Hey people. I’ve had a few ideas for an RPG style game and I really want to see it made however making it alone seems an impossible task… even if it’s a crappy version of what I want to end up with I just don’t have the skills.
What I do have though is a few years worth of time to learn these skills and pull it together. I’m doing it slowly on a hobbyist type level with the goal of perhaps making one level myself entirely or at least one area as a sort of mockup to
aid in describing and showing say some freelance programmers (or whoever is relevant) what I want and how I want it to work.
My first problem has been well what engine do I choose. UDK (which I’ve never used before today…) immediately stuck out over other engines I’ve been looking at such as Unity and Cryengine in that it seemed most condusive to my goals.
However I’m confronted with a few roadblocks and questions I was hoping someone could answer one or all of.
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I have a Mac which also runs Windows 7… Should I run UDK4 on Windows or on my Mac… Does it make a difference to the output and are the project files interchangable between the platforms?
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What other software might I need in conjunction with UDK4 in order to make my game? Can a rough version be done using UDK alone?
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One very important part of my game would be this very large mountain with a village at the foot of it so detailed terrain would be very important. How equipped is UDK4 in terrain building/sculpting?
Would I be better off using something else for my landscape and importing into UDK? If so what do you consider to be the best software to achieve this that is compatible?
I would be very grateful for just a nudge in the right direction. I want to make sure I am working with the correct tools before wasting time painstakingly learning the process.
Cheers
- you need a 3d program like 3ds , maya or blender + photoshop or gimp + when you want to create your own textures you will also need a good camera
- with lots of experience you can create really cool landscapes in the ue4, but most people do it with tools like world machine, because it’s easier and it doesnt take so long
Just one thing -> dont use the expression “UDK”, because that was the free Unreal Engine 3 + it could get confusing. 
has pretty much told you what you will need but let me elaborate a bit more just in case.
(1. )
Not sure how well Mac runs Windows but the Windows version of the editor is better.
Project files are interchangeable.
You should be able to build a project from any platform (that is… linux, mac, windows) to any platform. Part of this is probably still in development but yeah… that’s the plan at least.
(2.)
If you are going to model your own assets (keep in mind you can just purchase assets or hire a modeler instead) then you will have to learn a modeling program (Blender (free), 3DS and Maya are the popular options).
If you also are going to make character rigs and animations then I recommend you choose Maya as your modeling software instead of the other options.
If you are going to also texture your assets/characters then I recommend a base image editor such as Photoshop or Gimp (free) plus Substance Painter for the actual texturing (it’s awesome).
A rough version can be done using just the engine’s geometry tools but we are talking super rough and only for level blocking.
(3.)
An “okay” terrain can be sculpted using the engine’s terrain tools but for actual high quality and detailed terrains you will also have to learn world machine.
Oh wow. Thanks guys you have been more than helpful I had a look at world machine just now and it appears super simple to navigate and use. I’ll definitely have a closer look at that and the other programs you guys mention. All great advice and gives me some direction. I tried using the Unreal editor both on the Mac OS and Windows (running on the mac via bootcamp) and you are right… the windows version runs FAR better so I think I’ll use that. The Mac one seems to suffer frame rate issues as well as screen tearing in the viewer.
Anyway thanks again for being such helpful people. This is how forums should be like. The ones I usually go to I get snarky remarks and my questions unanswered when I ask things so it’s a welcome change
Hey Medzy, here list of tool u can find usefull, ofcs no all of that is free, but u can look an analog or something.
So for modeling there three programs that have leadership in count of tutorials. Its ,Maya and Blender. Im usualy use Maya but would be easer to new i think.
For sculpting u can try ZBrush or Mudbox, this ultilitys will be usefull for make High Poly models especially if u need to make model more organiс.
So if u want to bake maps for your model a lot of people use xNormals, its free and u can get very good results with it, but i prefer baking normals and ao in Maya with VRay or Mental Ray or even nativ Maya render engine sometimes.
For texturing i use Gimp like free analog for Photoshop and Substance Painter, u should also try dDo for procedur texturing.
Sometimes i need to make texture from real photo, its good practice i think. Look for Shader Map 2 or Crazy Bump. So we have a list:
- , Maya, Blender (modeling stuff)
- Zbrush, Mudbox (sculpting stuff)
- xNormal, V-ray, Mental ray (baking maps stuff)
- Gimp, Photoshop, dDo, Substance Painter (texturing stuff)
- Shader Map 2, Craxy Bump (make normals from textures and photos stuff)
And one more thing: Marmoset toolbag for check PBR Materials on your mesh.
Sorry for language, good luck with your game!