Unreal Engine 5 | Level Design | Greybox Entire Levels in Minutes

[@3DTudor]

⭐Check out the highest-rated Unreal Engine course on Udemy - www.udemy.com/course/building-medieval-worlds-unreal-engine-5-modular-kitbash/?referralCode=F936D687808F3AE55AF2

[@PersonianOld]

As a new Unreal developer, this was definitely useful. Thanks!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@blackdino8267]

dude im new in level design and i've been struggling with greybox and making assets for two months with no clue, but this videos really explain all the problems that i'm facing with, thank you for the amazing tutorial! and also, pls enable the save to playlist button for this video, it'll be very helpful!

[@3DTudor]

Thanks a lot! Level design and 3d modelling in general can always be frustrating, keep up the good work! Not sure why you can't save it out on your playlist, I'll have a look if it's something on my end...

[@blackdino8267]

​@@3DTudor will do! i'll try to practice everyday so i get used to it, and the save to playlist button already appear so thank you! it seems like a bug from my end

[@jeremydemarco8697]

Aww man thank you !! You won a new subscriber !! I've done both CAD design for mechanical design and 3D animation art for years, but I've never taken the step of creating video games. I'm starting to get into it. Thank you !!

[@3DTudor]

If you are interested check out our complete guides I think it will help a lot :) kzbin.info/aero/PLkcklw0M3jxx2S75EMV5CgWm-HEJQPhl9

[@suryasel.7065]

Great video man, thanks a lot for this! And also I'd suggest using the "Replace Selected Actors With" option when you right click on the level editor...helps in the end to rapidly replace your greybox items with your final meshes.

[@3DTudor]

Good tip! I often use it to replace materials in my projects but haven't done so for meshes, that's definitely an excellent way to speed up the workflow. Thanks!

[@alexeygarmash5819]

Just had the same thoughts) Good tip!

[@tipo20202]

was just about to ask about about this. thanks!

[@OG_KIRITO]

If you didn't know at 17:20 you can highlight any or ALL actors you want to replace, right click and select replace with: and choose your new blender model. It will automatically position the new blender model in replace of the old grey actors.

[@3DTudor]

Thanks for this we are always learning :)

[@Gravitation3Beatles3]

Thank you so much! I can tell comments have mixed feelings but I find this infinitely helpful. I was using shapes and manually rotating and piecing them together…. ahhhhh

[@ProfShibe]

Pain

[@3DTudor]

Glad it helped!

[@andrelabbe5050]

Thanks for this quick and straight to the point tutorial. Simple but effective. I love it.👍

[@3DTudor]

Thanks for this !

[@iam.2022]

Thank you 3DTudor for your amazing tutorials.

[@xXESproductionsXx]

The Blockout tools from the marketplace are perfect for this.

[@3DTudor]

It's nice to have options :)

[@ЯЕСТЬГРУВ-р2ю]

Hi! Can u suggest some tools?

[@blackheartgaming6121]

Nice to be back

[@zackx1]

This was a pretty good Tutorial I took alot of notes. Keep up the good work.

[@3DTudor]

Awesome! Glad to be of service mate :)

[@amerboss99]

Just know it is not as fun and easy as it seems.

[@3DTudor]

It gets easier the more you do it :)

[@michaelmano7261]

Why not? Isn't the documentation fantastic and the editor always does what you ask

[@Gravitation3Beatles3]

oh yes it is. UE is beautiful in its automation and ease. it throws a lot of curve balls but it’s still an amazing free program

[@jomesias]

Specially when it’s sped up 😂😂

[@silentwindstudio]

Finally a simple video to teach this stuff! Thanks man!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it helped!

[@manicassassin4542]

Definitely earned that sub. I am just a beginner and I didn't know shapes could also be used as tools to alter the shape of other meshes. Honestly surprised more people don't talk about this. 😅 Question though. When you make an arch does it automatically change and allow you to walk through the arch? Or do you still need to change the hitbox information for the mesh itself?

[@3DTudor]

Unfortunately, you'll still need to adjust the collision box, but thankfully, it's quite straightforward to do so using the static mesh editor. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and thank you for subscribing!

[@slackamacgaming6721]

So...quick question...what's the difference between this and using the 'geometry' primitives? Or is there one...geometry primitives have the added benefits of extruding faces...and edge manipulation...plus they are way more easy to apply textures to...just wondering EDIT: OK, ok...I tried it this way...no textures...just the modeling primitives, booleans and scaling...there's something freeing about it...I can't describe it with words...but I see why you guys do it this way now...👍👍👍

[@3DTudor]

Absolutely, having creative freedom and minimal friction in the workflow is essential when starting level design. It allows for rapid adjustments and fluid creativity. Exploring this method offers just that - another efficient avenue for crafting game levels. Ultimately, both this approach and using 'geometry' primitives can lead to excellent results in your designs. It's all about finding the workflow that best suits your creative style. :)

[@Davide-oq7lj]

Oh man this is so helpful... Thanks so much

[@3DTudor]

Happy to help!

[@ItsCoderDan]

this is actually really helpful man thanks!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it helped!

[@augusttell]

Beautiful example

[@3DTudor]

Glad you think so!

[@shashankshankarrajpoot]

Thank you for making this tuts.

[@3DTudor]

Glad you like them!

[@servicetosociety20]

Great explanation, thank you! Please keep making unreal videos, you're a saint! :D

[@3DTudor]

More to come!

[@jomesias]

Liked and subbed, what an amazing looking level and you built it so fast!! Looks like something from Lord of the Rings!

[@3DTudor]

Wow, thanks! ^^

[@ItsMeLuke69]

That's so cool! Thank you!

[@3DTudor]

Glad you liked it!

[@NME10E]

Can I just model a building in CAD and import the obj/fix? Thanks for making this available!

[@3DTudor]

Yes you can! importing 3D assets is super easy in Unreal Engine, all you have to do is drag and drop it onto your content browser. Hope this helps :)

[@NME10E]

@@3DTudor thank you! I do concept work, sculpting and texturing and I’m hoping that UE5 will bring everything together. I’ve only rendered in Substance and blender but studios want real time rendering. Thanks again!

[@hpntc_]

Thank you for that tutorial!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SpenceHartnettLD]

Loved the video! I use the Blockout Tools plugin for most of my level design blockouts. If youre familiar with it, how do you think this feature compares to that plugin?

[@3DTudor]

Haven't checked it myself but from a first glance, it looks like a well-designed toolkit for blocking out levels for sure. But its main focus is the use of primitive shapes which is faster but it's less controlled. You can easily combine the two toolkits from the looks of it so you can have the best of both worlds, have easy to access primitives with booleans and such :)

[@draicor]

Thank you so much for this tutorial mate, subscribed!

[@3DTudor]

Thanks for the sub!

[@smartfridge369]

Great video!

[@3DTudor]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@FPChris]

Can't you keep the grey box on a separate level "layer" to lock it, hide and show etc ?

[@3DTudor]

Yes, you are right

[@attentivenettle7643]

I prefer using blocks from blender 1- gather ref from irl 2- draw parts so you get used to them (buildings. Fire hydrant. Rocks. Castle) 3- block out the parts and insert them one by one to unreal editor and start bashing

[@3DTudor]

That's an absolutely valid workflow :)

[@attentivenettle7643]

@@3DTudor Thanks for approving :)

[@NGFreya]

Awsome! Exactly what I needed, thank you very much!☺

[@3DTudor]

Thanks so much for commenting :)

[@stevethepirate]

you are the best! that was super helpful and clear.

[@3DTudor]

Glad you liked it! ^^

[@TheMetaEducator]

thank you!

[@3DTudor]

No worries!

[@CoDLover94]

did anyone else notice the pillars on the left was squint? thanks for the lesson but that really got my ocd D:

[@3DTudor]

Oh, you're right haha :)

[@rofie_ipr]

Useful tut, thanks so much

[@3DTudor]

You're welcome!

[@fromheartforyoursoul4592]

3:08 "scale it up, scale it down, drag it out" how? i am so confused, was able to copy with the explaination to hold alt but for the rest you didnt explain anything about scaling or draging it out :( Edit: i found it, E and R switch those modes

[@3DTudor]

Yes, thank you for pointing this out :)

[@markrennie86]

If youre struggling with that, then this video is too advanced for you. Go learn the basics of how a 3d program works...

[@tyronejackson1491]

3DTudor rullz yo! Your tutorial and courses are the best. I have a question sir. Can a full game be made in Unreal only using this greybox modeling stuff inside in Unreal Engine 5 or there is necessary to use 3rd party software like blender, maya etc.? can u recommend me some tutorials/courses for beginners to learn to make our own game assets? thank u sir

[@foxwithaplan858]

If you have a blocky art style, sure, you won't need another modeling tool like Blender. You can also use free or bought assets from marketplace, quixel, etc.

[@3DTudor]

Well said, Unreal Engine 5 has lots of functionality that is equivalent to that of a swiss knife. Like the modelling mode, it is useful for sure, but it won't replace the real thing, I recommend you learn blender if you want to do 3D modelling, otherwise, if your focus is on making games, stick with unreal engine, its environment design and game design in general as it is already overwhelming of a program as is.

[@tyronejackson1491]

@@3DTudor Thank you. Regarding optimization, is any difference between using assets made in Blender and the assets modeled directly in Unreal?

[@tyronejackson1491]

@@foxwithaplan858 Thank you Fox With A Plan.

[@philippeeggert]

yes good insight! Thanks for that!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SharinganDeeOfficial]

Was that intro from bards tale?

[@3DTudor]

Our 3D Tudor intro? it honestly has been so long that I forgot xD

[@chacknoris6552]

I am using level editor Trenchbroom and it does exactly this but I feel like a lot better. However its for old games, but it can export to obj. Is it worth swaping over to UE5? I am only interested in level design, mostly gray boxing.

[@3DTudor]

At the end of the day, if you find something that works well for you, and is efficient timewise, then use that. Designing in UE5 would be great as you wouldn't need to switch between programs and you could work directly with lighting as well which greatly effects one's greyboxing. But again, it really is up to you :)

[@KandiceTXJ]

I've watched this tutorial a few times now, but have a strange question. When I save my file and re-open it, my greybox is empty and all the static meshes are gone. I'm new to Unreal Engine. What can I do to reload, or to save so this won't happen again? :(

[@3DTudor]

It might be because the level wasn't stored properly. When you create a new level, make sure to save a level within your project. Hope this helps :)

[@RimanikX]

beautiful!

[@3DTudor]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@tedats]

Nice

[@3DTudor]

Thanks

[@blackheartgaming6121]

Love it

[@3DTudor]

Glad you liked it matey :)

[@FlockersDesign]

The title shut be changed to Best grayboxing starter tips Instead of the current title because that is incorrect

[@3DTudor]

Thanks for the feedback, I'll consider it :)

[@lazona3623]

Thanks! 🌈

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was useful :)

[@osiria4200]

7:13 the popup text says alt + g, verbally he says ctrl + g. ctrl +g is the correct shortcut

[@3DTudor]

ctrl + g to group up; alt + g to ungroup hope this clarifies a little :)

[@markhor141]

How to apply textures to the models like wood,wall any other textures?

[@3DTudor]

For a quick way, I would just use auto UV unwrap found in modelling toolkit and set up material with textures with scalability (texture coordinate node in material graph, click details and adjust scale)

[@markhor141]

@@3DTudor ok

[@RiZRoC]

Tyvm

[@3DTudor]

No worries :)

[@sbmohammed7339]

Bro pls i want one car rig for blender tutorial

[@XZYSquare]

"here's how to build a graybox" step one: learn the tools step two: just make the graybox step three: export it the second step is what i'm stuck on like how do i do that?!

[@3DTudor]

Greybox is just a concept of your level, so it all depends on the type of level you want to make :)

[@ovrava]

Probably a dumb question. But why not make the assets in blender from the start?

[@3DTudor]

It's best to set up scene layout within the game engine to grasp the overall design of a level. Thing's like collisions and the way it interacts with a player is important and having the ability to change that on a fly will speed up your process :)

[@dcfavorite]

It would be wonderful if there's an overwrite command where you can just replace the greybox model with a target model, would save a lot of time than manually moving them and placing them in.

[@3DTudor]

well... you can replace an asset. If you setup static meshes as place holders using modeling mode, you can import a new asset, select them both and click 'replace reference' which would save up time in regards to that :)

[@RaynRaps]

Hey man I stumbled upon your channel and am wondering if your interested in a paid project to do a mockup for our kickstarter game to represent it in unreal 5!

[@3DTudor]

Hi @RaynRaps! We are always interested in new collaborations, send us more detail over at [e-mail] :)

[@josephedmunds1195]

I learned something new white boxing is not the same as gray boxing

[@3DTudor]

haha :D

[@anthmick]

Is there away to align the stretched uv's on the static mess so that you don't get stretching effects on materials?

[@3DTudor]

Hi Anthony, if you enable modeling plugin and search for auto unwrap within its tab, you'll get yourself a basic UV map without stretching.

[@19JustMike83]

Hi. I want to know if there is an option to save .png file ?

[@3DTudor]

No, sorry. If you export out a texture (right click > asset actions > export), it will be saved out as .tga file which then you can be saved out as png using photoshop or a similar alternative.

[@zappyapp]

this seems so wildly inefficient, there's no way this is actually standard practice

[@3DTudor]

There's multiple methods, I am simply showing one of them. In regards to efficiency, it simply depends on its use :)

[@LoofaOfDoom]

well how do you recommend doing it then?

[@lethiagames9208]

isn't this the same thing as geometry

[@3DTudor]

With a little more options and tools, it does create geometry, yes

[@lethiagames9208]

@@3DTudor messing with it, I found that you can't edit booleans once the mesh is created unlike geometry (I will still test more)

[@EvilNando]

great job on the clickbait thumbnail

[@3DTudor]

:3

[@Gravitation3Beatles3]

what? i’m 3 minutes in and can tell the left of the thumbnail is what we do in the video and i’m assuming the right is a completed “rendering” of the architecture full-sized

[@ATomCzech]

I never understand who invented this style put box to the scene and there resize it. SketchUp way is so much better, you can directly draw box inside of the scene. Even Blender already copied this way (still not so good like Sketuch) For rapid level prototyping is would by somuch better to have a possibility do it like this.

[@3DTudor]

It's true that using a modelling software might be easier to create greybox levels. The reason why it's still nice to design a level from within the game engine is that you get to walk around it and check the scale from a character's perspective, also if the prototype for the project already has a code, you can test out its game mechanics within the level and adjust its details real-time. So that's my reasoning for doing it from within the UE5 :)

[@ATomCzech]

@@3DTudor Yes. I agree. This is reason why I would like to have something so easy like Sketchup inside of UE, for greybox levels and even more than that.

[@cgwombat]

Like so like so like so like so like so like so. I cant watch it

[@3DTudor]

Great :)

[@Simkets]

I wish I could just build my level in minecraft and then just export it into unreal engine (or any other engine) 😅 Level design is, for me personally, extremely difficult. All the furniture and walls and textures. I have scrapped and gave up on so many projects just because of level design. It's so sad... I honestly wish there was a way to make level design as easy as building in minecraft 😅 Oh well, once I get rich, I guess I'll pay someone to do level design for me 🥹🥹

[@3DTudor]

Don't get discouraged. Level design is like a whole new world when it comes to 3D work. I'm sure you'll make it though :)

[@Simkets]

@@3DTudor Funnily enough, this video has pushed me to open my abandoned project and start working on it again. It's a small game idea I had for years now. This time I'm approaching it from a different side though. Instead of crying in the engine while experiencing how it is to be a todler again playing with shapes (xD), I decided that I will model all my assests first, and then upload them all to the engine and build with them. Maybe that will be a lot easier to build with and imagine how I want things to look like. Relying on my own assests rather than the engine ones.

[@glowbug-t8w]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tanyasokol3dartist206]

Super tutorial, thanks a lot!

[@3DTudor]

Glad it was helpful!