programming:

    • Navigate through screens, change Video Settings, UI animation, Loading screens and more.

  3. Blueprints best practices and optimization:

    • What can cause unnecessary draw calls and impact performance

    • How to optimize UI elements to improve performance

    • How to avoid using Canvas Panel and what you should use instead

    • Clean, tidy and organized Blueprints for readability and performance

We are going to start from the very beginning with the design first, by learning the most important UI elements:

  • Layer hierarchy

  • Learn why you should never use Canvas Panel

  • Text

  • Button

  • Image

  • Progress Bar

  • Horizontal Box

  • Vertical Box

  • Spacer

  • Scroll Box

  • Overlay (most important)

  • Widget Switcher

  • Nesting

  • Responsive UI and Anchors

Next, we are going to learn Blueprints programming, slow paced and well explained:

  • Buttons: Hover/Unhover, Click Events, SFX and more

  • Navigating from one screen to another, BACK Buttons etc

  • Play videos and set to Loop or not

  • Add background music, Mute/Unmute functionality

  • UI animation for beginners

  • Create new Levels and open them

  • Applying best game settings

  • and much more.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Fundamentals for creating professional and game-ready main menus.
  • Ui animation for beginners: hover buttons, dialog boxes and more.
  • Optimization techniques and best practices that are not shown on youtube!
  • Responsive ui for all devices: mobile/tablet/pc/laptop/tv.
  • Nesting widgets (in depth explanations).
  • Import and play videos and background music in game.
  • Change the video settings in game.
  • Animated logo splash screen.
  • Game intro with video and a skip button.
  • Custom events, functions, variables, timers.

Syllabus

Introduction and Setup

Welcome to the Course!

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Create a new Project

  • Create a new Level

  • Assign the Main Menu in the Project Settings

Read more

We will download FREE Assets for commercial use:

  • Videos

  • Images

  • Icons

  • Music

  • Fonts

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to reduce the file size of images ( free )

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to convert MP3 to WAV files ( free )

Unreal Engine supports WAV files only!

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to import Assets to your Project

  • How to organize your Project files/folders

Widget Blueprint Fundamentals

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Create a Game Mode Blueprint

  • Assign Game Mode in Project Settings

  • Create a Widget Blueprint

  • Display Main Menu on the Screen

  • Show Mouse Cursor

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Layers work in Unreal

  • Fundamentals for TEXT element

  • How to change Font

  • Fundamentals for BUTTON element

  • How to add Text to the Button

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Add Main Menu Background

  • Add Image to Buttons

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Adding Progress Bar

  • How to create different styles of Progress Bars

Refresh your knowledge with a quick question(s).

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Horizontal/Vertical Boxes work

  • When you should use Horizontal/Vertical Boxes

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Spacers work

  • When you should use Spacers

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Scroll Box works

  • When you should use Scroll Box

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Overlays work

  • When you should use Overlays

  • Positioning elements inside Overlays

  • How to use Padding inside Overlays

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How Widget Switcher work

  • How to use Widget Switcher to select UI elements

In this lesson you will learn how to (very important lesson):

  • Add multiple Widgets within a Widget (nesting)

  • Multiple Widgets like Horizontal Box inside of Overlay etc

  • Dealing with a lot of items in the Hierarchy

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Add a Background image to the Main Menu

  • Create a responsive UI for ANY screen size (Mobile/Tablet/PC/TV)

  • Use Anchors to persist elements on a screen location

  • Use the important shortcut for Anchoring UI elements

  • Multiple testing your UI for EVERY screen size

UI Optimization (HIGHLY IMPORTANT)

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Why you should AVOID using Canvas Panel

  • What you should use instead of Canvas Panel

  • What is a "Draw call"?

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Why and How UI elements can impact game's performance

  • How to Optimize the UI to improve game's performance

  • How to reduce unnecessary draw calls

  • How changing  the UI visibility can impact performance

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Replacing the Canvas Panel with a better container

  • Creating a small mockup Menu

  • Positioning elements in the new container

  • Adding Background to the mockup Menu

Practical Assignment instructions.

In this lesson we will do the Practical Assignment.

You will learn Tips and Tricks for precise and faster design.

A brief reminder of what we've learned so far.

Creating Main Menu (Programming/Design)

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Create Main Menu Buttons Layout

  • Positioning the Layout on screen

  • Add a Background Image

In this lesson you will learn how to:

  • Create various Layout Designs in a few steps

  • Iterate and prototype multiple designs

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Programming with Blueprints

  • How to Start your game when Button is clicked

Refreshing your memory with brief questions.

With this mini-assignment you can:

  • Practice your design skills

  • Practice essential keyboard shortcuts

In this lesson you will learn:

  • Programming with Blueprints

  • How to Exit your game when Button is clicked

In this lesson you will:

  • Design the "Settings" Screen Layout

  • Test the Design to all screen sizes: Mobile/Laptop/PC/TV

In this lesson you will program the Game Settings:

  • You will learn how to use Custom Events

  • Switch between Main Menu and Settings Screen

  • Set Game Shadows Quality

  • Set Game Textures Quality

  • Set Game FPS (Frames Per Second)

  • Set Game Window/Fullscreen Mode

  • You will learn how to use Comments

  • Write clean and tidy Blueprints

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to create Functions

  • How to use and reuse Functions

  • How to Enable/Disable Buttons when Clicked

  • The difference between Custom Events and Functions

In this lesson you will:

  • Design the "Credits" Screen Layout

  • Switch between Main Menu and Credits Screen

In this lesson you will:

  • Design "Level Select" popup menu

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to Open/Close popup Menu

  • Create a New Level

  • Click and Select Level to start

  • Tidy up our code with Comments

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to import videos

  • How to set Video as a Background (programming)

  • How to set the video to Loop or not

  • Fix file path errors for Game Packaging

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to replace existing video

  • Organizing Videos in folders

Practical Task

In this lesson you will:

  • Add and Design Game name (text)

  • Adding Logo

  • Add copyright notice on screen

  • Adding Social Media Buttons (external links)

  • Adding Sound ON/OFF icons

In this lesson you will:

  • Add SFX when Hover a Button

  • Add Background Music

  • Toggle Background Music ON/OFF

  • Hide/Show Button when Hover/Unhover

  • Open External Links (social media or any links)

In this lesson you will create:

  • "Are you sure you want to quit?" Dialog Box

  • "YES" Quit Game. "NO" Back to Menu

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to Animate Buttons when Hovered/Unhovered

  • How to easily control the speed of the Animation

In this lesson you will learn:

  • How to Animate "Level Select" popup

  • Fix overlapping UI elements

Creating Splash Screen + Loading Screen

In this lesson you will create:

  • New Level

  • New Game Mode Blueprint

  • Assign Game Mode to Project Settings

  • Logo Splash Screen

  • Animated Fade In/Out Logo

  • Animation Sequencer Events Trigger

  • Start Game when animation ends

In this lesson you will:

  • Create Game Intro (Video)

  • Learn Custom Events with Timers

  • Start Game when Video ends (animated)

In this lesson you will:

  • Learn Custom Events with Timers

  • Enable/Disable Keyboard Events

  • Use Boolean Variable for True/False logic

  • "Press any key to skip" functionality

  • Start Game when Video ends/skipped (animated)

  • Reproducing and fixing bugs

In this lesson you will:

  • Add Game Intro Background Music

  • Fade Out Music when game starts

In this lesson you will:

  • Use Boolean Variable for True/False logic

  • Create new Widget Index test mockup

  • Choose to start the Game with Intro or Loading Screen

In this lesson you will:

  • Create Loading Screen with Progress Bar

  • Add Circular/Rectangle Loading Throbber

  • Learn Custom Events with Timers

  • Start Game when Loading finish

  • Apply Best Game Settings when game starts

In this lesson you will:

  • Collapse nodes to Functions

  • Clean up nodes for readability and perfomance

  • Fix bugs

  • Game Intro/Loading Screen final test

In this lesson we will go over the following:

  • Which Blueprints to Use/Not Use

  • Which UI elements you should never use

  • Optimizing UI elements

  • Optimization and best practices advice

Bonus Lecture

Useful links to help improve your skills and knowledge.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Covers widget blueprint fundamentals, which are essential for designing captivating, highly optimized, professional, and production-ready menus, making it a strong foundation for beginners
Explores optimization techniques and best practices that are not typically shown on YouTube, which can help developers improve the performance of their games
Teaches how to create responsive UIs that adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile, tablet, PC, laptop, and TV, which is crucial for reaching a wider audience
Develops Blueprint programming skills, including navigating through screens, changing video settings, UI animation, and loading screens, which are core skills for game development
Explains why Canvas Panels should be avoided and what to use instead, which can help developers create more efficient and performant UIs
Requires learners to download free assets for commercial use, such as videos, images, icons, music, and fonts, which may require additional storage space on their computers

Save this course

Save Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu to your list so you can find it easily later:
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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu with these activities:
Review Widget Blueprint Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of Widget Blueprints, which are fundamental to creating UI elements in Unreal Engine.
Show steps
  • Revisit the official Unreal Engine documentation on Widget Blueprints.
  • Create a simple Widget Blueprint with a button and text element.
  • Experiment with different layout containers like Horizontal and Vertical Boxes.
Read 'Unreal Engine 5 Cookbook'
Supplement your learning with a cookbook that provides practical solutions for UI development in Unreal Engine 5.
View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon
Show steps
  • Select relevant chapters on UI design and Blueprint scripting.
  • Follow the recipes and adapt them to your own projects.
  • Experiment with different techniques and approaches.
Practice Responsive UI Design
Solidify your ability to create responsive UIs that adapt to different screen sizes, a key skill taught in the course.
Show steps
  • Design a main menu layout that works well on both mobile and desktop screens.
  • Use anchors and scaling to ensure elements remain in the correct positions.
  • Test your UI on different resolutions and aspect ratios.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Document Your Main Menu Creation Process
Reinforce your understanding by creating a written or video tutorial explaining how you built your main menu.
Show steps
  • Record your screen while building a main menu from scratch.
  • Explain each step clearly and concisely.
  • Share your tutorial with other students or on online forums.
Create a Custom Main Menu for a Sample Game
Apply the knowledge gained in the course to build a complete main menu system for a small game project.
Show steps
  • Choose a simple game concept and gather necessary assets.
  • Design the main menu layout, including buttons, settings, and credits.
  • Implement the functionality for each button using Blueprint scripting.
  • Optimize the UI for performance and responsiveness.
Read 'Mastering Unreal Engine 5'
Expand your knowledge with a comprehensive guide to Unreal Engine 5, covering advanced UI and Blueprint topics.
View Master the Art of Unreal Engine 4 - Blueprints on Amazon
Show steps
  • Focus on chapters related to UI development and Blueprint optimization.
  • Try to implement some of the advanced techniques in your projects.
  • Use the book as a reference for troubleshooting and problem-solving.
Contribute to an Open-Source Unreal Engine Project
Gain practical experience by contributing to an open-source Unreal Engine project that involves UI development.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source Unreal Engine project on GitHub or GitLab.
  • Identify UI-related issues or features that you can contribute to.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.
  • Participate in code reviews and discussions.

Career center

Learners who complete Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Unreal Engine Developer
An Unreal Engine Developer specializes in using the Unreal Engine to create games and other interactive experiences. An Unreal Engine developer will need to know how to implement menus and user interfaces. This course provides specific training in creating main menus, which covers practical design and implementation details. The course also emphasizes best practices and optimization techniques that are not often shown on youtube. Developers who want to master menu creation in Unreal should take this course.
See salaries and explore the career path for Unreal Engine Developer
User Interface Designer
A User Interface Designer creates the visual layout of menus and other interactive elements for games. This course directly helps an aspiring User Interface Designer by teaching how to create main menus in Unreal Engine 5, using a variety of UI elements such as buttons, text, and progress bars. It emphasizes responsive design, ensuring menus look great on any device, a critical skill for any UI expert. The course also covers UI optimization which is essential for creating performant user interfaces. Any designer who wants to build production-level user interfaces should take this class.
See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Designer
Technical Artist
A Technical Artist bridges the gap between art and programming, often implementing visual elements within game engines. This course directly relates to that work by providing instruction in creating interactive main menus with the Unreal Engine. The course's explanation of visual elements, such as buttons and text, is helpful for a technical artist. Additionally, the course's attention to responsive design helps Technical Artists create interfaces that work correctly in many different contexts. Anyone who wishes to work as a technical artist should take this class.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Artist
Game Programmer
A Game Programmer writes the code that makes a video game function, and this may include the user interface. Creating menus within Unreal Engine is a very useful skill for any programmer in the game industry. This course offers instruction in using Blueprints to create menus along with best practices for optimization. The course's attention to Blueprint programming and UI animation is particularly relevant to a Game Programmer. Any programmer who wishes to work in the game field should take this course.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Programmer
Game Designer
A Game Designer is responsible for the overall design of a video game, including the user experience and player flow. This course may be useful for a Game Designer because it helps them understand how to create an intuitive and engaging user experience by focusing on main menu creation, a key component of any game. The course's emphasis on responsive design and UI optimization can help a Game Designer create a seamless experience for the player. Understanding what makes an effective main menu is essential knowledge for those who wish to be a game designer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Designer
Game Developer
A Game Developer works with the programming and technical aspects of video game creation. This course may be useful for a Game Developer because it covers the Blueprint visual scripting system in Unreal Engine to create interactive menus. This can help a Game Developer create a smooth and professional main menu. The course's coverage of performance optimization and best practices could be helpful as well. A Game Developer may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Game Developer
User Experience Designer
A User Experience Designer focuses on the usability and overall experience of a product. While User Experience Design is a broad field, this course will help an aspiring UX designer by focusing on the creation of main menus. The course emphasizes responsive design and the fundamentals of user interface, which is a core skill of a User Experience Designer. The knowledge of menu design and navigation will be useful for anyone interested in designing effective interactive experiences. This course may be helpful to a User Experience Designer.
See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Designer
Interaction Designer
An Interaction Designer focuses on the way users engage with a product or system. This course may be useful to an aspiring interactive designer because it covers main menu creation, which is a core component of user interaction in a game. The course covers responsive design, which is important for ensuring that menus work seamlessly across different devices. The course's focus on Blueprint programming and UI animation may be helpful as well. An interaction designer may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Interaction Designer
Software Developer
A Software Developer creates a variety of applications, and this might include a user interface. Although this course is specifically focused on games, many of the core principles, such as visual layout and user navigation, apply to general software development. The course's discussion of responsive design and optimization are extremely relevant for all software developers. A software developer may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer
Visual Effects Artist
A Visual Effects Artist creates special effects for games and movies. Although the focus of this course is on main menu creation, there are some relevant skills for the Visual Effects Artist. The course includes user interface animation and implementation of animated visual elements. Therefore, some of the skills taught in this course are useful, especially if the visual effects artist is working with in game menus. A visual effects artist may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Effects Artist
Multimedia Artist
A Multimedia Artist creates graphics, animations, and other forms of visual content. While this course centers on creating main menus, the course's discussion of visual elements, such as text and images, may be useful for a Multimedia Artist. The course's focus on UI animation may be relevant as well. A multimedia artist may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Multimedia Artist
Motion Graphics Artist
A Motion Graphics Artist creates animated graphic elements for various media, which can include video games. Although the primary focus of this course is menu creation, the course's instruction in UI animation, such as hover effects and transitions, has some overlap with the work of a motion graphics artist. This course may be helpful to a motion graphics artist who may want to create graphical elements in games.
See salaries and explore the career path for Motion Graphics Artist
Project Manager
A Project Manager is responsible for managing projects from start to finish. While this course doesn't involve project management directly, understanding the components of game development may be helpful for a project manager. The course's focus on the main menu might provide insight into an important part of the game creation process. A project manager may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager
Quality Assurance Tester
A Quality Assurance Tester is responsible for ensuring a game works correctly. This course may be helpful since it covers main menu design and implementation with a focus on cross-platform compatibility. The course's emphasis on responsive design and menu optimization may be relevant to a quality assurance tester. A quality assurance tester who wishes to better understand game design may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Quality Assurance Tester
Instructional Designer
An Instructional Designer creates learning material. Although this course does not directly relate to that field, an instructional designer may need to understand how software works, and this course offers some training towards creating video game software. The course's emphasis on practical, hands-on instruction may also be useful. An instructional designer who wishes to gain experience in game development may find this course useful.
See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer

Featured in The Course Notes

This course is mentioned in our blog, The Course Notes. Read one article that features Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu:
Game Development: The Complete Learning Roadmap
62 minute read

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu.
Cover image
Putting Knowledge to Work
Save
This cookbook provides practical solutions and recipes for common Unreal Engine 5 tasks. It covers a wide range of topics, including UI design and Blueprint scripting, which are directly relevant to this course. The book offers step-by-step instructions and code examples to help you quickly implement features in your projects. It valuable resource for both beginners and experienced Unreal Engine developers.
Putting Knowledge to Work
Paperback
Check
Putting Knowledge to Work
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Master the Art of Unreal Engine 4 - Blueprints
Save
Offers a comprehensive guide to Unreal Engine 5, covering advanced topics and techniques. While it may be more valuable as additional reading, it provides a deeper understanding of the engine's capabilities. It can be particularly helpful for those looking to expand their knowledge beyond the basics covered in the course. It is commonly used by industry professionals.
Master the Art of Unreal Engine 4 - Blueprints
Paperback
Check
Master the Art of Unreal Engine 4 - Blueprints
Kindle Edition
Check

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Effort
9.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Vlatko Chankulovski
Language
English
Good to know
Covers widget blueprint fundamentals, which are essential for designing captivating, highly optimized, professional, and production-ready menus, making it a strong foundation for beginners
Explores optimization techniques and best practices that are not typically shown on YouTube, which can help developers improve the performance of their games
Teaches how to create responsive UIs that adapt to different screen sizes, including mobile, tablet, PC, laptop, and TV, which is crucial for reaching a wider audience
Develops Blueprint programming skills, including navigating through screens, changing video settings, UI animation, and loading screens, which are core skills for game development
Explains why Canvas Panels should be avoided and what to use instead, which can help developers create more efficient and performant UIs
Requires learners to download free assets for commercial use, such as videos, images, icons, music, and fonts, which may require additional storage space on their computers
Featured in The Course Notes
Read one article that features this course, Unreal Engine 5: Creating Main Menu from our blog, The Course Notes:
Game Development: The Complete Learning Roadmap
62 minute read
Share and help others discover this course.
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