UDK documentation sticky

[crowl]

UDK documentation at the Unreal Developer Network (UDN):
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitHome.html

UDK FAQ at the Unreal Developer Network (UDN):
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitFAQ

UDK build notes:
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitBuildUpgradeNotes.html

UDK readme:
http://udk.com/readme.html

"Whizzle" technical documentation:
http://udk.com/elements/downloads/Whizzle_Creation_Document_1_2.pdf

"Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3"
http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0672329913

"Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume II: Advanced Level Design Concepts with Unreal Engine 3"
http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=9780672329920


---------------user tutorials-------------------
wikis:
BeyondUnreal UDK wiki: http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/Unreal_Development_Kit http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/External_UDK_tutorials

Tutorials:
Hourences: Tutorial: An entire (very basic) UDK game: http://tutorial.toltecstudios.com/
wildicv: UnrealScript Tutorial Series: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=708162
wildicv: Master Guide: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=707020
gosmo: Loading SpeedTrees on your map. Without a crash!: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=707937
badkangaroo: A Supereasy Unrealscript tutorial, and some learning…: http://okita.com/alex/?p=444
HideInLight: A Camera Compendium?: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=714607
Fishi: Guide: Custom Character with Custom Animation: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=717339
roychr: Isometric camera including pathfinding from the ground up: http://x9productions.com/blog/?page_id=357
Alex Okita: Various tutorials http://okita.com/alex/#

Videos:
JavaHawk video Tutorials: http://www.youtube.com/udkTutorials
Raven67854: UDK Video Tutorials(Youtube): http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=707437
IWillShutUDown: http://www.youtube.com/user/IWillShutUDown
Gizmosan: UDK Video Tutorials - Effects: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=708297
JeanMeletou: Tutorial Video Workflow for Speedtree in UDK: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=706669
JeanMeletou: New Video Tutorial 3dsmax Material Multi/Sub Object to UDK (StaticMesh): http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=708764
micahpharoh: Rain Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e3UEGl7YDA
Gizmosan: UDK Video Tutorials - Effects: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=708297

[A_Bloke_101]

Wicked man this is a great resource bank for beginners like me =D. Now just to read all of it.

[Lazlow555]

Very interesting, but what if I dont want to buy books for 40$ each. If you made your engine free, what about free tutors?

[elmuerte]

The saying "You get what you paid for." comes to mind.

Epic Games is committed to provide decent documentation and support for the UDK. You cannot expect them to provide quality documentation and support on demand for a product they are giving away for free.

The "Mastering Unreal Technology" are high quality books. And seriously, $40 for a 1000 page thick book is quite cheap. Usually you pay at least twice that for similar books.

Anyway, don't expect Epic Games to come with free tutors. If you need help you can always address the community. Both Epic's documentation on the UDN and the community documentation on the UnrealWiki will slowly get better and more complete.

[mr_fruitbowl]

Maybe posting in the wrong place but i think someone should document some of the tools needed/supported with udk.

Like besides UDK what else do i need? What kind of animation programs etc? Can users just use UDK and create full games using this?

[DragonSpawn]

Well don't forget that this still generates money for Epic. Since anyone who takes their hobby projects and makes them commercial will pay royalty to Epic for using the engine. So it is very much in their interest to provide the best documentation they can to help people realize their game development dreams.
I have full confidence in them that they will make the UDK very newbie friendly.

[docmorbid]

Maybe posting in the wrong place but i think someone should document some of the tools needed/supported with udk.

Like besides UDK what else do i need? What kind of animation programs etc? Can users just use UDK and create full games using this?

There's a wealth of information available freely on the net for previous iterations of Unreal engines and SDKs, most of this information translates well to the UDK with minor adjustments and changes in workflow.

I'm also quite happy with the amount of UDK-specific documentation Epic has made available at this time, and I'm sure more is coming soon, and will be coming, on a regular basis.

And it's obvious you haven't read all of the UDK-documentation available, as the answers to your questions are already there.

[mr_fruitbowl]

But i'm not even asking for tutorials or anything i'm asking for a sticky or something with a list of programs and tools to help make games using UDK.

[docmorbid]

Alright, I understand.

Well, I can assure you there's a lot of people - myself included - working on tutorials and such, surely a real starters document will be amongst what I write, with some general info on making games and assets. Just give me some time, I'm currently working on the website where I will host this. As it will be a whole website about UDK-development with several contributors.

[elmuerte]

another website? can't we just place everything on the UnrealWiki (http://wiki.beyondunreal.com)?

[docmorbid]

A Wiki wouldn't really be fitting for how we will do our tutorials. I'm sure you can see how websites like 3D Buzz is better off how they are running things now than being integrated in a Wiki.

Wiki is great for some things... but mostly for a community effort, not a private editorial one.

[Wormbo]

So, you think documenting a free part of a game engine cannot be a community effort?

[docmorbid]

Of course it can, that's what I said in the post over here, a Wiki is great for exactly that. Let's not clutter up this thread anymore.

[geodav]

Nice thread, i checked some of the video's, shame on the los res (HD !!!) youtube stuff

[disaac]

Great resource. Looks like I have some more reading to do.
Thanks!

[DaemonXR]

Alright, I understand.

Well, I can assure you there's a lot of people - myself included - working on tutorials and such, surely a real starters document will be amongst what I write, with some general info on making games and assets. Just give me some time, I'm currently working on the website where I will host this. As it will be a whole website about UDK-development with several contributors.

I really really hardly wait. And when its gonna happen?

[falconian]

40$ for a book in a country where the monthly salary is just 80$ is rather very expensive, I think the western world has not taken into account the income of Asian countries like the Philippines, they work just as hard if not harder than those in the Western world. do they not deserve the right to learn just as much as those in the Western world?

The cost of products that are for sale on the net, should take into account the average income in the country of the person paying for the item, this seems to be an over look on the part of the western world selling items on the net.

After all, the people in the Philippines and other Asian countries have very little say in their salary structure.

40$ here in the Philippines is over half a weeks work for the average person.

All the best

Keith.

[Blade[UG]]

so.. they should take a loss on it to sell it to you because you don't make much?

i suppose another alternative would be to learn it on your own, like all the rest of us have done and are doing.

[elmuerte]

On the plus side, you can earn really a lot of money before you are required to hand over the 25% revenue cut to Epic. (about 60 weeks of income)

[Sir. Polaris]

;27172595']so.. they should take a loss on it to sell it to you because you don't make much?

i suppose another alternative would be to learn it on your own, like all the rest of us have done and are doing.

If they where smart like most major companies they rebrand and sell it at a lower price. They still wont sell it at a loss, but you cannot sell things at the same price as you do in Canada or the US and parts of Europe.

Look at us buying singular cup of coffee for $3.69 or a small piece of meat for 5$ when the cow it's self is on average 39$ USD or 85c USD a pound.

As well EPIC could subsidize it if they really wanted to push the UDK environment. Depending where they go with this, they might even start creating a educational package to be deployed at schools with the books or there own documentation.

Depending on the amount there printing they are looking at around 1$ USD for every 200 pages, so for a 4.5x200 page book - your looking at paying $4.50 per book as a publisher. Toss in shipping and overhead and lets say you got 10$ per book, and some one needs to make a profit so it's now 25$ a book. Still less then 40$ USD. Now 40$ USD is cheap, but it's cheap to our standards of wealth - We in north America and parts of Europe have such huge standards of living. I couldn't see why not if this book was popular that it could be made at a reduced price to other counties.

My best guess would be lack of demand, or the worry of 'theft'- although if you going to "acquire" this book you can save your self the effort of a PO box and a reshipping bill and all that effort and have it in 10mins. At the very least they still get profit if some one "acquires" it out of their country zone.

So I don't know, perhaps falconian you should try e-mailing the publisher?

[RomanLionz]

Can we get some documentation on behavior archetypes? and exactly how to make one? I think it's an exciting tool to be able to define specific behaviors that are changeable within the archetype, but I still can't find a way to create them.

[Entilzar]

Don't know if this is the right topic, but, on the console commands page ( http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ConsoleCommands.html ), Memory and Performance section, the link to Stats Decription ( http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/StatsDescriptions.html ) is broken.

I was looking at it because I was wondering if there is a way to show the number of polygons being displayed.

[Spoondog]

Epic,

Any chance of getting the Kismet Reference page updated with some info on the new(ish) Mobile Input events?

[Blade[UG]]

Can we get some documentation on behavior archetypes? and exactly how to make one? I think it's an exciting tool to be able to define specific behaviors that are changeable within the archetype, but I still can't find a way to create them.

Right click on something in the Actor class browser and hit Create Archetype.

(sorry I didn't notice this post for about 6 months :( )

[ffejnosliw]

Epic,

Any chance of getting the Kismet Reference page updated with some info on the new(ish) Mobile Input events?
I will look into it.

[Hoppertje]

Could you consider also releasing the currently missing chapters of the Mastering Unreal Script - Part III between chapter 1 - 12 ? (no idea how many chapters there are, probably 12 :P)

While reading i really notice the gaps of documentation on some topics, therefore lacking the real knowledge to continue.... which is such a shame, not to mention frustrating.... :(

please please pretty please??


PS: I dont understand why this has not been done(you will get a lot more coders started), considering the licence agreement you have on the free UDK and the mostlikely upcoming revision of these chapters in a new book...

personally i would buy this new book still, for just having a hardcopy/being it up to date.

[Dvoyles]

The Hourences link no longer works. I spoke to him today and he said that they recently dropped that URL. All of his tutorials can now be found at http://www.hourences.com/tutorials/

[Bludot]

I'm having some issues with loading in LOD's and a nameing convention (custom made ones). Anyone know whats going on? The documentation doesn't mention a naming scheme being required.

I'm using the latest UDK release, anyone know whats going?


***Update Below here***
Also having issues with the export FBX. I've tried the 2009 and 2011 exporter. In both cases I got the message no meshes were detected. Mesh and smoothing options are checked in the exporter.

In an older version I think it's the January 2011 UDK this method works.

[gardian06]

realized after done writing that this might need a separate thread as it could distract from other things that should go here.
I think it has partial relevance at least
will post link to new thread:
http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/887661-archived-docs?p=30033207#post30033207