Intro to Level Design | Live Training | Unreal Engine

In this video, senior designer Jim Brown demonstrates how the new UE4 toolset simplifies the level design process at Epic Games.
A link to the wiki for further notes is available here -
wiki.unrealeng...

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

All designing follows the same sequence: 1: Big Idea 2: Big Details 3: Little Details

[@person8203]

You forgot 1.5 - the reality of time and budgets crushing your big idea in to a more manageable one

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

person8203 It's sad how painful true that is. Perhaps then: Step. 1: Big Idea, Step 2 : Realistic Idea. Step 3: Value Engineered Idea, Step 4: Just Make a Box.

[@person8203]

TheJaredtheJaredlong sounds about right :) I think the design process would go much smoother if people just went straight to making a box. And the one thought that can quickly snowball an in-progress project to failure, "ooh, I've just had a cool idea for a feature, lets add it"

[@Megalomaniakaal]

person8203 "start with a box and build it up from there" sort of is the point of this video. :)

[@Utroll]

+person8203 hopefully "reality" is everything but objective :) Google about Ferdinand Cheval for instance ;)

[@The88shrimp]

must... not... make... map... until I've... seen all... tutorials... so... hard!

[@YulesYes]

The88shrimp We all know the struggle

[@lakecityransom]

The88shrimp yea.. you know the consequences though, building inefficiently and wishing you had!

[@mat_f96]

The88shrimp Oooh the struggle...

[@SuperDeluxe80]

The88shrimp build prefabs its easier and saves time.

[@The88shrimp]

Krios Uber Someone hasn't taken their medication this morning...

[@SuperGamer87]

I imagine that those ambitious enough to see their projects on UE4 are going to push the general quality of indie gaming to new heights.

[@0Blueaura]

Look at game called GRIP :)

[@TheNiutoN]

6+0+0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@TheLostLT]

wheres the other guy :(

[@vertigo6982]

He now does Freelance work as a Professional Bedtime Story Teller.. for a $10,000 he comes to your home, sits beside your bed reading your favorite book to you.

[@kipchickensout]

Bedtime story teller? I miss the other guy :( The guy's voice in this video is kinda weird. Do you know the rare feeling when your brain is sleeping, but you aren't? That's my stage at the moment... I like listen to the voice and I remember everything, but after the video played, I barely noticed, that the video even was playing...weird...

[@StephenHarperRaptagon]

Why are there raptors in the windows?

[@TheNiutoN]

4500660 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@SpeedSlowVideos]

Step 1: Oh yeah, i can do that. Step 2: Im quitting, im staying with Source Engine, lol jk Unreal is awesome. not as good as hammer tho

[@meenit8603]

Unreal is better than Source Engine (Hammer)

[@SpeedSlowVideos]

Meenit You cant say either is better. Both is good in its way. Unreal can be used for more things, yes.

[@meenit8603]

ghagsdfnaiut asdkflsh Yeah and the people who use Source Engine can only use the 2004 version which is extremely old and outdated. Unreal Engine is constantly updating every couple of weeks.

[@meenit8603]

ghagsdfnaiut asdkflsh Holy shit, calm down. I'm just saying Unreal probably can support more things than the so awesome Source Engine you think is awesome. I don't like Source Engine, you might like it. But I don't. You don't have to cuss at me and make a whole paragraph if you're mad at me because that seems that you're not mature.

[@SpeedSlowVideos]

Meenit I think both engines are awesome! You dont need to Fanboy. You can say Source has less possibilities but it doesnt mean its worse. You can say you like Unreal more, if you had said any reasons. Just dont hate on things because ou like other stuff better. Thats so childish. And no im not mad. Im saying be reasonable and dont be a Fanboy.

[@Broockle]

How are you skipping between camera perspectives so quickly? Do you have a hot key for each different position? Also what are those Raptor heads representing that are peeking through the windows in the 4th stage? xD

[@Broockle]

Through extensive research on this comment section as well as some googling I found that "Camera Bookmarks" can be set with Ctrl + 1 or to any number. And anytime you hit that number again it brings you back to that perspective. Pretty sweet. The Raptor heads are apparently Blueprints if I'm not mistaken.

[@hananelkhattabi9899]

dora

[@R3DPandaLP]

+Broockle thank you

[@vertigo6982]

these camera bookmarks.. does it show you where the cameras are at in space and where theyre aimed at when hitting Ctrl+1?Are there defaults? like Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2 will be another camera etc?

[@josephvanwyk2088]

Great explanation. Quite an eye opener of the gaming industry. I'm busy learning Unreal as a hobby. Would LOVE to get full tutorials on each of those "chapters" just to see and understand the pipeline more carefully. What *exactly* the artist and engineers click on.

[@MrY3110w]

11:51 well that escalated quickly

[@TooToo246]

i'm really grateful for these tutorials, but the dude's voice is sleep inducing!

[@OhLookItsRabid]

+TooToo246 it is...

[@LeonMc48]

I think ill be switching from unity to Unreal.

[@MuhammadRoychanMeliaz]

+Chase McPherson (Mcfearless) sorry to ask this but did you switch? What do you think you like the most? Unity or UE?

[@zakatalmosen5984]

+Muhammad Roychan Meliaz i just switched and i must say even UDK is ten times better than unity

[@MuhammadRoychanMeliaz]

Zakat Almosen how about ue4? UDK and UE4 is somewhat different. Anyway I found it not easy to learn ue4 due to lack of tutorial. Not as easy as I learn unity before.

[@zakatalmosen5984]

i find udk a lot more intuitive, but maybe it's just me. Also, there's a lot of tutorials for udk out there. Unity is nice but really it's on a completely different level

[@freehongkong8732]

That's an L

[@vertigo6982]

Christ, that means Team Fortress Classic never made it past the Prototyping Pass. Imagine what 2Fort would look like now if it got Polished... It would still look like a two minute level but a nice one at that!

[@piotrmazek540]

Well, TFC is an old game. If you do the more polished level, some computers might not want to run it.

[@kula_lala739]

i click Geometry Editing then click an Object but absolutely nothing happens need help

[@Dargaran]

Kulabombula You have to select an actor in your Modes/BSP Tab (like the "Box") and not the "Cube" in Modes/Basic. (UE 4.8)

[@SSG_Ronnie42]

The guy talks way too quiet... had to turn my PC, Tv up to barely hear him.

[@SSG_Ronnie42]

hardstyle905 At least with people shouting I can turn the volume down.lol

[@sandyjuventus]

Make an Unreal tournament on this new engine.. I loved UT2k4 more than any other FPS ever made

[@samuliofdoom]

Why don't YOU make one? $19 dollars for the full engine and source code.

[@Naotaku]

Samuli Ulmanen Exactly my thoughts. It's never been easier :)

[@MrKfadrat]

Samuli Ulmanen exacly, kudos to you. this is insane, honestly, making games has never been so easy and accessible.

[@JeremiahTrue]

Agreed

[@MrKfadrat]

a month. too much? go back to old way.

[@TheExilarius]

Epic !!

[@GLEESPIRIT]

games! (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@dejanranisavljevic]

Dale Dallas teee

[@reddyepie7439]

Unreal

[@ljh1840]

Engine 4

[@TheNiutoN]

060600 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@FiftyNineNinetyFour]

This mainly just talks about how Epic goes from prototype to polished level, without any editor specifics. Not useful to actually learn UE.

[@TheNiutoN]

04806460640 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@ricardomaccotta6367]

I can not express enough how happy I am about that you made UE4 available to everyone, thank you very, vey much

[@TheNiutoN]

6460806846804680 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@remon563]

it would be awesome if we got an actual workflow as an example (bake maps, import, setup materials, using modular assets in general.)

[@TheNiutoN]

0+608684060608 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@GianlucaManzo_TheOriginalKrang]

Great Scott! It's amazing! F@#!ING AWESOME!!!

[@claytongrange2137]

"Jim Brown"? Are you in anyway related to Mark Brown of Game Maker's Toolkit?

[@kummer45]

This is parametric architecture in the purest form. Thanks for the information and the pedagogy of this video. Excellent job.

[@canaldemeditacaodeepsleep7497]

Hello . I´m an artist and i find game design interesting. BUT i have a few questions about this profession . Do game designers need to learn code ? Do you have to apply code ? I dont have any experience with code and it seems very complicated .

[@45611jacksu]

I dont understand how they have these new assets such as SM_Window, Sm_Stairs and all of that, because i only have the default assets and props, im kind of new to this so, i dont actually know where to find those type of props, or make them

[@SuperMontyrock]

Damn !!! Vertex painting!!! Inside UE4!!!

[@TheNiutoN]

006680468 0 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@pet5221]

OMG Unreal Engine just got better, best game engine ever and will be ILUE:)

[@FireFoxFD343]

im hoping to design a cool firefighter simulator game with this engine, with levels and a possible story line, i have very little to no experience with game designing but im hoping to learn from these videos!

[@Evsbear1]

How is it coming along?

[@mazukikayazaki4469]

have you succeded?

[@snythesly]

I forgot something,how much do you have to pay Epic Games when you PUBLISH a game? I know Unreal is free, i want to know when do you pay them,do you pay when you publish it or do you pay them at all?

[@EpingGamingg]

+Bro Hamm basic license is : unreal engine 4 is free you start paying 5% of gross revenue if your suprass 3,500$ in sales, bigger company's can get special licensing depending on how many platforms the project is being deployed to etc..

[@ViTaLTSR]

So the Level designer's work is "just" to do the first step ( prototype pass ) ?

[@izvarzone]

I prefer do both gameplay and visuals but I'm hobbyist. But it really depends on studio, in AAA games many people make same map, in indie games there might be 1 person making visuals and layout.

[@TrabelsiMarwen]

5 unity lovers dislike this video :D

[@person8203]

what do the bubbles and dinosaur heads poking through the windows mean?

[@MisterCreamyDude]

They mean you took too many 'shrooms! :)

[@SianaGearz]

Bubbles are reflection probes, as mentioned by Jeremiah. Dragon heads are Blueprint scripts.

[@JamWalt1]

Fantastic Video, thanks for this

[@hyunseungyoon3568]

Very good helpful explanation ...

[@bench3411]

How do you make all the models: do you make them by another program (blender 3ds Max ecc...) or directly by UE4. I'd be grateful if you answer back. Thank you.

[@eltonsouza4949]

Edkins Gaming exporting as .fbx

[@bench3411]

Thanks

[@wumbl3]

Great looking software! Proud of Unreal.

[@TheNiutoN]

4004+6 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@jacobbouck8381]

I'm running into a problem, it wont allow me to edit individual faces. for example it wont allow me to make a ramp out of cube. I following this video exactly not quite sure where i went wrong. has anyone ran into this problem?

[@farooqirfan8699]

jacob bouck I am facing the same problem. :(

[@farooqirfan8699]

***** Thanks man :)

[@IHasTM87]

Where would you ad a Basic AI just to fill a enemy for test purposes?

[@Megalomaniakaal]

Insane Itachi I did the spawning for a basic bot in the level blueprint, and the bot specific logic in the pawn/actor blueprint specific to the bot. not really sure how much that helps, though, really you're better off checking bot/AI related tutorials for that sort of information.

[@HARDstone3d]

IT'S FU%^*NG AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!!! ON LINUX!!! IF EPIC GAMES will port UE4 on Linux, they will reach BILLIONS of dollars! Because Linux it's greatest INDIE platform!

[@Tobbo2]

They plan on supporting Linux in the future! :)

[@SlapY]

Yeah sure.. because the Linux and Indie-People are always spending tons of money..... Imagine a generic Humble-Fuck-Game (Linux, Indie) selling under 5 bucks to 25.000 People - Epic's getting about $6250. Hardly a billion. Take the current HumbleBundle for example. ~18000 people each payed ~$4,10 to get three games (or, if payed more than 6$, six games). Thats a share of about 91 cents per game per user. I'm not seeing how Epic Games is going to be rich of their 5% share of 91 cents per game/user. But nice dream anyway.

[@Sivuden]

SlapY You might want to check out the Humble Bundle payment averages. Linux is almost *always* the highest paying userbase. I say almost because I haven't tracked every bundle, but the majority- and larger- bundles I've looked at usually had Linux users paying 2-3x as much as windows, and 1.5-2x as much as Mac. So yes, Linux is a good place. Also, Linux could be a far better gaming platform than Windows, assuming drivers/UI and whatnot is fleshed out (See SteamOS) TL;DR: Linux is rapidly gaining traction for a number of reasons; enough that major corporations are sinking big money into it. So sit back and watch. :)

[@HARDstone3d]

Sivuden Absolutely agree 100%!!!

[@TheDrasgon]

Dude... I...need...this...NOW! DX In the first step i thought: "Mhm.. saw way more amazing in the previous UE4 videos..." Second step:"O M G!" Third:" I FUCKING WANT THIS!!!!" Fourth:" * Dies * "

[@KindaLikeWater]

I've very new to UE4. (Maybe a week or two.) I've watched a lot of tutorials at this point, and this one is BY FAR THE BEST I've seen yet! Everything is nice, and clear, and understandable. Love it! I know you did this 2 years ago, but I'm looking forward to finding more of your videos in this series. Thanks, Jim!

[@TheNiutoN]

606606048 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@TheSairenSA]

My Summary: 1 - Block-out (White Box) Pass Block-out the level using primitive shapes (using meshes or BSP tool). Get the level playable without any details. Must be a playable prototype. After the block out stage, level designers will send screenshots of level block-outs to concept artists then concept artists do paint-overs. Asset creators will develop art for the next pass. Add basic scripting 2 - Meshing (Visual) Pass Replace simple shapes with WIP (almost finished meshes), materials, etc. to make it look semi-final work. Add simple lighting . Modify and add to the scripting. 3 - Lighting (Beatify) Pass Achieve close to final lighting, post processing volumes, etc. Replace WIP with final meshes and other assets. Add basic effects, audio, etc. Modify and add to the scripting. 4 - Detail/Polish (Final) Pass Added/Evolved/Final: Reflection actors, Particles, Decals, Assets, Audio, Blocking volumes, Scripting, Etc. (Make it look really good basically)

[@dxfxhouse]

Great video. I'm jumping from Unreal ED 2.2 and 3.0. I have never built anything for UT3. Where would I find a video that explains the grid size and settings? Do we need to use 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 multiplying the previous term by 2? I'm assuming all the BSP needs to snap to the grid and be lined up on the grid. I was fumbling with UE 4.15 and was having a pretty difficult time lining brushes on the grid. When I zoom in it would be off. I would reset it and zoom in more and it's off the grid again.

[@_deus_ex_machina2396]

thank you for the great tutorial... also, thank you everyone for giving useful tips on the comment box... :D

[@TheNiutoN]

080647405 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@danaadalaide5648]

1. Basic balls. 2. They say pretty basic, i think masterpiece. 3. Michelangelo. We're not finished. 4. Finishes it off. Any one of those stages is viable for a game, its just visuals mainly!

[@mustafadarwish4561]

I want to ask about importing the blocks ? are the 3ds max blocks compatible with UE4 or it has its own block extensions ? Can I import my 3ds max design to UE4 to perform a walkthrough to my design ?

[@marco7360]

i remember that i build something like fucking huge i didn't have any outlines any sort testing methods and i build a two story building and when it was half finished it was buggy as hell i had only watched 2 tutorials and i got mad uinstalled and month after now re-installed it because i found all these tuorials. I AM SUPER DUPER SMART

[@paulmattock2007]

Remember that the $19 a month can be cancelled straight after you buy it so you don't need to subscribe indefinitely. I just brought it for $19 and I could cancel it now although it does mean I wont get updates, bug fixes etc.

[@Dimosthenis20]

Hello guys, Im interested in using this software for architectural rendering (ambitious architecture student here) and I wanted to ask u, as Im planning to buy a better laptop which could support such graphics etc. what are the minimum requirements to run this with decency or if you could recommend me a laptop yourselves! thanks much...

[@RodneyHalo3]

Im a beginner in this and still confused about some things like a old building from rome should/can i create that in UE4 or should i master a bit of 3ds max and create it with 3dsmax? Can anyone point me in some kind of direction because i have no goal to learn now for example create architecture buildings or detailed statues where do i begin...?

[@SwitchMaxFX]

question, when you created the more advanced levels, did you create everything from scratch again? or just copy and paste?

[@nophenz8244]

Hey guys, please, in the new version of the UE4 4.7.2 where find the "Brush Type" option? For this no longer where she was ...

[@wernerhiemer406]

This is no teacher. Its a preacher. You are not on GDC. Well even on such event the style would not be satisfying enough. Tell what you do right when doing it and not fussing and blobbering about features no one could remember if not having a use at the very moment of a actual scenes aspects creation.

[@titanicgamer8876]

Weird. I can't get those BSP options you have. That tile align tool looks really useful. I guess it was taken out?

[@ChewableTrent]

I remember starting on udk on a mid level laptop. The text that would haunt me when i closed my eyes would be "Lighting needs to be rebuilt"

[@TheNiutoN]

65604880668060 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@dorayekndoemini1239]

im at U.E 4.7.6 and i do not have a geometry tab and when i use the geo editor it doesn't work and wont let me change shapes or sizes of anything i place anyone able too help?

[@darkraven107]

I just used 25 minutes of my life listening to the most boring and repetitive voice i've ever heard. Just great...

[@mirroredgamingsteven3703]

Would anyone like to kinda mentor me like when I have a question about level design with ue4 they could tell me how to do it over skype anyone whos kinda good could really help me.

[@hypersonicblabla]

why you guys made the old videos hidden it was very helpful for beginners to know about UI and basics

[@tiernanwatson9789]

These tutorials have a lot of good points and are easy to follow. But they are far too slow. I feel like I'm back in school.

[@Discipol]

I would not say this is level design since half of the video is basically describing the editor itself. More like introduction into UE4.

[@alectaylor518]

About the phases in a real game do you just change phase 1 to phase 2 and so on or do they really copy it over and over again and if so do the keep all them in the game just not playable or do they delete all but the last.. i no it sounds like a stupid question

[@skippyzk]

This is an ok video, it could be great with good editing. The pacing is really bad tbh

[@artemmartus4253]

Guys, let us team up! Together for the GLORY :D

[@TheNiutoN]

0040405 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@digimikeh]

13:42 .. the material is pretty basic?... if that is true, then i can't imagine what can do an advanced shader hehe

[@aaro1268]

25 minute video. 15 of those minutes spent repeating the same 3 sentences in every possible way.

[@amirgas3620]

can you make tutorial for arabic speaker please

[@paperelf]

So wait do you just basically copy and paste it to a different area and add to it? Is that what this guy is doing in each phase?

[@allaboutthementality1594]

You just gout a next subscriber :).

[@TheNiutoN]

6046048604860 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@nicola36631]

These videos for U4 for me are great, like REALLY great. I can only be thankfull to you for made these videos. I'm a student, i'm 16 and i'm learning how to use U4. Luckily i can speak a good english, so i understand most of the video, also if sometimes the subtitles REALLY help me a lot so than you for have done them well,however i prefer the man voice in the other videos. It was kinda more addictive and active. However just preferences, but i'm really thankfull to you to have done this.

[@brettsullivan4025]

why dont we just call it a mesh wrap sync or a mesh wraparound to object attachement??

[@nikrbawker]

Was about to say what a horribly tut then I see the channel name is "Unreal Engine" Blah.

[@Sergeiletsrock]

You forgot to say most important - how to pak your map and play it?!?!?!?!?!?

[@KyleHarmieson]

This isn't really much of a level design introduction. It's more of an overall description of Epic Games' pipeline. I'd have like to hear more about how in-game assets are designed (you know, actual nitty-gritty level design details), but it was still interesting to hear how the actual process goes.

[@mario13373]

I don't seem to have the geometry window, anyone know why that is?

[@77Raffi77]

Riley Manson Those meshes are found under "Basic" now

[@77Raffi77]

77Raffi77 *BSP not Basic

[@mario13373]

Thanks man! Helps a bunch!

[@farooqirfan8699]

77Raffi77 where is BSP

[@MrBlaze331]

Does Autodesk Maya Help in creating maps ?

[@apollo1999999]

I thought it was Columbia from Bioshock Infinite

[@CrackHardy]

This would rape my computer trying to run this...

[@warrenbuitendag5286]

man i still remember those small orange/red dragon heads when i was trying to build levels for UT99 back in the day, never could quite figure out what they were for.

[@johnberryconwayiii7071]

BLUEPRINT.....My dream come true

[@EnergiaRocket]

I think I will rescale my project from an overly realistic tank game to a voxel tank game. Would be a lot easier. And fun anyway :)

[@Lol-lg6bz]

Really nice tutorials, but I started using UE4 just now and I only found this playlist, but it is really different than my UE4's version (4.10.4). Does someone know other tutorials done with a version after mine?

[@abhistorm]

"We don't care if they are pretty as long as the gameplay is good"...only if all the developers lived by that code. Awesome videos btw! :)

[@shamanik1320]

Good tutorial, but I watch tuts on my phone a lot and s7's speakers aren't that great. If I had one small critique it'd be to speak up just a little, please?

[@lordt7696]

This is like, Frostbite 3 level quality. Uhh...

[@slimmyblanco9004]

What key is he hitting when he jumps back and forth between the different sets/levels? I'm assuming its preset cameras in each room and he is hitting a hot key assigned to each camera to jump between them.

[@Dillinger86]

it'd be nice if you could take a window and drag it to another monitor

[@TheRyupichu]

I wonder if gearbox would use this engine for the next borderlands, im thinking about using this engine for an fpsrpg

[@rachelberry2193]

I can't figure out how to select the individual faces on the cube :/ I select geometry edit tool but then get lost after that lol. I suck at this. haha. It's hard to switch from Maya.

[@heatherl.8575]

This was extremely helpful, thank you very much!

[@TheNiutoN]

1056006604 kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3O3o6Gfi7p-hqc

[@SilconOne]

Can you do a video on the workflow on setting up a development and distribution layout, how to prepare for servers and do you manage Users how do you track data and maybe some links resources for this outline thanks

[@3RDEYELOVE]

So level blueprints is for all the interactive elements of the scene ..so does that mean there's characters blueprints? A.i blueprints? Also

[@DroneGrinder]

i wanna know how to make that button and how u jump to the next map like that.

[@kevinrosatti]

I am new to unreal, and I am interesting to know if you can import model from other sources to unreal. I have seen some architectural visualization samples online and I want to know if there is any video tutorial specific to architectural visualization and animation. Thanks for the tutorial.

[@ShadeWMD]

I've been a lifelong gamer but have never wanted to actually design games until now. Wow. Unreal Engine 4 is unbelievable.

[@gregpavlos87]

What texture is the floor texture?Also pilars etc...

[@박현호-w7o]

There is the question. How do you become miscellaneous reparation of level designer and level artist in works 1.~4.?

[@TheiLame]

20:02 That's kind of sad .. Copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy

[@Wingz117]

i absolutly love unreal engine, but hate level design so i cant say how thankful i am that you made this

[@LeadsTheFallen]

This is like project spark lol

[@disablesmilies]

someody anwser me so this comes after 11 simple tutorials... omg this i skipped something :O