UE3 Build a Basic Room/Space

Instructor: Celeste Masinter

www.celestemasinter.com
Please feel free to use these tutorials to expand your understanding.
Please DO NOT rip these tutorials and post them elsewhere.
Recommended Resources:
aitastuhttp://udn.epicgames.com/Three/UT3ModHome.html
http://www.icecreamyou.com/ut3
http://www.hourences.com/book/tutorialsindex.htm
Unreal Interface - Intro:
1. Unreal takes a minute or two to open, so be patient.
2.

When the Unreal (UE3) Editor first opens, you will generally encounter three windows:
The top window will be a Tip for the Day. Close this, if you like.
The next window is the Generic Browser. The Generic Browser is where Unreal, and
where you will store all 2d, 3d, sounds, and other assets for building your game/
prototype. However, at first we won't be needing the browser, so feel free to close it as
well. (Click the red X in the upper right hand corner of the window.)

3.

Now we will focus on the main interface. You can always open the Generic Browser later, by
clicking on the Generic Browser button (white and blue table cloth icon) on the main toolbar.

The Main Interface

Consider the main interface closely. Locate the four viewports: Perspective (Camera), Top, Side, Front.
Locate the menus (along the very top), the main toolbar, the viewport toolbars, and the side panel, which
provides BSP brush options and boolean operations. Finally, locate the drawscale input slots (along the
bottom).

Navigate Within the Viewports:

(Tip: the power is all in the mouse!)
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.

In the Perspective (Camera) Viewport:

Press the left mouse button (LMB) to look right and left, and to push the camera forward.
Press the right mouse button (RMB) to look up, down, left and right.
Press both mouse buttons together to move the camera up and down, right and left.
Use scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
In the Top/Side/Front Viewports:
Press the left mouse button (LMB) or right mouse button (RMB) to move the camera right, left,
up and down.
Press both mouse buttons together to zoom in and out.
Use scroll wheel to zoom in and out.

The Mysterious Red Cube...

1.

So you may ask yourself, what is that mysterious red cube?

The red cube is your initial builder brush (building tool). You use it to build BSP geometry for
your game space. BSP stands for binary space partition, and it is a kind of geometry used to
block out simple, primitive spaces and structures (in this case, for games).

2.

The term brush can be a little confusing at first because the tool actually functions more like a
chisel or a 3d stamp it represents a chunk of potential volume which might be additive
(convex) or subtractive (concave)... depending on what you tell it to do.

3.

FYI: The red builder brush cannot be deleted. It is only a tool, and it will not appear in your
finished game space. If you aren't working with it, just push it aside.

4.

However, first, lets start with a clean palette/space! So go File > New !

Additive vs Subtractive Space

1. When you create a New Level, you will be prompted to choose a geometry style, subtractive
or additive. This is referring to two different ways of calculating space: either subtractive, or
additive.

2.

Additive space is the kind of space used by most 3d applications. It conceives of space as an
almost infinite empty void in which you can add anything, in any amount, at any time.

3.

Subtractive space is just the opposite: it conceives of space as a giant solid chunk of wax filled-in space that must be chiseled into - cut away. This is a legacy option from previous
versions of Unreal. Professional exploration and other tutorials on the web suggest that building
in additive space is preferable for a variety of reasons.

4.

However, for the sake of a simple demonstration today, we will be working in subtractive
space.

5.

So choose subtractive.

Save Your Space:

1. Go ahead and save your level now. You can save your level anywhere, but if you are working
at your computer at home, I suggest using the default Unreal save location in the Custom Maps
Folder, for convenience. You can name your level anything, but never use spaces! Unreal does
not like spaces. Use underscores instead.
2.

Also suggested: If you want your play space to be fully functional with a HUD, gun, and
behindview options, add the prefix DM- to your level's name. For instance, if your level is
Cell_Room, name it DM-Cell_Room instead.

Moving Objects Around:

1. If you want, you can place your builder brush wherever you want. Just LMB click to select it!
Unreal (UE3) also provides a translate gizmo (tool) to move your brush around in any viewport.
2.

You can also rotate and scale. To access these other gizmos, you can do one of two things: (a)
you can find the move, scale, and rotate buttons on the main toolbar, OR, (b) you can press
spacebar to cycle through them.

Determining the Initial Parameters of Your Space:

1. Look to the left panel of the Unreal interface, and locate your BSP Brush Options.

2.

If you are familiar with various 3d applications, you might read this cluster of icons as primitive
objects. However, the geometry used here is different from primitive geometry in your typical
3d application. In fact, these buttons will not generate or create any real geometry at all they
only define the shape of your brush which is potential geometry. This is a little tricky to
understand at first, but you will see what I mean as you follow this tutorial.

3.

If you LMB click on any of the Brush Options, you will notice your red builder brush changes in
the viewports. Go ahead and explore a little, but return to the cube.

4.

If you RMB click on the cube BSP Brush Option, you will call up a dialog box the Brush
Builder.

5.

X, Y, and Z refer to width, breadth, and height. By default, each is set to 256 Unreal Units. 256
Unreal Units is barely big enough to contain a character, so you will want to make the box bigger.

6.

Suggestion: You can specify any number of Unreal Units you want, but if you stick to gamesafe texture resolution size numbers (powers of 2, like 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096) , it will be
easier to apply textures to the surfaces of your spaces.

7.

Don't worry about WallThickness when you are working in subtractive space: go ahead and set
this parameter to zero.

8.

When you are finished updating the parameters, press the Build Button.

9.

It may first appear that your builder brush has disappeared. Never fear! Scroll out of your
window... its merely larger now.

Carving Out a Space:

1. To carve out a space in Subtractive Space, we will use a subtractive boolean operation. Your
boolean operations are located beneath the Brush Builder Options.

2.

Run your mouse over the Boolean buttons. Choose subtractive. Click!

3.

In the Perspective (Camera) viewport, you should notice the horizon disappears behind the new
dark subtractive space you have created within the builder brush.

4.

If you want, you can actually move the red builder brush out of the way now. You will discover,
however, that you have just created a new subtractive volume brush, which is, in fact, what you
see in the Perspective (Camera) viewport.

Let There Be Light!

1. You probably don't want a pitch black room, however. To fix this, we will need to add a light.
Fortunately, this is very easy to do!
2.

In the Perspective (Camera) viewport, click on a BSP surface to select it in blue.

3.

RMB click, to call up a floating menu.

4.
5.

Near the bottom of this menu, choose Add Actor > Add Light (Point).
This should generate a light at the point in the surface where you first clicked. The light is
represented by an icon that looks like a light bulb. Don't worry, however. This is only a device
for placing the light in the editor the icon will not appear in your game, unless you specify it to.

6.

Use the translate gizmo to place your light.

Augment Your Light:

1. If you want, you can change the color, brightness, and range on your light through the light's
properties. To do this, select the light icon in green.
2.

RMB on the light icon to call up the floating menu again. Or press F4.

3.

Go to the top and select PointLight Properties.

4.

This will call up another floating dialog window. This dialog includes nine expandable sections.
As you continue to explore Unreal, you will discover that all assets have properties, and that
many of these expandable sections are available to all assets. However, there is usually at least
one section specific to the object you have selected, and in this case, this is the Light section.

5.

Go ahead and expand the Light section. You will discover a nesting system of expandable
sections within expandable sections. This is typical of organization in UE3.

6.

So go Light > LightComponent, and look for Brightness, LightColor, and Radius.

7.

Have fun!

Build Your Space for Play:

1. In order to play your space you will have to build your game space/level. Unreal uses this term
build a lot, and it can get a little confusing at times. What I am referring to now is a finishing
process, and might be compared to compiling code. It crystallizes your hardwork, and makes it
100% play-worthy.
2.

Look to the main toolbar, and locate the build buttons. The different build options allow you to
either compile everything in the game space/level, or to focus on something you've recently
changed, like the geometry or lights. Since we haven't run a build yet at all, we're going to Build
All instead.

3.

Look for the Build All button on the far right. The icon looks like a blue cube with a lightbulb.
Click!

4.

Unreal will now build/compile/recalculate your scene. This may take awhile. Be patient.

5.

When it is finished, a Map Check window will appear. Likely you will get at least one warning
about a NULL material reference. This, fortunately, is nothing to be concerned about. It only
means that the default checker material is still in use in your scene. Feel free to exit the window.

Play Your Space!

1. Now you can run around your space! Fortunately, UE3 makes this very easy.
2.

RMB click on a BSP surface, and call up the floating menu. At the very bottom should be an
option Play From Here. Select this to enter into a play window.

3.

If your play window is black, it means you forgot to Build All. So go ahead, and build all.

4.

Likely, you will want to have the option to see your character from behind, so you can compare
his scale to the scale of your space. To do so, press F10. This calls up the in-game command line.
Type: behindview, no spaces. This should switch you to third person (but only if you saved
your level with a DM- name prefix.)

5.

Press F10 again to exit the command line.

6.

If you are satisfied, press ESC, and save your level again.

Expand on Your Space and Final Advice:

1. You can continue to expand your space by moving the red builder brush, and experimenting with
your BSP Brush Options and boolean operation.
2.

You can always RMB click again on the brush primitive of your choosing to re-access the Brush
Builder parameters.

3.

You can also re-position geometry, or select and delete (delete key). However, you may notice
that the Perspective Window doesn't update. If so... Build All again!

4.

You may be tempted to scale the builder brushes using the scale gizmo/widget. Warning:
scaling with the scale widget can sometimes throw collision detection. If so, delete the
incorrectly sized volume, and begin again.

5.

BSP geometry is intended to be used for simple shapes only. If you want a more complex
geometry, I suggest building it in a 3d application instead, and importing it as a Static
Mesh, rather than a Brush.

6. Always remember to Build All and Save!