What is Unreal Engine?

What Unreal Engine is

Unreal Engine is Epic Games' engine for high-end 3D games and real-time visuals. It is built for detailed 3D graphics and is widely used for PC and console games.

Unreal Engine was first built by Tim Sweeney at Epic Games for the shooter Unreal, released in 1998. Epic then licensed the engine to other studios, and it became one of the most used engines for PC and console games. Each major version followed the hardware of its time.

Unreal Engine 4 came out in 2014, and in 2015 Epic made it free to download with a royalty model. Unreal Engine 5 was fully released in 2022 and introduced Nanite and Lumen. Epic also uses the engine for its own game Fortnite, and it is now used in film, television and architecture as well.

How Unreal Engine works

In Unreal Engine, a game world is called a level. The things you place in a level are called Actors. An Actor can be a character, a light, a door or a trigger area. Actors are built from Components, such as a mesh to be visible or a collision shape to be solid. An Actor that a player or AI can control is called a Pawn, and a Pawn that walks around like a person is a Character.

There are two ways to write game logic. Blueprints is a visual scripting system where you connect boxes called nodes with wires, so no typed code is needed. C++ is the other option and gives the most control and speed. Many teams use both, with core systems in C++ and game-specific behavior in Blueprints.

The editor includes tools for materials, animation, visual effects, landscapes and cinematics. You can press Play in the editor to test. When the game is ready, you package the project for a target platform such as Windows, a console or a phone.

Key features of Unreal Engine

• Blueprints visual scripting

  Build gameplay by connecting nodes instead of typing code. Designers and artists can add behavior without a programmer.

• Nanite

  A geometry system in Unreal Engine 5 that lets scenes use very detailed models while the engine decides how much detail to draw.

• Lumen

  A lighting system in Unreal Engine 5 that updates bounced light and reflections in real time when lights or objects move.

• Full source access

  Developers who accept the license can read and change the engine's C++ source code on GitHub.

• Niagara effects

  A built-in tool for particle effects such as fire, smoke, sparks and magic.

• Sequencer

  A timeline editor for cutscenes and cinematics. It is also used for animation and virtual production in film and television.

When to use Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine compared with alternatives

How to start learning Unreal Engine

1. 01Install the Epic Games Launcher from unrealengine.com and use it to install the engine.
2. 02Create a project from the Third Person template and explore the level, the Outliner and the Details panel.
3. 03Follow the beginner courses on the Epic Developer Community learning site.
4. 04Make a small Blueprint, such as a door that opens when the player walks near it.
5. 05Build a short playable level with a goal, then package it for your own computer.

What Unreal Engine costs

Unreal Engine is free to download and use for learning and development. For games, Epic takes a royalty once a product earns above a set amount of revenue, and some non-game business use requires a paid seat license. Check the current terms on the official site before starting a commercial project.

How DATAL Projects uses Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine is part of our game development work in the Philippines. Common uses:

• High-detail 3D games
• Real-time visualization
• Cinematic scenes

Common questions about Unreal Engine