How to build UE 5.1 from source on linux detecting the right engine version

Development Platform & Builds
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1

I’m building UE 5.1 on linux (mint 21, vanessa) and I have version problems with assets created outside the editor.

The first problem happens when opening projects generated with the Epic Game Launcher on the UE editor. It detects them as if they were for a different version and need to be converted even though I explicitly generated them for 5.1 on the launcher. When opening on the UE editor I have an option to convert them. If I convert them everything goes well and I manage to work.

However there’s another problem now. I set up a C++ project to work with VS Code and whenever I build on VS Code by going to “Terminal → Run Build Task…” and the running “MyProjectEditor Linux Development Build” and then opening the project again on the UE Editor I get the following message:

"The following modules are missing or built with a different engine version"
"MyProject"
"Would you like to rebuild them now"?

If I choose “No” the project doesn’t open, if I choose “Yes” I get “MyProject could not be compiled, Try rebuilding from source manually”.

So I’m kind of stuck. I’m not sure if both problems are related, but it feels like they might because they are both related to the engine version detected not being right.

So, I think maybe I’m not building the editor the right way. I’m following the official docs, which don’t seem to be updated for 5.1 but work for the most part:

Here’s the steps I followed to build the and run the UE editor:

  • Clone git@github.com:EpicGames/UnrealEngine.git
  • Switch to release branch or tag 5.1.0-release, which is commit cdaec5b33ea5d332e51eee4e4866495c90442122
  • Run ./Setup.sh
  • Run ./GenerateProjectFiles.sh
  • Run make
  • Run cd repos/UnrealEngine/Engine/Binaries/Linux
  • Run ./UnrealEditor to finally open the engine

Am I doing anything wrong?
Is there a way to make sure the build matches the 5.1 version exactly, maybe using a different make target or argument?
Is there anything else I can try?

2

I managed to solve the problem with building the project. Instead of building it inside VS Code I build it the same way I built the original editor using make in MyProject directory. That way I can open the project from the original editor dialog. So I can use the VS Code editor to edit the files but I have to keep building them from the console, VS Code probably uses a different tool chain to build.

The problem with Epic Games Launcher is unrelated to this and I still haven’t found a way of fixing it.