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Content Creation

Content Creation home

Documents listed below, but not hyperlinked, are restricted to engine licensees only.

As certain texts become relevant, due to released games using that technology, new documents will be made available. Check back often!
 
Getting Started
   - WhatToReadFirst
   Support
   - UnEdit (mailing list)
   - UnEditTraffic (summaries)
   - UnDevIRC (chat)
   - UnDevIRCTraffic (summaries)
   - UnrealEdSux0rs (bug list)
   Engine Prerequisites
   - TextureSpecifications
   - TextureComparison
   - Etc.

General Editor
   Basics
   - IntroToUnrealEd
   - UnrealEdInterface
   - RotationGizmo
   - UnrealEdKeys
   - BrushClipping
   - VertexEditing
   - BoxSelection
   - ShapeEditor
   - ExampleMaps
   - TriggersTutorial
   - WorkflowAndModularity
   Primitives
   - BspBrush
   - MirrorsAndWarpZones
   - HardwareBrush
   - MoversTutorial
   - UKXPackagesTutorial
   - TerrainTutorial
   - VolumesTutorial
   - LightingTutorial
   - ProjectiveTutorial
   - MaterialTutorial
   - CollisionTutorial
   - FluidSurfaceTutorial
   Animation
   - AnimNotifies
   - AnimBrowserTutorial
   - AnimBrowserReference
   Particles
   - EmittersTutorial
   - EmittersExamples
   New Particle Editor
   - ParticleSystems
   - ExampleParticleSystems
   Matinee
   - MatineeTutorial
   - MatineeExample
   - MatineeDemoOpening
   - MatineeDemoDropship
   - SampleMatineeTips
   Scripted Sequences
   - ScriptedSequenceTutorial
   - ScriptedSequenceActions
   - AIControllers
   Techniques
   - LevelTransitions
   - LevelOptimization
   - GroupsBrowser
   - NavigationAI
   - VertexBlendingTutorial
   - ConvertingContent739To829

Tools
   - ActorX
   - ActorXMaxTutorial
   - ActorXMayaTutorial
   - StaticMeshesFromMaya
   - UmodWizard
   - ModelingTableOfContents
   - CADtoUnreal

mathengine.gif
Karma Physics
   - IntroToKarma
   - KarmaReference
   - ImportingKarmaActors
   - UsingKarmaActors
   - KarmaAuthoringTool
   - RagdollsInUT2003
   - KarmaExampleUT2003
   - ExampleMapsKarmaColosseum

secretlevel.gif
PlayStation2 and GameCube
   - ConsoleDevelopment

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You can create a new page, and then you can edit this list to add it to the categories, as well as edit the Content Creation homepage to tell everyone about it!

Make Requests!
You can also stop by the UdnStaff page to see what we're working on, and edit it to add your own document requests.


Please take note! For mod developers working with Unreal Tournament 2003, this documentation is meant to be a starting point for your own explorations into UT2003, not a definitive guide. There will be differences between the documentation here and the product in your hands, and you may have to figure out quite a bit for yourself. Check out the Unreal Tournament 2003 page in the Unreal Powered area for links to community sites if you're having problems. UDN is a licensee support site, and cannot provide technical support or game-specific assistance to end users.

ModelingTableOfContents

Licensees can log in.

Interested in the Unreal engine? Check out the licensing page.

Questions about UDN itself? Contact the UDN Staff.

Modeling/Art Table of Contents

Document Summary: A table of contents for tutorials on creating skeletal mesh art assets for Unreal Ed.

Document Changelog: Original author was Tom Lin (DemiurgeStudios).

Start Here.

This document is a guide to all the docs related to getting artwork into the Unreal Engine, from static meshes to textures to animations. Note that this document does not cover level creation. The guides are arranged beginning with modeling and ending with exporting to a file format that Unreal can import. To Jump to a section, click on the following links:

Modeling
Texturing
Rigging and Animation
Exporting


Modeling

Modeling Doc

This section includes information on how to efficiently model for the Unreal engine. It also contains useful information about Unreal-specific quirks, such as smoothing, refpose, etc.

UnrealModeling

  • Smooth Skinned Models
  • Articulation
    • Eyes
    • Eyelids
    • Tongue
  • Refpose
  • Smoothing Groups
  • In-Game Perspective
  • Unreal-Engine Specific Tips
    • Clipping
    • Single Sided Polys
    • Holes
  • Comparing Detail Levels


Example Models

Example Models

This document contains information about two high poly models created for the Unreal Engine. The document details the creation of these models, explains why design decisions were made, and links to .zip files that contain all of the models, textures, animations, .PSK/.PSA files, etc.

UnrealDemoModels

  • Modeling
    • Eye
    • Hands
    • Feet
  • Mapping/Texturing
    • Crossing Alpha Triangles
    • Texture Size/Number
    • Swapping Skins
  • Bones/Enveloping
  • Reusing Models/Skeletons
    • Using the UDN Model
    • Using the UDN Skeleton


Texturing

Texturing Doc

This doc includes information on the range of texture formats that Unreal will accept, as well as when how best to use them. Links to tools that can be used to create certain formats are also included.

UnrealTexturing

  • Powers of 2
  • Texture Formats
    • 32 bit RGBA (TGA)
    • DirectX Texture Compression
  • 8 Bit Palettized
  • 8 Bit Palettized with Alpha
  • DXTC Tools
    • Nvidia DXT Compression Tools
    • Microsoft DXTex Tool
  • Bright
  • Alpha Channels
  • Appropriate Texture Sizes
  • Clothing/Skin Swapping
    • 2K3 Team Colors


Rigging/Animation

Rigging Doc

This document contains general information about setting up a skeleton in your finished models, with specific information dealing with correct initialization and Unreal capabilities.

SkeletalSetup

  • Designing a Skeleton
    • Wasted Bones
    • Shoulders/Elbows
    • Neck
    • Highly Articulated Face
  • Optimizing Your Mesh
  • Initializing Physique
  • Misc Info
    • Skeletons without Biped
    • Adding Bones to Biped
    • Rigid Mesh Linking
    • Unlinking Meshes from Physique
    • Null Vertex Weight
    • Blending Animations
    • Bone Attachments
    • Animation Notifications
  • UDN Skeltons vs UT2K3 Skeletons

This doc contains a technical explanation of the vertex animation process.


UnrealVertexAnimation

You may want to consider using Impersonator for lip synch on your models. To get started, take a look at these documents.

ImpersonatorHeadRigging
ImpersonatorTutorial
ImpersonatorUserGuide

Karma Physics (Ragdoll) is also an option in the Unreal Engine. For a thorough description and explanation, see these docs.

KarmaReference
ImportingKarmaActors
UsingKarmaActors
KarmaAuthoringTool
RagdollsInUT2003
KarmaExampleUT2003
ExampleMapsKarmaColosseum


Exporting with ActorX

ActorX is the plugin that sends model and animation data from your 3D modeling package into a format that Unreal can understand. These documents will walk you through the exporting process, as well as explain the tool windows in depth.

ActorX Docs

This document will simply point you to current versions of the ActorX plugin for Max and Maya.

ActorX

ActorX Max

This doc covers ActorX for 3D Studio Max.

ActorXMaxTutorial

ActorX Maya

This doc covers ActorX for Maya.

ActorXMayaTutorial


Obsolete/Deprecated Docs

Looking for an old doc? Here is a list of the previously available docs, but bear in mind that the information provided within is no longer current, and may not be correct.


UnrealModelTutorial
ActorXTutorial
ActorXPhysiqueNotes
WarfareSkeletalNotes
ObjToASEConverter
MayaBrushExport
VertexAnimationWith3ds2unr


ModelingTableOfContents - r1.12 - 08 Jul 2003 - 22:01 GMT - Copyright © 2001-2003 Epic Games
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