
Start with Unreal Engine basics, master core features, lighting and atmosphere, materials, blueprint code, and event-driven animation to build a cave scene and a final cinematic.
Epic Launcher
The Epic Games Launcher is a digital distribution platform developed by Epic Games, primarily known for downloading and managing games from the Epic Games Store, such as Fortnite and Rocket League.
Additionally, it serves as the main hub for developers to access the Unreal Engine. As a developer, you will primarily use the Epic Games Launcher to download, install, and update the Unreal Engine, as well as access various resources and tools to aid in your game development journey.
Note: If you have already signed up and have the Epic Launcher installed you can mark this as complete and move to the next topic.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Download and Install the Epic Launcher
Step 1: Download the Installer
Go to the Epic Games website. Please use a search engine of your choosing as Udemy restricts URL sharing.
A simple search for something like "Download Unreal Engine" should put you in the correct place.
Click on the "Get Epic Games" button in the top right corner of the screen.
Click on the "Download for Windows" button to download the Epic Launcher installer.
Step 2: Install the Epic Launcher
Once the download is complete, locate the installer file in your Downloads folder or wherever your browser saves downloaded files.
Double-click the installer file to run it.
Follow the prompts in the installer to install the Epic Launcher on your computer.
Step 3: Login and Start Using the Epic Launcher
Once the installation is complete, launch the Epic Launcher from your desktop or Start menu.
Log in to your Epic account using your email address and password.
Explore the Epic launcher layout, focusing on the store, separate libraries, the Unreal Engine tab for development assets, samples, and the marketplace’s free packs.
Install and manage Unreal Engine versions via the Epic Games Launcher, navigate the library tab, choose stable vs preview builds, and save space by keeping templates and removing starter content.
Explore core features of the Unreal Engine editor, including the viewport, outliner, details panel, and content drawer. Optimize performance by turning off real-time and adjusting engine scalability for your project.
Navigate the Unreal Engine editor viewport with pan, zoom, orbit, and fly-through controls, then master move, rotate, and scale tools in world or local coordinates.
Explore importing assets from the unreal engine marketplace, including permanently free items, and add them to your project, while learning asset organization (meshes, textures, maps, vfx) and plugin management.
Learn how to import Quixel Megascans into Unreal Engine via the Megascans Bridge plugin, sign in with your Epic account, search and download assets, and add them to your level.
Create a texture based material in Unreal Engine 5 using a PBR pipeline, connecting albedo and normal maps and adjusting metallic, specular, and roughness.
Create reusable material instances from a base material by parameterizing color, metallic, roughness, and emissive properties. Explore live updates, runtime control, and performance benefits of instancing for faster iteration.
Create a dedicated asset holder project to manage megascans assets and migrate only what's needed into your main ue5 project, using instanced meshes for efficiency.
Create an empty level, switch to landscape mode, and generate a terrain for testing assets. Sculpt with brushes, adjust strength and falloff, and paint the main map.
Create a base landscape material in Unreal and layer textures with landscape layer blend for sand, rocks, and pebbles. Control tiling with texture coordinates for realistic terrain.
Expose a uniform UV scale as a scalar parameter and route it with a named reroute node across sand layers; use a material instance for live updates on the landscape.
Enable the experimental water plugin in UE5, add an ocean water body, adjust height and waves, and tweak the water material in a live material instance.
Design a cave-backed island scene in UE5 by placing rock assets, duplicating and flipping them to build a cohesive backdrop using instanced meshes and Megascans.
Craft a cave-level design in UE5 by shaping the core form, hiding obvious geometry, and balancing lighting with shadows, god rays, and water features to create engaging silhouettes and atmosphere.
Explore the landscape painting tool to layer sand and pebbles along shorelines, adjust terrain with painting layers and brush settings, and refine edges with scree and static meshes.
Use the foliage tool to paint rocks, moss, ivy, and climbers across cave floors and walls, adjusting density, scaling, and alignment with 3D assets and shared materials.
Polish the scene with mossy rocks, background trees, and a cave wall using Quixel assets to create a damp, atmospheric environment; apply a simple blueprint to reveal lanterns and fire.
Learn to migrate level assets from a test environment to a core Unreal project, prep landscapes, props, and Niagara effects, and align plugins and lighting for a seamless transfer.
Learn to adjust a Niagara flame particle and embers by tweaking emitter basics, spawn rate, color, lifetime, and sprite size, then preview results in the editor and prepare reusable blueprints.
Create a lantern blueprint in UE5 by replacing static meshes with a BP lantern, integrating Niagara particles and a light component, and wiring door animation logic in the event graph.
Create a cave door blueprint by converting a static mesh into an actor, adjusting components, and using scene and billboard visuals to help locate it in the world.
Master lantern functionality by toggling the point light and Niagara particle at runtime with blueprints, using begin play, event graph, and a custom event triggered by Sequencer.
Learn to create a flame pickup in UE5 with a blueprint class and sphere collider, using overlap to let the player collect the flame and light lanterns.
Explore a lantern challenge in Unreal Engine blueprints: light lanterns only when the torch is held, using overlap checks, casting to the first person character, and door interaction.
Unlock the power of Unreal Engine with this comprehensive beginner’s course. Designed specifically for those new to game development, this course guides you through every step, from installing the engine to creating fully interactive levels. Unlike traditional tutorials that simply ask you to follow along, our unique approach includes practical exercises and challenges to reinforce your learning. This ensures you not only understand the ‘how’ but also the ‘why’ behind each step.
Throughout the course, you’ll explore the core features of Unreal Engine, gaining hands-on experience with its powerful tools. You’ll start by learning how to install and set up the engine, then move on to creating and customizing your own levels. Each module is designed to build on the previous one, gradually increasing in complexity to help you develop a solid foundation in game development.
One of the standout features of this course is the inclusion of interactive exercises and challenges. These are designed to test your understanding and help you apply what you’ve learned in a practical context. By the end of the course, you’ll have created a fully interactive level, complete with custom elements and features.
Whether you’re looking to start a career in game development or simply want to explore a new hobby, this course provides the perfect introduction to Unreal Engine. With clear, step-by-step instructions and plenty of opportunities for hands-on practice, you’ll gain the skills and confidence needed to create your own custom levels. Join us today and take the first step on your game development journey!