As a matter of practicality reviewing the History of the Unreal Engine will assist the reader in understanding fundamental concepts and terminology used in the preceding chapters. Additionally it will serve as a primer on the most recent developments and technology that have defined the Video Games industry. Enjoy!
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1071530p1.html
Statement of Purpose
This blog is meant to serve as an introduction and reference to UDK. While it utilizing the comprehensive documentation found on UDN ( the Unreal Development Network ) it also refers to other sources, which have been tested and verified. While UDN provides a wealth of resources on the UDK engine it is sometimes incomplete or in some instances dated ( and in some rarer cases erroneous ). Therefore when necessary this document will provides it's own original source material to properly explain recently implemented concepts and new features.
Rather than needlessly mirroring the information on UDN this blog will simply hyperlink to the necessary resource. The chapters shall be structuring that information logically, so that as one proceeds through the outlined chapters, the information is easily digestible. That is this blogs' goal; to provide structure and logic to the swarm of information about UDK.
However this blog should not be viewed as exhaustive in scope. Often times many new topics & features lack the proper documentation ( at least in the short term ) and may elude the prerequisite due diligence to identify and address their continuously updated documentation adequately. Understandably such cases are ubiquitous in the history of the Unreal Engine & UDK... this blog is not immune to these factors.
With that in mind this blog is organic by nature, constantly growing and contracting as more revised concepts are added and outdated material is archived. Also as more authoritative documentation appears on UDN this blog shall be updated with all deliberate speed. As such user feedback is encouraged to aid in keeping this document in line with the standards and spirit of the UDN. Also user feedback will provide a guide to targeting supplemental documentation on specific areas of interest. Comments can be left in the comments section found on the bottom of each page or emailed directly to me here.
What is UDK?
The Unreal Development Kit (UDK ), is Epic Games' free non-commercial version of the Unreal 3 Engine. While UDK contains many of the same features of Unreal Engine 3, UDK users do not have full access to the Unreal Development Network (UDN), the comprehensive documentation available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees. Additionally the file formats UDK and Unreal 3 utilize (*.UDK and *.UT3 respectively ) are not cross supported. For further information on the differences between the two programs please refer to this link:
http://www.epicgames.com/technology/compare/
What is UDN?
The Unreal Developer Network is the official support site for both licensees and mod developers of the award-winning Unreal Engine real-time technology. We will be using the UDK portion of UDN. As stated above only licensees have full access to UDN, so while our support is substantial there are areas of UDN we will not be able to explore.
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitHome.html
The first step to get started will be to download the newest build of UDK. Find the "Download UDK Build" shield icon and start downloading the latest build. Epic releases a new build every month. To review the latest upgrades and features to the monthly build click on the "UDK Build Notes" link. This will direct you to the UDK Build Notes page of the UDN.
Now that we are all downloaded and installed let's proceed to 1st Instructional Chapter -
History of the Unreal Engine
History of Epic Mega Games, it's Founder Tom Sweeney, and the game engine that helped define the First Person Shooter ( FPS ) genre. Includes developer commentaryhttp://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1071530p1.html
Statement of Purpose
This blog is meant to serve as an introduction and reference to UDK. While it utilizing the comprehensive documentation found on UDN ( the Unreal Development Network ) it also refers to other sources, which have been tested and verified. While UDN provides a wealth of resources on the UDK engine it is sometimes incomplete or in some instances dated ( and in some rarer cases erroneous ). Therefore when necessary this document will provides it's own original source material to properly explain recently implemented concepts and new features.
Rather than needlessly mirroring the information on UDN this blog will simply hyperlink to the necessary resource. The chapters shall be structuring that information logically, so that as one proceeds through the outlined chapters, the information is easily digestible. That is this blogs' goal; to provide structure and logic to the swarm of information about UDK.
However this blog should not be viewed as exhaustive in scope. Often times many new topics & features lack the proper documentation ( at least in the short term ) and may elude the prerequisite due diligence to identify and address their continuously updated documentation adequately. Understandably such cases are ubiquitous in the history of the Unreal Engine & UDK... this blog is not immune to these factors.
With that in mind this blog is organic by nature, constantly growing and contracting as more revised concepts are added and outdated material is archived. Also as more authoritative documentation appears on UDN this blog shall be updated with all deliberate speed. As such user feedback is encouraged to aid in keeping this document in line with the standards and spirit of the UDN. Also user feedback will provide a guide to targeting supplemental documentation on specific areas of interest. Comments can be left in the comments section found on the bottom of each page or emailed directly to me here.
What is UDK?
The Unreal Development Kit (UDK ), is Epic Games' free non-commercial version of the Unreal 3 Engine. While UDK contains many of the same features of Unreal Engine 3, UDK users do not have full access to the Unreal Development Network (UDN), the comprehensive documentation available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees. Additionally the file formats UDK and Unreal 3 utilize (*.UDK and *.UT3 respectively ) are not cross supported. For further information on the differences between the two programs please refer to this link:
http://www.epicgames.com/technology/compare/
What is UDN?
The Unreal Developer Network is the official support site for both licensees and mod developers of the award-winning Unreal Engine real-time technology. We will be using the UDK portion of UDN. As stated above only licensees have full access to UDN, so while our support is substantial there are areas of UDN we will not be able to explore.
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitHome.html
Getting Started!
The first step to get started will be to download the newest build of UDK. Find the "Download UDK Build" shield icon and start downloading the latest build. Epic releases a new build every month. To review the latest upgrades and features to the monthly build click on the "UDK Build Notes" link. This will direct you to the UDK Build Notes page of the UDN.
Now that we are all downloaded and installed let's proceed to 1st Instructional Chapter -
