UE editor closes when creating new C++ project

Development Programming & Scripting C++
1

So, I’m still stuck at the very beginning. After investing another day cloning the repository, downloading and compiling the engine, creating projects which every time takes a few minutes, I still can’t create a C++ project.

This Debian Linux 11, current release Unreal Engine 4.26.2, NullCodeAccessor configured. Creating a bueprint project is no problem, but when I try to create a C++ project it goes through indexing project files 5 or 6 times, then opens a file manager and closes the editor.

If I get it right from the Artist_QuickStart tutorial, it should leave the editor open and let me do things, correct ?

I must admit, I am getting a bit frustrated, since apparently there’s little documentation of how stuff works. Any idea anybody ?

How do you guys Linux do it ? What switches have you turned to have the Editor running on Linux ?

Edit: more info: when I open the just created C++ project again, it tells me it is missing or was build with another version of the engine (which is obviously nonsense as there has never been another version of the engine here and the project had just been created). It asks whether to rebuild, when I say yes it rebuilds, then says the engine is out of date and needs recompiling, lists a huge stack of so’s that apparently all beloing to the engine and then exits. When I say no to rebuild, it just exits with error code 1.

I will give any info asked, or turn to any page you point me to, but I had no good hits searching the web.

2

How much memory do you have on your machine?
What does the log file say is happening in the editor when it closes?

3

Thanks for answering. I have 16GB DDR4 + 10GB virtual.

I have attached the logfile. The only errormessage is at line 178.

There are no other warnings or errors in the log. One might say that the clang compiler that Unreal brings with it is not the one from the Debian repositories, but that doesn’t seem to be problem.

Question: what happens when you create a C++ project, will the UEEditor open ? Can you remember if there was any additional config work for you to do ? If so, what was it ? Just so I have a hint where to look, because I don’t (yet) know how the engine works.

Artist_QuickStart.log (386.2 KB)

4

16 GB sounds awfully small. I run out of memory compiling on a 64 GB machine … (But this is Windows – I haven’t done Linux UE in a couple of years.)

What I would suggest trying is this:

  1. configure and build the editor from the command line
  2. start the editor, and create a new empty (blueprint) project
  3. in the editor File menu, choose “create new C++ class” and follow the walkthrough

This should convert your project to have a C++ plugin with it, that you can write your code in. You can then compile by pressing the “Compile” cube button on the toolbar, that will appear once you’ve set up a C++ code pugin.

Still, 16 GB sounds like not a lot. It may be that the kernel is OOM killing your editor process. Check the dmesg whether there’s any mention of that!

5

Yep,

  1. is the way it is done,
  2. works,
  3. I followed your advice,

started ~15 min ago. It is still working, with 8 compiler threads(!), while the editor is unresponsive. Though clang is a real memory hog, it doesn’t run out of memory, but it grabs what it can get. It doesn’t start to swap.

I think I break up the process now. It can’t takt >15min to add a class while the editor is unresponsive. It can’t even take 15 seconds.

Am open for every input.

Edit: so I killed the editor (it reacted to kill, so it was still running, albeit unresponsive at the UI), the compiler processes remained as zombies. Now the editor won’t start again because of missing symbols. I hypothesize that something might be wrong or imcomplete with the installation, either as a result from killing the process (which I doubt), or the 4.26.2 release has a hole in a sock somewhere.

Will first recompile the engine or try an earlier release ('nother day), and if that doesn’t help I fear the engine is not my thing. Though I’m still thinking that if I’m the only one who can’t C++ under Linux Unreal, there might be a simple thing I’m missing.

Edit: Might have found something. Currently it is compilingthe engine.
Will keep you informed (famous last words :wink: ).

Ok, so far exposing the so extended path (see link above) to the editor helps … somewhat. What’s important is not to use the Project Manager, it’s environment is apparently totally messed up (Epic: go fix your program !).

I added the lines to the startup script for non-login shells (that’s ~/.bashrc on my distri) and call the editor with the full path (else it segfaults) to the .uproject file.

That way, I was able to add a C++ class to a blueprint project I had created via the project manager before. I still can not create a C++ project because of the engine’s messed up environment.

Adding an empty class took like 5min, which is out of the question for fluid, serious work. Apparently the editor does indexing of project files (of an empty project) time and again, I have no idea what the program does during all that time. Could well be running a simulation of the universe …

So, these were 2,5 days, and I have accomplished nothing. There must be break now, because I fear it goes on like this.