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Unreal Developer Kit - MASTER THREAD

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  • Scruffy
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    Scruffy polycounter lvl 11
    In the UDK editor, you need to enable the 'Game View' (the G button to the left of the lock). This will enable all the post processing settings to be visible within the editor itself.

    Hope this fixes the problem.
  • elementrix
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    elementrix polycounter lvl 15
    nope I don't have bloom anywhere, not with the game view on, not ingame, not in the material editor...

    hmm somehow it now works, I don't know what I did but it works:)
  • planaria
    anyone know how to scale a character once it is already in udk not before in the modelling package?
  • planaria
    moar questions ..

    using lightmass and one directional light.. and its causing this weird glow any ideas?

    ineditorgame20091114191.jpg
  • Scruffy
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    Scruffy polycounter lvl 11
    Hey Planaria:

    This is a shot in the dark, but the reason for this 'glow' could be any number of factors. without seeing your setup, it is hard to narrow it down, but here are a few things you could look into.

    If you are using Lightmass, be carefull not to use too bright of a color, try to keep it fairly dim, and not too 'drastic' (more desaturated, less vibrant)

    Secondly, you can look into the 'environment intensity'. this is how 'powerfull' the environment light is, and the higher the value, the more of a 'blow' appearance you will get.

    thirdly, play around with the 'Diffuse Boost'. if this is too high, the scene will be brighter than you originally want.

    fourthly, the light source you have should not be too bright. although light values can go VERY high, it bleaches out the textures and can give them a 'glow' effect. by default, work with a value of 1 and tweak from there. To get a good grasp on what the problem is, if your light is above a value of 1, bring it down and see if the issue is still there, then tweak the Lightmass settings. If your light is fine, go directly to the lightmass and tweak those few variables.

    If this doesn't help, without any more information, this is the best advice i can give for now. Hope it helps!
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    ok i just started the airbornmap in udk and i noticed, that dynamic shadows are flickering like hell, unless the object that casts the shadow is pretty huge, what exactly is causing this? i'm getting a headache :D

    -seems to be only in editor when turned realtime, ingame the shadows work like the should
  • Scruffy
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    Scruffy polycounter lvl 11
    The editor is a close representation of what the 'in game' mode should look like. usually, especially when dealing with something more costly like dynamic shadows, it's a close estimate of what it should look like, but once in game everything should work correctly.

    As for the size, the original UT3 based the dynamic shadows on scale, so the smaller assets that you may not notice at a distance of say 350 units turned off the dynamic shadoes before larger assets that would have them turn off at lets say 650 units. it's a balance of visual quality and performance.

    With UDK, the dynamic shadows work in the same way based on scale, but now dynamically fade out instead of popping, so when you play the game, that 'popping' issue is not as noticeable than it was before.

    Remember that whenever you are making a game, test it to see how everything runs and works in the game itself, not only the engine.
  • Neox
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    Neox veteran polycounter
    Well i don't mind popping away shadows, the fadeout is nicee though, but if i want to test certain things like particles, or other stuff in realtime, i really get a headache when every character/creature/tree is flickering, anything that has a dynamic shadow is flickering the whole time. Of course we test in game, once its far enough but having to start the game or mess around in kismet to turn of sequences that play in front of the level, all the time is a) a source for mistakes and b) timeconsuming, same goes with having to turn off shadows on the lightsource, just not to get a headache.
    So is this really how you guys are working in unreal right now? i doubt it, i mean i worked with UE3 on professional projects and it never flickered, but it was a while ago so maybe its how it is now.
  • Scruffy
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    Scruffy polycounter lvl 11
    well, you're in luck. If it's just a visual issue that is irritating to to look at, you can diable the shadows in the editor. To the left of the 'Real Time' button on the top left, there is an arrow pointing down. click that, open up the 'show' menu and turn off "Dynamic Shadows". This is strictly a visual editor change, so they will still show up in game.

    enjoy!
  • gauss
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    gauss polycounter lvl 18
    Hourences--just wanted to say the last time I dove into learning UE3, it was your tutorials I kept coming back to for specific pointers on things; thanks so much for continuing to get so much helpful material out there.

    I'd be "all up on" on the UDK right now except it appears my Vista install is broken enough to stop it from installing. Dot Net Framework always errors out of of installation, even from a separate install from the one included in the UDK. Shenanigans with the Windows Update as well.

    I'd get this all fixed with a repair install of Vista but I moved a few months ago and for the life of me could not find the install DVD :\
    Thinking about biting the bullet for Windows 7. Have people had compatibility issues with Windows 7 and Max/Photoshop/etc?
  • Zack Fowler
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    Zack Fowler polycounter lvl 11
    Has anyone else encountered a problem getting Lightmass to actually do bounced lighting? I'm guessing some obscure hardware or software issue is getting in my way here because I've tried setting things up, according to the provided maps and documentation, about a half dozen times now. The weirdest part is that it works fine when I rebake the provided maps but it generates no bounced lighting whatsoever on my own maps.

    Things that have not fixed it:
    - Copying lights over from the provided maps
    - Messing with various LightmassImportanceVolumes
    - Toggling on and off "Use Global Illumination?"
    - Switching between the various lighting quality options
    - Adjusting lightmap texture resolutions

    Any ideas or am I going to have to consider wiping and reinstalling? (shudder)
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    I have no clue. Is your samples too low? Or is the scene out of scale?
  • Ben Apuna
    I was having the same problem getting bounced lighting in my map. So far I got it to work by going to View -> World Properties, then under Lightmass I changed the Environment Color setting from black to white. Finally I did a production quality lighting build, now I've got bounced lighting. I think it was changing the Environment Color rather than the production quality build that did the trick, I need to test it out to confirm.

    EDIT: Just finished a Preview quality lighting build and the bounce light is still there so I guess it was the Environment Color being black that was causing the problem.

    According to the UDN documentation the Use Global Illumination? checkbox in the World Properties needs to be checked on for it to use any of the Lightmass settings. Otherwise it uses the old UE3 direct lighting method to calculate lighting.

    Other things to note:

    I am using a LightmassImportanceVolume.

    I only have one light in my scene, it's a DominantDirectionalLight. I found that in Actor Classes -> Light -> DirectionalLight -> DominantDirectionalLight. I don't know if this is needed either, I need to test with a regular Directional Light.
  • Zack Fowler
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    Zack Fowler polycounter lvl 11
    Ben: Thanks man, I really appreciate it, that's the first bit of progress I've made in several hours. Changing the Environment Color got my directional light bounce working now. Why the hell would that default to black anyway? Grrr. But for some reason my point lights still refuse to partake in the bouncing, both as DominantPointLight and standard.

    Edit: Came back to clarify that this actually did not fix my directional light bouncing, it only made me think so because it added general sky light similar to using a sky light with Light Tracer and no bounces in 3DS MAX.
  • Mark Dygert
    If you're not on the mailing list it might be helpful to know that UDK was updated!
    Epic Games has released a hotfix for the Unreal Development Kit (UDK) November beta version.

    Epic is committed to providing the UDK community with regular software releases free of charge. Below is a list of technical enhancements included in the updated UDK beta version. These fixes have been incorporated to immediately address stability and performance issues reported by some users.

    Everyone using UDK is encouraged to install November Beta 2 to ensure an optimal experience.

    Please download the updated software build at www.udk.com/download.

    Notes on UDK November Beta 2 repairs and improvements:

    * Shader compiler no longer crashes when the log is not writable.
    * Game/editor will run without having to first check for existing script files.
    * Windows XP: Emissive lights causing purple lighting have been fixed.
    * Windows 7: Added new SpeedTree binaries to address OS-specific issue.
    * Added check to confirm GPU meets minimum requirements.
    * Implemented fix for some SpeedTree trees causing crashes.
    * Added fix for invalid characters being allowed in journal files causing database corruption.
    * Incorporated fix for making a game in non-English and then running it on another non-English machine.
    * Installer
    * If a prerequisite fails to install, the install will still continue and warn at the end.
    * Enhanced the check for a valid install path.
    * If the installer is skipped, the EULA comes up once.
    * Fixed CZE install not finding the EULA.
    * Fixed problem if temp install folders were deleted between install and uninstall.
    * Fixed problem if maps were named in non-ASCII characters.

    Details are available at the Unreal Developer Network (UDN):
    http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitBuildUpgradeNotes.html

    Epic Games also maintains links to download mirrors, technical documentation and support resources at www.udk.com/forums.
  • Pedro Amorim
    I still cant run speedtree tho..
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    In a weird accident i hit alt when i was trying the vert mesh paint tool...it makes quick duplicates...

    ...There wasnt anything in the UDN on that page so here you go...

    weirdpaintmeshthing.png
  • Ben Apuna
    Sweet! Thanks for that tip :)
  • Lee3dee
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    Lee3dee polycounter lvl 18
    got a few requests to do a tutorial on how I did the destructible glass. Since the Fracture tool is out now, it makes my process look long and dull. But it works great in the Unreal Physics tool :)

    Plug-in used in the tutorial: http://www.mirvadim.com/

    Tutorial Part 1
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-__PMrQ4g[/ame]

    Tutorial Part 2
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16kRwThqqIk[/ame]

    my thread on UDK: http://forums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=708297
  • hollaAtMe
    Having a problem with collision dampening on particles. I was trying to get my particles to just bounce and added a bit of dampening on the collision module in cascade. The particle's lifetime is definitely long enough. It IS colliding because the particles are not going through the surface. They just won't bounce!
    It's quite frustrating.

    And yes....this time I did save my package. :P

    I tested it in UT3 and I did the exact same thing I did in the UDK and it worked fine in UT3.

    So I dunno if there is a new check box or what for the dampening, but I'm hoping someone can help me out.
  • PixelMasher
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    PixelMasher veteran polycounter
    hmmm if i remember correctly isnt there a max bounces lil input you need to change from the defualt 0?
  • BlackulaDZ
    i'm having trouble with opacity maps, it works in max but does the udk handle them differently?

    opacityproblems.png
  • Ben Apuna
    You need to change your Blend Mode from BLEND_Opaque to BLEND_Translucent, it's in the bottom panel of the material editor window.

    You can also use the OpacityMask rather than Opacity as the input for your alpha texture with your Blend Mode set to BLEND_Masked for 1 bit alpha.

    Your alpha texture needs to be inverted as well white = opaque, black = transparent.
  • BlackulaDZ
    ah alright, thanks a lot man.
  • DEElekgolo
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    DEElekgolo interpolator
    New hotfix out for those who have errors with speed tree.
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    Beta 2 doesn't actually fix everyone. It does address windows 7 OS and xp, but not Vista 32...Hence, mine still doesn't open after a lot of trial.
  • BardurM
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    BardurM polycounter lvl 12
    katana wrote: ยป
    Beta 2 doesn't actually fix everyone. It does address windows 7 OS and xp, but not Vista 32...Hence, mine still doesn't open after a lot of trial.

    I too still have the issue with Speedtree not working
    Im on Windows 7 64x
  • Spitfire
    How do you count the particles as tris? Does anyone know how to find where it says how many tris the particle emitter is creating?
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    Whats up,guys! I'm really looking for some help 'cause I'm totally confused.with.)
    helpagain.jpg
    So, here's a picture of the scene. Lighting is being processed by lightmass with emissive material actually producing light. Like car headlights for exmaple But there's one minor issue. Only the right head light produces light even thoguh it's clearly visible that both lights have emissive material applied.*smacks his face against the table* I don't even know where to start... so I would extremly thankfullfor any kind of advice.thank you guys in advance. I tried rebaking.It didn't help.=(

    oh, and btw...I keep getitng this seam on my front and rear glass. Those have mirroed uvs.I doublechecked, all the maps. None has any seams and it ain't no mippin' cause the seam is present even up close. If you turn opacity off there's no seam, but opacity map has some padding, so I don't know what to do about this too. I'm sorry If this doesn't belong here, I just thought it'd be awkward to post the same picture in UT3 Masterthread. But if you think that I should readress the question there, then I will.

    anyway good luck everybody, and have a nice day. =)
  • Ben Apuna
    About the headlights, directly from UDN's page on lightmass.
    Limitations

    * Currently mesh area lights do not handle overlapping material texture coordinates. If multiple triangles cover the same emissive texels in UV space, only one of those triangles will be used to emit light.
    I'm guessing that's the problem.

    As for the mirrored glass seam, from page 22 of the master thread.
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    @d1ver : Since I'm about to model a light rig on my bike, I'm curious why you didn't use the lensflare system?

    ..Nice little scene btw.
  • Kupikimijumjum
    Is there an easy way to transfer old scripts (say a weapon scripts) from UED to UDK? I'm trying to transfer an old mod level into UDK to take advantage of lightmass, but I don't want to think about going into code that I haven't looked at in months and that I barely understood then.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    would it be possible to do a diabloish style game play with udk just using the script? i have a kismet set to put my camera in the propper place,, tho its not great cause it wobbles as the character runs, but i'm curious could you do the clasic diablo, click to walk to location and if close enough attack, and for range click on enemy while holding a certain key to shoot at themn while not walking towards them, like the amazon in d2? not sure what the limits on scripting are.

    is there also a way to merge the 2 unreal stickys? totaly a pain havin to search thru 2 threads for tips on one engine.
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    I made a level, and set up a player spawnpoint. DM-Mylevel.upk Cooked it and set that map as my "frontend" like so:

    Map=DM-Mylevel.udk
    LocalMap=DM-Mylevel.udk

    Everything works fine, I load right into the map, BUT I do not "spawn". None of my Kismet events are triggered (real simple events like moving an object). And it's just stuck on mouselook. Nothing starts.

    I just want to jump in and be able to walk around.That's it.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    lamont you mean when you press the play level icon at top you get no character? so far with me in udk i dont have to use the special naming conventions to walk around the level if i have a playerspawn it always spawns me no matter what the map name is, pre-udk i had to name my level special things to get a spawn but not now.
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    No, this is after it's been cooked and packaged. In PIE everything worked fine.
  • d1ver
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    d1ver polycounter lvl 14
    Hey, Ben thanx a lot for your reply.
    Yep, seems I'll just have to go with the spotlights for now.... and about that seam. The problem is..its has vertex lighting. No lightmaps. So I'm still a bit confused. But I've just been tweaking the material here and there and I've also turned down specularity there, so it's not that vivid now. But I'm still interested in what could this be.

    He there, Katana! Well you see, there very smart and techincally grounded reason for why I'm not using lens flare system there. I don't know how.=(
    =)After you've asked, I read the article at UDN, but it get a clear picture of how I could give a use. The main disadvantage as I see it for now is that you have to place lens flare actor in your scene manually. Which means once you decide to move stuff around you'll have to move the actors too. Plus techincalywise, once you complie your material - thats it - the result is stored and ready to be used. And If you have an additional actor to do the work you can do with your materials,that could be not so good for producitivity. But still I have a strong feeling that I don't know enough about it, so if you could fill me in on it or just pojnt the direction where i should look for explanations of some practical use of it, I'd be more than thakfull!
    And thanks so much I'm glad you like the picture!=D


    Have a nice day)
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    I think you can mount a lens flare / corona to a socket on the mesh, so that it follows where ever you place it....the Hellgate trailer is a good example.

    http://www.gametrailers.com/video/cinematic-2-hellgate-london/15253


    and another example using this engine at 0:35

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbpACMVZq8[/ame]
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    I figured it out. Kismet conflict.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    couple more questions can you attach a dynamic light to a player via kismet? i've attached a camera to the player for an isometric view and that works, but i'd like a dynamic light to folow me around and illuminate the area around me, the problems are i'm not sure how to make dynamic light is it just a normal light with dynamic checked in the properties or is is a thing unto its self. that i dont see in my actor light list. also i made a moveable light and told it to cast dynamic lights and tried to attach it in the same way that i attached my camera, but nothing seems to happen.

    also another issue. the kismet sequence for my camera, is not saving out when i save my package and my map, i have to redo it on each load. i dont see a place to save it hows!
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    hahah no.. no.. i'm still not sure if its possible with scripting, i dont know much about scripting
    did this today tm_6.jpgtm_4.jpg the mesh are still in prototype phase just trying ot get a look together.
  • Rhinokey
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    Rhinokey polycounter lvl 18
    is it possible to make a terrain layer use an aplha? i am makin a rocky layer an i want to use an alpha in between the rocks so that between the cracks it shows the layer below it. i have the material set up properly, but so far when i paint it just comes out the standard way.
  • Pedro Amorim
    Ok.. wth.. speedtree is working now! and i didnt do anything.
    after installing beta 2 it wasnt working, so i left it. now i tried again, and sudennly is working. i'll be damned.
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    What OS are you running? Mine still won't initialize.
  • Pedro Amorim
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    Ah yea, they have that one and xp working, but haven't worked out Vista 32...maybe it gotten forgotten about.
  • Popeye9
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    Popeye9 polycounter lvl 15
    bitmap wrote: ยป
    Ok.. wth.. speedtree is working now! and i didnt do anything.
    after installing beta 2 it wasnt working, so i left it. now i tried again, and sudennly is working. i'll be damned.


    Got my hopes up, but as before still not working. At least I got to send another error report :)

    Using vista 64bit
  • nrek
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    nrek polycounter lvl 14
    Has anyone had any luck getting things like skin morh animations into unreal? If so I could really use some help on how to properly export/import them and have them work with the bone animation.
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
  • Pedro Amorim
    ahah speedtree doesnt open again ahah
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