UE Cpp documentation is very limited

Hello all,

I have gone through a few tutorials on UE4/5 with YT/Udemy/GameDevTV. I want to improve my UE C++ skills, but I’m finding the documentation very limited. Much more limited than if you were to look up a built in function in another language. For example this (FMath::VInterpConstantTo | Unreal Engine Documentation)

Am I looking in the right spot for information? Is there a place where I can get more information and usage of these function? I won’t say it’s poorly documented because at least something is there… well it’s like a dictionary without definitions, just a list of words. The word exists and I can use it, but chances are I’m not using it right…

Any directions to more detailed information or recommendations of tutorials/courses that cover UE Cpp in depth would be greatly appreciated!

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Hello there, hope you’re well :slight_smile:
I also had some challenges trying to understand the documentation, my tips to get more knowledge about are:

  • Start a project all by yourself;
  • Try to find your questions here in this forum and, if you can’t find, don’t be shy to ask, here is great community;
  • You can find some really cool stuff in the Unreal Engine Learning section over here;
  • ChatGPT is a great ally when you need more explanation about some older functions;
  • Feel free to message me if you have any cpp questions, it will be a pleasure.
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Best thing to do is to learn the absolute basics first from youtube, channels like matthew wadstein and freya holmer. Learn about the libraries which are used in Blueprint and C++. Learn about subsystems. Learn how to make plugins. The engine is so huge you are usually required to mess around with visual studio’s debugger attached to figure things out. A lot of engine code is overcomplicated spaghetti too, which makes it hard to write proper documentation for. There are more ifs and elses than direct methods in it.

ahem to explain why it is not self documenting, prepare for pasta + sauce:

You can’t take this engine seriously
afbeelding

This is deep

afbeelding

About 50 systems an 50.000 lines of Slate code further you will finally still not know if the widget is visible or not.

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Thanks for the replies. I didn’t even think about asking chatGPT. I’ll checkout those yt channels. and read up on the libraries.

Thanks for the insight into the layers of functions too. it does explain why documenting wouldn’t be easy.

i guess as a follow up question, is there a recommended learning path?

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I’d recommend anything that you are personally really interested in. Because there is plenty to do and getting good at one thing takes a lot of time. The engine can be extremely stressful at times as well when it doesn’t do exactly what you want it to do, some code is just not OK / buggy. Stay away from blueprints if you can for exactly that reason.

If you enjoy creating logic for animation blending, or like creating visual effects, like to visually create shaders then those are things I think this engine provides really good editors for.

Many code related tasks are a pain at first but once you get to know the engine programming is actually really smooth especially implementing new modules, working with arrays etc all the standard stuff more difficult in pure c++ is just easy in unreal. The exception is that some parts such as the widget system are pure garbage code and you might as well spend a month on something you’d do in a day with html + css. It is outrageous.

If you want to do math or shaders, check Freya Holmer on youtube. If you want to learn the blueprint / kismet basics, check Matthew Wadstein. If you want to get started with programming just start anywhere really but dump blueprints as soon as you can for c++.

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I totally agree with @Roy_Wierer.Seda145, the best way to learn UE it’s to starting making what you enjoy. If you’re interested in c++, my tips are:

  • Search for a tutorial of a mechanic that you would enjoy to make made with blueprints and then try to make your own version of it in c++.
  • Try to recreate uncommon game mechanics is a great way to get deeper into c++ code. Something similar to what mix and jam does in unity.
  • Start your own game and always search for your questions here in the forum. There are many experienced developers that would love to help.
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try this:

and this:

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Multiplayer Network Compendium | An Unreal Engine Blog by Cedric Neukirchen

Class Specifiers | Unreal Engine 4.27 Documentation

Property Specifiers | Unreal Engine Documentation

Function Specifiers | Unreal Engine 4.27 Documentation

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