I’m having trouble understanding how certain Blueprint nodes in Unreal Engine work, especially the ones that reference C++ functions or concepts but are explained very generally. For example, when I use nodes like Get Control Rotation or Get Forward/Right/Up Vector, I don’t fully understand the underlying C++ logic behind them. These are just some examples, but I have many similar questions. I’m not sure how to trace back from these Blueprint nodes to the actual C++ function they represent.
Some example questions I have:
How does the controller know which way it’s rotated and how does it access this information in C++?
How does Unreal know which camera is set as the View Target, and where is this functionality defined in the C++ code?
Are there specific C++ functions that these Blueprint nodes represent, and how can I understand them better without delving into C++ code?
I’d really like to learn C++ in general and C++ for Unreal Engine specifically, but I’m wondering if, in order to understand the mechanics of a specific function or node, I absolutely need to dive into the C++ code. If so, how do I begin to understand what’s behind these Blueprint nodes? Should I start learning C++ to dig into Unreal Engine, or are there other ways to understand the deeper mechanics without needing to jump into C++ right away?
Any help or guidance on how to approach this, or resources to check out, would be greatly appreciated!
If you install the source code ( in the launcher ) and Visual Studio, then you can just double click on any blueprint node, and see the C++.
You don’t have to do this, though. It’s really up to you.
You will eventually get a good feel for what the nodes mean, but in the meantime there will be struggling, although it’s worth it.
Because it’s keeping track of what’s going on with variables.
Again, you will get a feel for this, but the quickest way is to look at the code.
Yes, precisely. See my first paragraph. BP nodes are chunks of C++ code.
You don’t need to. I totally know what forward/back/right vectors are, and what they mean, but that came with time. Looking at the C++ might be quicker, it really depends how your brain works.
The only time you really need to use C++ could generally be categorized as
Make something faster ( you can get a long way when you know what you’re doing with BP, but C++ will be faster. Mind you, some people could write C++ that’s slower than BP )
Some part of the engine just won’t ‘reveal’ itself to you, and the only way in the end, is to look at the code, to actually see what’s happening.
You want to change some of the actual engine functionality.
I assume the C++ coverage on youtube is about as reliable as the BP stuff, which is, not that great often. Maybe someone will come along with something good.
But I would say, there is no book or UE College. You just need to dive in, and keep going.
Like I say, just double click the node, and you get the right bit.
)