Key Features

• A straightforward and easy-to-follow format
• A selection of the most important tasks and problems
• Carefully organized instructions to solve problems efficiently
• Clear explanations of what you did
• Solutions that can be applied to solve real-world problems

Book Description

Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) is a complete suite of game development tools made by game developers, for game developers. With more than 100 practical recipes, this book is a guide showcasing techniques to use the power of C++ scripting while developing games with UE4. It will start with adding and editing C++ classes from within the Unreal Editor. It will delve into one of Unreal's primary strengths, the ability for designers to customize programmer-developed actors and components. It will help you understand the benefits of when and how to use C++ as the scripting tool. With a blend of task-oriented recipes, this book will provide actionable information about scripting games with UE4, and manipulating the game and the development environment using C++. Towards the end of the book, you will be empowered to become a top-notch developer with Unreal Engine 4 using C++ as the scripting language.

What you will learn

• Build function libraries (Blueprints) containing reusable code to reduce upkeep
• Move low-level functions from Blueprint into C++ to improve performance
• Abstract away complex implementation details to simplify designer workflows
• Incorporate existing libraries into your game to add extra functionality such as hardware integration
• Implement AI tasks and behaviors in Blueprints and C++
• Generate data to control the appearance and content of UI elements

About the Author

William Sherif is a C++ programmer with more than eight years of experience in the programming world, ranging from game programming to web programming. He also worked as a university course instructor (sessional) for seven years. Additionally, he released several apps on the iTunes store, including Strum and MARSHALL OF THE ELITE SQUADRON. In the past, he has won acclaim for delivering course material in an easy-to-understand manner.

Stephen Whittle is a game developer and educator with nearly 10 years of development experience, most of which has been done using Unreal Engine. He is a community contributor to the engine, with features or bug fixes included in almost every major version of the engine since its public release.

Table of Contents

1. UE4 Development Tools
2. Creating Classes
3. Memory Management and Smart Pointers
4. Actors and Components
5. Handling Events and Delegates
6. Input and Collision
7. Communication between Classes and Interfaces
8. Integrating C++ and the Unreal Editor
9. User Interfaces – UI and UMG
10. AI for Controlling NPCs
11. Custom Materials and Shaders
12. Working with UE4 APIs