Throughout gameplay, it’s frequent to want to speak with the participant both by displaying data resembling well being, rating or ammo by textual content or graphics or by permitting gamers to make alternatives or talk preferences by buttons or lists. That is the Person Interface (UI) of the sport.
Replace notice: Ricardo Santos up to date this tutorial for Unreal Engine 5. Tommy Tran wrote the unique.
In Unreal Engine 5, you should use Unreal Movement Graphics (UMG) to create Person Interfaces. UMG lets you assemble a UI simply by dragging and dropping UI components resembling buttons and textual content labels, creating each Display Area UI, which shows on prime of the sport view or a World Area UI, which seems as an in-game component for weapons or giving details about enemies, as an illustration.
On this tutorial, you’ll learn to:
- Create a heads-up show (HUD) that shows a counter and a timer.
- Show the HUD.
- Replace the counter and timer to show variable values.
This tutorial is geared toward a newbie degree however assumes some familiarity with the Unreal Editor. In case you want some refreshing, please consult with the next:
The above tutorials present the premise of the Unreal Engine Editor, how one can create new Blueprints, how one can work with blueprint nodes, variables and features. When you really feel at a loss at any time, please consult with them earlier than going ahead with this tutorial.
Getting Began
Obtain the starter mission by clicking the Obtain Supplies hyperlink at both the highest or backside of this tutorial and unzip it. To open the mission, go to the starter mission folder and open GeometryCatcher.uproject.
Be aware: When you get a message saying that the mission was created with an earlier model of the Unreal editor, that’s OK, the engine updates often. You may both select the choice to open a replica or the choice to transform in place.
Press Play to regulate a white dice and attempt to catch the falling shapes. You may transfer the catcher horizontally by transferring your mouse. After ten seconds, the shapes will cease spawning.
The very first thing you’ll do is create a HUD that shows two issues:
- A counter that tracks what number of shapes the participant has collected.
- A timer that shows what number of seconds stay till the shapes cease spawning.
It’s essential use widgets to create all of those.
Utilizing Widgets
A widget is a UI component that gives visible performance to the UI. For instance, a Button widget offers an object that the person can see and click on.
The widget itself doesn’t must be seen. For instance, a Grid Panel widget divides its area evenly between its contents. The person can’t see the Grid Panel however can see its impact.
Widgets also can comprise different widgets. Right here’s an instance of a customized widget that accommodates a Textual content widget and a Textual content Field widget:
You may even assemble a widget to be a whole interface, resembling a menu display screen. Under is an instance of a widget constructed to seem like a title display screen. All of the UI components are additionally widgets and are contained throughout the title display screen widget.
Now that you already know what widgets are, it’s time to create one for the HUD.
Making a Widget
Go to the Content material Browser and navigate to the UI folder. Click on Add New and choose Person InterfaceWidget Blueprint.
After deciding on this feature, Unreal will show a window asking you what widget class you’d prefer to create. Click on the button Person Widgets and rename the brand new asset to WBP_HUD.
Double-click WBP_HUD to open it within the UMG UI Designer.
The UMG UI Designer
Seven predominant components compose the UMG UI Designer:
- Designer: This space accommodates the visible illustration of your widget. Pan by holding right-click and transferring your mouse. Zoom by scrolling your mouse wheel.
- Particulars: Any widget you choose could have its properties displayed right here.
- Palette: A listing of all of the widgets you should use. Any user-created widgets can even seem right here.
- Hierarchy: A listing of all of the widgets you might be at the moment utilizing.
- Animations: Widgets can have sure properties animated, resembling place and measurement. This panel lists all of your animations.
- Timeline: When you choose an animation, this panel will show the animated properties and keyframes.
- Editor Mode: Right here, you may swap between the Designer and Graph modes. The Graph mode is nearly similar to a Blueprint’s Occasion Graph.
Making a Textual content Widget
Textual content widgets are good for displaying numerical data, such because the counter and timer.
As of UE5, the UMG editor doesn’t present a default container for appearing as the basis of the UI, so that you want a container to fill this position. When you attempt to insert a Textual content Widget with out a container, the Textual content Widget will grow to be the basis, and the habits gained’t be as anticipated.
Go to the Palette panel, seek for the Canvas Panel widget, and add it to the Designer panel.
Now, go to the Palette panel and seek for the Textual content widget. Add the widget by holding left-click< and dragging it into the Canvas Panel you positioned beforehand.
Don’t fear in regards to the textual content content material for now, you’ll exchange it later.
Rename the widget to CounterText. You are able to do this by deciding on the Textual content widget and going to the Particulars panel. Kind in CounterText into the textual content field situated on the prime.
You may transfer widgets by left-clicking and dragging the widget within the Designer.
You can too resize widgets by left-clicking and dragging the handles. Resizing lets you set the bounds for the widget. Unreal gained’t render something exterior the bounds.
Alternatively, you may set the place and measurement by modifying the values within the Particulars panel. Set the next properties and values for CounterText:
- Place X: 200
- Place Y: 50
- Measurement X: 500
- Measurement Y: 100
At the moment, the textual content solely takes up a small portion of the field.
You may improve the font measurement by going to the Particulars panel and navigating to the Look part. There’s a textual content field to set the font measurement on the proper of the Font property.
Set the font measurement to 68.
Let’s make the counter look nicer by including an icon subsequent to it.
Creating an Picture Widget
Picture widgets are a simple option to show graphics in your UI, resembling icons.
Add an Picture widget by dragging it from the Palette window and title it CounterIcon. Set Place X to 75 and Place Y to 50. This can place it subsequent to CounterText.
To set a picture, go to the Particulars panel and the Look part. Develop the Brush property after which click on the drop-down for Picture. Choose T_Counter. Subsequent set the Picture Measurement to 100 by 100.
The picture will look stretched as a result of the widget has a distinct measurement to the picture.
As a substitute of resizing the widget, you should use the Measurement To Content material choice. This feature will routinely resize a widget to accommodate its contents.
Whereas nonetheless within the Particulars panel, go to the Slot (Canvas Panel Slot) part. Verify the checkbox subsequent to Measurement To Content material.
The widget will resize itself to suit the picture.
When enjoying the sport throughout completely different display screen sizes, the UI wants to maneuver its widgets accordingly. To keep up the structure of your UI, you should use anchors.
Utilizing Anchors
An anchor level defines the place a widget’s place is relative to. By default, widgets have their anchor set to the top-left of their mother or father. So, if you’re setting a widget’s place, you’re truly setting its place relative to that anchor level.
Within the instance beneath, every picture is anchored to a single level, the closest nook.
Discover how every picture maintains its place relative to its anchor. Utilizing anchors can guarantee your UI has the identical structure throughout completely different display screen sizes.
You can too use anchors to resize widgets routinely. When anchoring to 2 or extra factors, the widget will resize itself to take care of its relative measurement.
Within the instance beneath, the bar is anchored to the top-left and top-right corners.
Vertically, the bar strikes however doesn’t resize. It’s because it solely has one anchor on the Y-axis, the highest. Nonetheless, the bar resizes horizontally as a result of it has two anchor factors on the X-axis.
The Anchor Medallion represents the placement of your anchor. It’ll seem each time you will have a widget chosen.
The anchors for CounterText and CounterIcon are already within the appropriate place, so that you don’t must set them.
Subsequent, you’ll create one other Textual content and Picture widget for the timer. Nonetheless, this time you’ll place them on the right-hand aspect.
Creating the Timer
First, create a Textual content widget and title it TimerText. Set the next properties:
- Place X: 1225
- Place Y: 50
- Measurement X: 500
- Measurement Y: 100
- Font Measurement: 68
- Justification: Align Textual content Proper; this can align the textual content to the precise aspect of the widget.
Subsequent, you’ll set the anchor to the top-right. You are able to do this by left-clicking and dragging the circle on the Anchor Medallion. Transfer the Anchor Medallion to the top-right nook.
Discover how the place has up to date to be relative to the anchor.
Create an Picture widget and title it TimerIcon. Set the next properties:
- Place X: 1750
- Place Y: 50
- Measurement To Content material: Checked
- BrushImage: T_Timer
- BrushImage Measurement: 100 | 100
As a substitute of setting the anchor utilizing the Anchor Medallion, you should use presets. Go to the Particulars panel and click on the drop-down subsequent to Anchors to show the presets. Choose the third preset, the one with the sq. on the top-right.
Be aware: When you additionally maintain shift when deciding on the anchor then you’ll change the widget alignment to be the highest proper of the widget itself. This manner you may set the place to -75 to reflect the place of the shapes icon.
The structure for the UI is now full. You may see the anchors working by emulating completely different display screen sizes. Go to the Designer panel and click on the Display Measurement drop-down.
Choosing an choice will change the scale of WBP_HUD to match the choice. Under is how the HUD would look on an iPad Mini 5. Discover how the widgets are nearer collectively.
Within the subsequent part, you’ll learn to show the WBP_HUD widget.
Displaying the HUD
Click on Compile and return to the principle editor. Navigate to the Blueprints folder and double-click BP_GameManager to open it.
The HUD ought to be seen as quickly as the sport begins. You should use the Occasion BeginPlay node to do that.
Discover the Occasion BeginPlay node, after which add a Create Widget node to the top of the chain. This node will create an occasion of the desired widget.
Click on the drop-down subsequent to Class and choose WBP_HUD.
It’s essential use an Add to Viewport node to show the HUD. Left-click and drag the Create Widget node’s Return Worth pin. Launch left-click on an empty area to carry up the context menu. Add an Add to Viewport node.
Let’s go over the order of occasions:
- As soon as Unreal spawns BP_GameManager, the Restart and SetUpCamera features will execute. These features arrange a couple of variables and the digicam. When you don’t know what a operate is, don’t fear, the tutorial will cowl them quickly.
- The Create Widget node creates an occasion of WBP_HUD.
- The Add to Viewport node shows WBP_HUD.
Click on Compile after which return to the principle editor. Press Play to play the sport along with your new HUD.
You’ll want the variables holding that data to show the values for the counter and timer. These variables are present in BP_GameManager.
To make use of these variables, you want a option to entry BP_GameManager from WBP_HUD. You are able to do this by storing a reference to BP_GameManager in a variable.
Storing References
Storing a reference is helpful as a result of you may simply entry a selected occasion.
Think about you had a single field with a ball in it. When you needed to search out and study the ball, it’d be simple as a result of there’s just one field.
Now, think about you had 100 bins, however just one accommodates a ball. You would need to examine every field till you discovered the field with the ball.
Everytime you wish to study the ball, you’ll you need to carry out this operation. This is able to rapidly result in efficiency points.
Utilizing references, you may maintain monitor of the field with the ball. This manner, you don’t must examine each field.
Creating the Variable
Open WBP_HUD and swap to Graph mode by going to the Editor Mode and deciding on Graph.
You’ll discover that the Palette panel was changed by the My Blueprint tab. Navigate to it and create a brand new variable known as GameManager.
Go to the Particulars panel and click on the drop-down subsequent to Variable Kind. Seek for BP_GameManager and choose BP Sport ManagerObject Reference.
Setting the Reference
Click on Compile after which open BP_GameManager.
Find the Create Widget node after which left-click and drag the Return Worth pin. Launch left-click on an empty area after which choose Set Sport Supervisor from the menu.
Afterward, hyperlink the Add to Viewport node to the Set Sport Supervisor node.
Be aware: You may reroute wires by double-clicking on them to create a Reroute node. Left-click and drag the Reroute node to reroute the wire.
Subsequent, create a Self node and join it to the left pin of the Set Sport Supervisor node. The Self node shall be listed as Get a reference to self.
Now, when WBP_HUD is created, it’s going to have a reference to BP_GameManager.
Within the subsequent part, you’ll learn to replace a widget with the assistance of features.
Features
In Blueprints, features are graphs just like the Occasion Graph. In contrast to the Occasion Graph, you may name a operate utilizing a node. However why would you wish to do that? Learn on to search out out!
Organizing
One of many causes to make use of features is group. Through the use of features, you may collapse a number of nodes right into a single node.
Check out the Occasion BeginPlay part of BP_GameManager. There are two features: Restart and SetUpCamera.
Right here’s what that part would seem like with out features:
As you may see, it appears so much cleaner utilizing features.
Reusability
One more reason to make use of features is reusability. For instance, in the event you needed to reset the counter and timer, you would simply accomplish that utilizing the Restart operate.
This protects you the work of getting to recreate the nodes each time you wish to reset these variables.
Now that you already know what features are, you’ll use one to replace the CounterText widget.
Updating a Widget
By default, Textual content widgets usually are not accessible from Blueprints. This implies you gained’t have the ability to set their Textual content property. Fortunately, that is a simple repair.
Click on Compile after which open WBP_HUD. Swap to Designer mode.
Choose CounterText after which go to the Particulars panel. Verify the Is Variable checkbox situated on the very prime.
Now, you’ll have the ability to replace CounterText. The following step is to create a operate to replace the textual content.
Creating the Replace Perform
Swap again to Graph mode after which go to the My Blueprint tab. Click on the + signal to the precise of the Features part.
This can create a brand new operate and take you to its graph. Rename the operate to UpdateCounterText.
By default, the graph will comprise an Entry node. When the operate executes, that is the place it’s going to begin.
To make CounterText show the ShapesCollected variable, you’ll must hyperlink them.
Drag the GameManager variable into the graph. Left-click and drag its pin after which launch left-click on an empty area. Choose Get Shapes Collected from the menu.
To set the textual content, you’ll use the SetText (Textual content) node. Drag the CounterText variable into the graph. Left-click and drag its pin after which launch left-click on an empty area. From the menu, add a SetText (Textual content) node.
The SetText (Textual content) solely accepts an enter of kind Textual content. Nonetheless, the ShapesCollected variable is of kind Integer. Fortunately, Unreal will do the conversion routinely if you attempt to plug an Integer right into a Textual content enter.
Join the ShapesCollected variable to the In Textual content pin for the Set Textual content (Textual content) node. Unreal will routinely create a ToText (int) node for you.
To finish the operate, join the Entry node to the Set Textual content (Textual content) node.
Order of occasions:
- Once you name UpdateCounterText, the operate will get the ShapesCollected variable from BP_GameManager.
- The ToText (int) node converts the worth of ShapesCollected to a Textual content kind.
- SetText (Textual content) will set the textual content for CounterText to the worth from ToText (int).
Subsequent, you need to name UpdateCounterText each time the participant collects a form.
Calling the Replace Perform
One of the best place to name UpdateCounterText is correct after the sport increments ShapesCollected. I’ve created a operate known as IncrementShapesCollected that increments the counter for you. The shapes name this operate each time they overlap the participant.
Click on Compile after which return to BP_GameManager.
Earlier than you may name UpdateCounterText, you want a reference to WBP_HUD. See in the event you can retailer a reference by your self first. When you get caught, learn on!
- Find the part the place you created and displayed the WBP_HUD.
- Left-click and drag the Return Worth pin of the Create Widget node.
- Launch left-click on an empty area after which choose Promote to variable from the menu.
- Add the brand new node to the top of the node chain.
After getting created the variable, rename it to HUDWidget.
Subsequent, drag-click the proper pin of the Set HUDWidget node and launch on an empty area. Add an UpdateCounterText node. This can be sure that CounterText shows the worth of ShapesCollected when the sport begins.
Afterward, navigate to the My Blueprint panel and go to the Features part. Double-click on IncrementShapesCollected to open its graph.
Drag the HUDWidget variable into the graph. Left-click and drag its pin and launch on an empty area. Add an UpdateCounterText node and join it like so:
Now, each time IncrementShapesCollected executes, it’s going to increment ShapesCollected after which name UpdateCounterText. This operate will then replace CounterText to the worth of ShapesCollected.
Click on Compile after which shut BP_GameManager. Press Play and acquire some shapes to see the CounterText widget replace.
Within the subsequent part, you’ll replace the TimerText widget utilizing a distinct methodology known as binding.
Bindings
Bindings permit you to replace sure widget properties routinely. The property should have the Bind drop-down to be bindable.
You may bind properties to a operate or variable contained throughout the widget. The binding will continuously get hold of a worth from the operate or variable. It’ll then set the sure property to that worth.
You is likely to be questioning why you shouldn’t simply use bindings on a regular basis. Bindings are inefficient as a result of they’re continuously updating. This implies the sport wastes time updating the property even when there isn’t any new data. Evaluate it to the earlier methodology, the place the widget solely updates when wanted.
That mentioned, bindings are nice for often altering components, such because the timer. Let’s go forward and create a binding for TimerText.
Making a Binding
Open WBP_HUD and swap to Designer mode.
Choose TimerText after which go to the Content material part within the Particulars panel. You’ll see that the Textual content property is bindable. Click on the Bind drop-down and choose Create Binding.
This can create a brand new operate for you and take you to its graph. Rename the operate to UpdateTimerText.
The operate could have a Return node with a Return Worth pin of kind Textual content. TimerText will show no matter textual content you plug into this pin.
Drag GameManager into the graph after which get the TimeRemaining variable from it.
Join the TimeRemaining variable to the Return Worth of the Return node. Like final time, Unreal will routinely add a conversion node for you.
Abstract:
- The binding will continuously name the UpdateTimerText operate.
- The operate will get the TimeRemaining variable from BP_GameManager.
- The ToText (float) node will convert the worth from TimeRemaining to a Textual content kind.
- The transformed worth is then outputted to the Return node.
Nicely accomplished! The HUD is lastly full.
Click on Compile after which shut WBP_HUD. Press Play to see the ultimate outcomes, it appears nice.
The place to Go From Right here?
You may obtain the finished mission recordsdata by clicking Obtain Supplies on the prime or backside of the tutorial.
Now that you already know the fundamentals of UMG, constructing extra complicated interfaces is comparatively simple. Attempt to experiment with different widgets and check out the panel widgets. Feeling assured? Why not attempt constructing one other Widget Blueprint to behave as a New Sport menu!
For a deeper understanding of the UMG and its assets, you may attempt the Unreal Engine 5 UMG programs. Right here you’ll discover data and full programs for creating interfaces in your video games.
