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James Yates

Getting Started with Blueprints

In this course we will be starting with the basics like what blueprints are and how to navigate the blueprint editor in Unreal Engine 5, right though to creating game play systems and learning how to use many of the main features of blueprints as well as how to setup widgets and animation blueprints.

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Getting Started with Blueprints

In this course we will be starting with the basics like what blueprints are and how to navigate the blueprint editor in Unreal Engine 5, right though to creating game play systems and learning how to use many of the main features of blueprints as well as how to setup widgets and animation blueprints.

The goal of this course is to provide you with useful information and knowledge so that your able to plan and create your own gameplay systems in your future projects as well as read other peoples blueprints which can really help speed up the learning process. No previous programming knowledge required.

What will you learn?

  • What are blueprints

  • How to navigate the Unreal Engine 5 blueprint UI

  • What variables are and how to use them

  • How to use variable's most commonly used nodes

  • How to use functions, macros and events to keep your project clean and efficient

  • The differences between blueprints types such as characters, game modes and actors

  • Blueprint communication including casting, interfaces and event dispatchers

  • How arrays work and how to change them during gameplay

  • How to setup player inputs including the new Enhanced Inputs

  • The fundamentals of animation blueprints

  • How to create and setup widget UI on a players screens

  • How to change widget layouts and bind them to variables and functions

  • How to make a health, interaction, respawn and damage gameplay systems

  • Spawning actors, particles and sound effects including the new MetaSounds

  • Code organization

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • How to navigate the unreal engine 5 blueprint editor ui
  • What variables are and how they are used in coding
  • How and when to use functions, events and macros
  • The different ways blueprints communicate
  • How to navigate the widget designer ui
  • Create and set up widgets for the players hud
  • How to create some commonly used gameplay systems
  • How the animation blueprint works

Syllabus

In this section we will be going over how to navigate the blueprint UI, how to create new blueprints and how nodes execute to create functionality.
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This is a brief explanation of what blueprints are and how they can be used.

In this lesson we will go though the different ways to create blueprints as well as how to navigate the blueprint editor UI.

In this lesson we will go though how nodes are run in blueprints and the general layout of how we setup blueprints code chains.

Here we will learn what a variable is and what their used for in game development.

Booleans (Or bool for shot) are variables that store a true or false value, in this lesson we take a look at how to use them and some of the nodes most commonly used with Booleans.

Floats are variables that store a number value, this value can contain a number that is a fraction of a whole number so for example 1.5 is a value that would be stored as a float. In this lesson we take a look at how to use them and some of the nodes most commonly used with Floats.

Integers (or Int for short) are variables that store a number value, this value must be a whole number and not contain a decimal point. In this lesson we take a look at how to use them and some of the nodes most commonly used with Integers.

Name, Text and String variables are different types of variable that store text values, each has a different purpose and we will cover those in this lesson.

Vectors, Rotators and Transforms are used to specify something position in 3D space. In this lesson we will cover how to use these values and some of the functions that use them.

Actors and object reference variables are how we specific which object in the world we effect. If you want to move a cube but you have 100 cubes in your level you need to have an actor variable that stores a references to the specific cube that you want to move. In this lesson we will go into detail about how this works and how to use the built in nodes that can be used with actor and object reference variables.

Array variables are a way of store multiple variable values in a single variables node. They allow use to then go though all the values stored in them to retrieve that information. In this video we will cover how to create an array using any variable type and how to loop though the values it stores.

Functions are used to create reusable self contained pieces of code that can be changed once to effect all the instances of the function. In this lesson we will go though some examples of how this would be useful as well as how to create new functions.

Macros similar to functions are used to create reusable pieces of code that can be changed once to effect all the instances of the Macro. In this lesson we will go though why sometimes you will want to use a macro and sometimes you will want to use a function, we will also go though creating a macro and some of its possible uses.

Structs are variables that can contains multiple different variables types inside it like for example a struct could contain a Boolean, Vector and Name variables inside one struct variable type.

Enum variables give us a user friendly way to create lists of pre defined options that can be selected in a variable.

Events are used to call nodes connected to a new chain of code. The engine includes many types of events that are run when a specific action happens like for example the Destroyed Event will run on an actor when its has been called to be destroyed, any code connected to that Destroyed event will run. In this lesson we will cover some of the common engine events as well as how to create your own.

Blueprints inheritance allows blueprints to retain the functions, variables and events from there parent blueprint but allows them to add new code without effecting the parent blueprint or event override the parents code to perform a different action without changing the parents code.

Casting is one of the ways blueprints can communicate with each other, if we know which type of actor an actor reference is we can cast to that actors type and gain access to its variables, functions and events. In this lesson we will be learning how to cast and when casting is possible.

Events dispatchers allow us to call and event on a blueprint object and have any events bound to the event call run, this can allow us to call events on many actors without having to specify to each actor to run the event.

Interfaces allow us to try and call events on actors without having to cast to the actor. If the event exist on the actor then it will be called, if it doesn't exist then the call is ignored and fails silently. In this lesson we will cover how this is a very useful system.

Components are blueprints that can be added to actors to add additional functionality, for example the ability to have a static mesh in an actor is done though using the Static Mesh component. In this lesson I will show you how to add new components as well as create your own components.

Player controllers are the representation of the player in the game, we use the controller to give instructions to the players characters.

Game modes are used to tell the engine what player controller, map or pawn blueprints we want to use. They also contain a number of built in useful events that can be helpful in managing whats happening in your game.

Utility nodes are used to control which code in your blueprints get run as well as help keep your code clean and easy to read.

Game instances are a type of blueprint that are created when your game start and exist until the game is closed.

Traces are used to get if an object is between the start and end location, using this we can get information about the object the traces hits when checking between the start and end location.

Data tables are used to store read only data that can be accessed during gameplay. They use structs to determine what information is stored in the data table.

These are nodes that can check a location and radius for actors or components.

Input events are how we run code when a player presses a key on there keyboard, moves there mouse or moves a analogue stick.

Enhanced inputs are a new UE5 feature that takes player input such as button presses, mouse movement or gamepad input and allows us to run code when this happens.

Tags give us an easy way to add additional meta data to an actor that we can use to help specify what and actor is or does without having to cast to its blueprint type.

In this lesson we will cover how to spawn new actors into a level. This is when we create a new actor in the level during game play instead of placing it in the level as the level designer.

In this lesson you will learn some helpful techniques to keep your project organized.

Blueprints have some very powerful debugging tools that can help you find and fix issues in your code. In this lesson we will cover those tools and how you can use them.

We can use timelines to output a value like a float or vector over a set amount of time to get a smooth transition between the start and end values. These are be used to move things with a smooth transition.

Sockets can be added to static or skeletal meshes and are used to attach other objects to the mesh. In this lesson will we cover how to create sockets and attach and detach objects to them.

The movement component is a component built in the engine that comes as part of the character blueprint type, we can use it to control character movement type, speed and general movement setting for out characters.

In this lesson we will learn how to spawn sounds effects. We will cover both the Audio Cue and the new UE5 MetaSounds system in the lesson.

In this lesson we will cover how to spawn Niagara particle effects using blueprints.

Widgets are used to add UI elements to your players screen, these can be used to display information and can also allow player input.

In this lesson you will learn the basics of how to control the layout (appearance) of a widget.

In this lesson we will cover how to create new widgets and add them to the screen.

Widget binding are used to attach a property of a widget to a variable or function, this allows the widget to change when the bound variable changes or when the output of the bound function changes.

Borders, Overlays and Grids are some of the most commonly used widget types and we will cover how to use them in this lesson to change the layouts of your widgets.

In this lesson we will cover how to setup widget drag and dropping, this allows your to transfer info from the widget you dragged on to the widget you drop the drag on.

In this lesson you will learn what animation blueprint are, what they are used for and how to navigate the animation blueprint UI.

Montages are used to tell the animation blueprint that we want an animation to be played. In this lesson we will cover what a montage is, how to create one and setup the code to make the montage play when you press a button.

Blend nodes are used to combine multiple animations together or switch between different animation in the animation blueprints, in this lesson we will learn about a few of these nodes and how you can control them in with blueprint code.

Animation notifys are used to spawn sounds, particle effects or run a event at a specific time in animations.

Animation States are one of the ways used to control which animation we want the animation blueprint to play.

Blend spaces allow use to input values like speed or direction and have it output a animation depending on those values and are often used for movement animations.

Aim Offsets similarly to blend spaces allow use to input values like pitch and yaw directions and have it output a animation depending on those values and are often used for controlling the direction character is looking using the aim offsets animations.

Curves and metadata allow us to add additional information to animations and montages that can be read inside the animation blueprint.

In this lesson we will create an interaction system, putting to use the things we have learnt about like interfaces, traces and input events.

In this lesson we will create a damage system using actor spawning, hit events and input events.

In this lesson we will setup a health bar widget using a progress bar and widget property binding.

In this lesson we will setup a respawn system, we will create a death screen using widget and run code using a button. We will also possess a new spawned in character.

In this lesson we will setup crouch idle and crouch movement states in our animation blueprint using blend spaces and the movement component.

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Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Provides a comprehensive introduction to Blueprints, Unreal Engine 5's visual scripting system, making it accessible for individuals without a traditional coding background
Covers essential topics such as UI navigation, variable usage, and basic blueprint types, which are fundamental for anyone starting with Unreal Engine 5
Focuses on practical application by teaching how to create gameplay systems like health, interaction, and damage, enabling designers to quickly prototype game mechanics
Explores the new Enhanced Input system and MetaSounds, which are recent additions to Unreal Engine 5, giving learners exposure to cutting-edge features
Teaches code organization techniques, which are essential for maintaining clean and manageable projects as games become more complex
Requires familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 interface, which may pose a challenge for absolute beginners who have never used the engine before

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Reviews summary

Beginner's practical introduction to ue5 blueprints

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation to get started with Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints. Students praise the clear explanations and practical, hands-on approach, finding the pace suitable for beginners with no prior coding experience. The course covers a range of essential topics including variables, functions, communication methods, UI widgets, and basic gameplay systems like health and interaction. While many appreciate the step-by-step guidance and ability to build simple projects, a few reviews note that keeping up with UE5 updates can sometimes lead to minor discrepancies, suggesting the instructor has worked to keep content current where possible.
Minor differences may appear due to software updates.
"Sometimes things look slightly different due to UE5 updates, but it's manageable."
"Occasional minor differences from the video due to engine versions, but the core concepts remain the same."
"Had to figure out a few small changes in the UI because of new UE5 updates."
"While mostly current, a few nodes or interfaces have changed slightly since the videos were made."
"The instructor seems to update content, which is helpful, but minor versioning issues can still pop up."
Course pace is appropriate for a beginner audience.
"The pace is just right for a beginner, not too fast, not too slow."
"I could easily follow along and understand everything without feeling rushed."
"Found the pacing to be perfect for learning at my own speed."
"The lessons are bite-sized and easy to digest at the given pace."
"Good speed for absorbing new information without getting overwhelmed."
Explains essential Blueprint concepts and systems.
"Covers all the fundamental blueprint topics you need to know."
"Learned about variables, functions, events, and communication which are crucial."
"The sections on UI widgets and animation blueprints were very helpful."
"Good coverage of core concepts like casting, interfaces, and event dispatchers."
"Provides a good overview of different blueprint types like characters and game modes."
Strong emphasis on practical application and project building.
"The practical examples and small projects help solidify the concepts learned."
"I appreciated the hands-on approach, building actual gameplay systems."
"Putting what you learn into actual code in the lessons is really helpful."
"Loved the practical application throughout the course, really helped me learn by doing."
"The course is very practical, focusing on building things you can actually use."
Excellent for absolute beginners in UE5 Blueprints.
"Perfect for someone just starting out with Unreal Engine and Blueprints."
"As a complete beginner, I found this course to be a fantastic introduction."
"This course gave me the necessary knowledge to start experimenting on my own."
"Great course for getting a solid start in UE5 Blueprints, especially if you have zero prior knowledge."
"Provided a great foundation to build upon for future projects."
Course explanations are easy to follow for beginners.
"Everything is clearly explained and easy to follow."
"The explanations are very clear, especially for someone with no prior programming experience."
"I found the instructor's method of explaining concepts to be very clear and concise, making complex ideas understandable."
"Course explains what it needs to do, well, and without any nonsense."
"The instructor breaks down complicated concepts into easy-to-digest lessons."

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 : Getting Started with Blueprints with these activities:
Review Blueprint Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of Blueprint fundamentals before diving into more complex systems. This will make grasping new concepts easier.
Show steps
  • Review the basics of visual scripting in Unreal Engine.
  • Practice creating simple interactions using Blueprint nodes.
  • Familiarize yourself with common Blueprint data types.
Read 'Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5'
Supplement your learning with a dedicated book on Blueprints. This will provide a more in-depth understanding of the system.
Show steps
  • Obtain a copy of 'Blueprints Visual Scripting for Unreal Engine 5'.
  • Read the chapters relevant to the course syllabus.
  • Experiment with the examples provided in the book.
Unreal Engine 5 Cookbook
Use this cookbook as a reference for specific Blueprint challenges you encounter. It offers practical solutions and code examples.
Show steps
  • Acquire a copy of the 'Unreal Engine 5 Cookbook'.
  • Browse the table of contents for relevant topics.
  • Implement the solutions provided in the book.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Blueprint Tutorial Video
Deepen your understanding by creating a tutorial video on a specific Blueprint topic. Teaching others is a great way to reinforce your own knowledge.
Show steps
  • Choose a Blueprint topic covered in the course.
  • Plan the structure and content of your tutorial.
  • Record a video demonstrating the concept.
  • Edit the video and add clear explanations.
Blueprint Debugging Challenges
Sharpen your debugging skills by tackling common Blueprint errors. This will improve your ability to troubleshoot your own projects.
Show steps
  • Find and fix errors in pre-made Blueprint scripts.
  • Analyze the output logs to identify the source of the problems.
  • Use breakpoints and watch variables to track the flow of execution.
Create a Simple Inventory System
Apply your knowledge by building a practical inventory system. This will solidify your understanding of variables, arrays, and UI elements.
Show steps
  • Design the data structure for storing inventory items.
  • Implement the logic for adding and removing items.
  • Create a widget to display the inventory to the player.
  • Add functionality to equip and use items.
Contribute to a Blueprint Plugin
Enhance your skills by contributing to an open-source Blueprint plugin. This will expose you to real-world development practices and collaboration.
Show steps
  • Find an open-source Blueprint plugin project on GitHub.
  • Identify a bug or feature to work on.
  • Fork the repository and make your changes.
  • Submit a pull request with your contributions.

Career center

Learners who complete Unreal Engine 5 : Getting Started with Blueprints will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Unreal Engine Developer
An Unreal Engine Developer creates and implements gameplay mechanics, systems, and features within the Unreal Engine. This course aims to have you build the foundation to start building interactive experiences. The course gives an overview of many of the essential components of game development, including widgets, animation blueprints, and player input. The course's exploration of different blueprint types such as characters, game modes, and actors will be indispensable. A deep understanding of Unreal Engine Blueprints is essential for anyone hoping to work as an Unreal Engine Developer.
Game Designer
A Game Designer conceptualizes and designs the mechanics, rules, and overall gameplay experience. This course, centered on Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints, directly relates to the design process by empowering you to prototype and implement game mechanics without extensive coding. You can leverage your developing ability to use functions, macros, and events in order to keep your project clean and efficient. The course's coverage of interaction, damage, and health systems further gives you the ability to build gameplay components and learn how they function from the ground up. Someone interested in becoming a Game Designer may find this course especially helpful.
Gameplay Programmer
A Gameplay Programmer specializes in implementing the rules, mechanics, and interactive elements of a game. This course helps build a solid foundation in Unreal Engine Blueprints, allowing you to rapidly prototype and iterate on gameplay ideas. The course's content can help you implement features such as health, interaction, respawn, and damage gameplay systems. With your potential career as a Gameplay Programmer in mind, the course emphasizes code organization, which can help lead to success.
Technical Artist
A Technical Artist bridges the gap between artists and programmers, optimizing art assets for performance and implementing art-related features. As a Technical Artist, you will draw upon your understanding of blueprints to implement visual effects, animation systems, and interactive elements. Through the use of actor spawning, particle effects, and metahuman sounds, one can ensure that a project looks and feels AAA quality. This course's modules on widgets, the widget designer UI, and animation blueprints can help solidify concepts that every Technical Artist should know. The blueprint communication skills that arise with the use of casting, interfaces, and event dispatchers would also be helpful.
Indie Game Developer
An Indie Game Developer works independently or in a small team to create and publish their own games. This course can serve as a springboard for indie development, providing you with the necessary skills to bring your creative visions to life in Unreal Engine. You can learn how to begin navigating the Unreal Engine 5 blueprint UI, create functions, macros, events and keep your project clean and efficient. The course's insights into creating gameplay systems and user interfaces are applicable to nearly any type of game. For someone on the path to becoming an Indie Game Developer, this course may be useful.
Virtual Reality Developer
A Virtual Reality Developer designs and develops immersive experiences for virtual reality platforms. As a Virtual Reality Developer, you'll be heavily involved in designing interactive elements and player interfaces. The course's modules on player inputs, the new Enhanced Inputs, creating widgets, and setting up widget UI on players' screens would be helpful. The skills taught in this course directly translate to VR development, where creating intuitive and engaging user experiences is paramount. This course may be useful for anyone looking to become a Virtual Reality Developer.
Simulation Developer
Simulation Developers design and build virtual environments for training, research, and testing purposes. This course directly applies to this field, providing the skills to create interactive and realistic simulations using Unreal Engine Blueprints. You can leverage the course content to build realistic simulations, create health, interaction, respawn, and damage gameplay systems, and change widget layouts and bind them to variables and functions. This course may be helpful for someone hoping to become a Simulation Developer.
Level Designer
A Level Designer creates engaging and immersive environments for players to explore. This course helps create interactive elements and script events within levels using Blueprints. You can create interactive environments by learning to spawn actors, particles, and sound effects, as well as create health, interaction, respawn, and damage gameplay systems. The course's content on player inputs, enhanced inputs, and creating widgets can help you make levels that are intuitive and fun to play. This may be a helpful course for someone who wishes to become a Level Designer.
Serious Games Developer
A Serious Games Developer creates games with purposes beyond entertainment, such as education, training, or healthcare. This course may be useful by teaching you to develop interactive and engaging experiences that can be used for a variety of purposes. You can create educational games that teach players about science, history, or math by utilizing arrays, making some commonly used gameplay systems, spawning actors, particles and sound effects, and setting up widget UI. Learning the fundamentals of animation blueprints can also allow you to create effective simulations for professionals.
Augmented Reality Developer
An Augmented Reality Developer creates interactive experiences that overlay digital content onto the real world. Augmented reality applications often require intuitive user interfaces and responsive interactions, making this course's lessons on widgets, player input, and blueprint communication beneficial. The ability to spawn actors, particles, and sound effects dynamically is crucial for creating compelling AR experiences. This course may be useful for those seeking to become an Augmented Reality Developer.
Interactive Installation Artist
An Interactive Installation Artist creates art installations that respond to audience input and participation. This course relates to this by offering the skills to bring interactive elements to life in a physical space using Unreal Engine. The ability to use arrays, variables, functions, macros and events to keep your project clean and efficient can allow for more responsive installations. The knowledge of how to setup player inputs including the new Enhanced Inputs, create widgets, and setup widget UI can also be helpful. For those wanting to become an Interactive Installation Artist, this course may be useful.
Animator
An Animator creates the movement and visual performance of characters and objects in games. This course may be useful for animators by offering insight into the technical aspects of implementing animations within Unreal Engine. The course provides the fundamentals of animation blueprints, helping animators understand how their work is integrated into the game. You can streamline the setup of animation blueprints by developing the ability to utilize variables and functions, and set up player inputs including the new Enhanced Inputs.
Architectural Visualization Specialist
An Architectural Visualization Specialist creates realistic and interactive renderings of architectural designs. This course can help enhance architectural visualizations by adding interactive elements and dynamic effects. The ability to easily create widget UI on players' screens, change widget layouts and bind them to variables and functions, and spawn actors, particles and sound effects may be useful. The course's focus on creating gameplay systems can be adapted to create interactive architectural presentations. This course may be valuable for someone who wants to become an Architectural Visualization Specialist.
Motion Graphics Designer
A Motion Graphics Designer creates animated visuals for various media, including games, film, and advertising. This course may be useful by providing you with the tools to create dynamic and interactive motion graphics within Unreal Engine. You can create moving UI elements, animated logos, and interactive presentations by learning to navigate the widget designer UI, create widgets for the players HUD, and change widget layouts. The course may be a fit for someone hoping to become a Motion Graphics Designer.
Product Visualization Specialist
A Product Visualization Specialist creates realistic and interactive visualizations of products for marketing and sales purposes. This course may be useful for creating compelling product demonstrations and interactive experiences. The knowledge of how to spawn actors, particles and sound effects including the new MetaSounds, change widget layouts, bind them to variables and functions, and make a health, interaction, respawn and damage gameplay systems may be useful. The course's knowledge of creating some commonly used gameplay systems may also be helpful. This course may be a fit for someone hoping to become a Product Visualization Specialist.

Reading list

We've selected one 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 : Getting Started with Blueprints.
Provides a comprehensive guide to using Blueprints in Unreal Engine 5. It covers a wide range of topics, from basic concepts to advanced techniques. It serves as a valuable reference for understanding the intricacies of Blueprint visual scripting. This book is commonly used by both beginners and experienced developers.

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