The new learning portal preview is now live!

[chrismmurray_EG]

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to share that the next evolution of the Unreal Engine learning portal is almost here! Today we opened access to a preview of the next iteration of our learning portal and you can try a preview of the new learning experience now. We are excited to share some of the great new features and content for this much-anticipated update.

In addition to new content, we’ve added key features you’ve asked for, including:

• Improved search: Browse courses by topic, author, or industry to more easily find the material you’re looking for.
• Progress tracking: See how far you’ve progressed in any course, and easily pick up where you left off. Bookmark your place within a module, and add a course to your favorites, so you can easily revisit it later.
• Quizzes: Check your understanding with built-in course assessments and make sure you are ready to apply what you’ve learned.
• Badges: Earn skill badges as you complete courses. Keep track of them on your profile.

We hope you’ll enjoy these new changes that are just the start of what’s to come. Please let us know what you think by dropping us a comment here or leaving course feedback in the "Touring the new Unreal Engine learning portal" at http://preview-academy.unrealengine.com/.

As a note, you will need to be logged into your Epic Games account in order to access the preview.

By the way, lots of completely new courses are also in the works and will be released soon!

Best,

Chris Murray

[BlackIrish]

I figured it out. It looks like it was a problem with Microsoft Edge. I opened the file in Chrome it works fine.

[BlackIrish]

I just downloaded the class files from:

epicgames.box.com/s/8fqqgilpyrzqndpxn7dfawkxd8boefhe. When I try to open the files I get an error message "The archive is corrupt". I cannot open the file. Any advice?

[redsolar]

1. Possibly add a dark background behind video when played non-fullscreen. The page background is white contrasting hard on mostly dark-ish videos.

2. "Course Updated" notice on the learning path (or outline) page doesn't state which particular video was updated. I would just like to be able to watch the particular updated content and retake the quiz if needed.

3. Maybe allow feedback at any given point during the training. Whether it's feedback in regards to a whole course or a particular topic video. Perhaps auto-include which page the feedback is sent from to help content developers pinpoint areas of concern.

4. Some of the learning paths have multiple courses repeating concepts already explained. I feel there could be some consolidation of concepts spoken of so that learning paths stay focused and take less time to accomplish the same result.

5. Please double-check content (quizzes being the biggest problem area) for typos and grammatical errors.

Thank you for the training material! Been learning some interesting things as someone new to UE.

[Dhaylen]

Would love a true Gaming Path:
Example of why this is needed (Using Funcom's game Conan Exiles - which uses UE4)

1: Can't have mounts
(Reason: We didn't set it up right in the beginning)
- A game company having issues, how much more will a beginner have issues

2: Cant have a bigger map, 'UE4' is limited and things get wonky at the edges
(Hasn't this been solved, and yet its not obvious to most - creating a Skyrim type game seems out of reach without proper education)
- Seriously though, in my mind a level is literally each a load screen - can you not just make infinite areas based on levels - seems not

Its cute that there are lighting courses, landscape courses, etc. But...
… Went to make landscape and get tears in my landscape that cant fix with the tool that is supposed to fix it after stretching the heck out of terrain for mountains.

etc. Totally want a legit open world, course that includes all the character assests from Paragon.
*** (Tried a tutorial with one and it went wonk)

*** Most tutorials are 'do this' without 'here is why'
Its like learning Math in school - "heres a formula" - forget formula as I don't get the reason and application of why its there.

Thanks Epic - look forward to this tutorial for 'idiots' like me!
Dont mind paying for it even, but it has to be comprehensive, and kept up to date with the latest engine.
(For a beginner, its nerve racking to have a feature either totally missing, or in another location, or broken - keep it updated the videos... please)

[IceDealer]

This is kinda off topic but I want to find out where the jungle environment picture in the launcher is from. Does someone know? The picture above "Introducing the next evolution of Unreal Online Learning"

[ayretek]

ok, hope no one took #6 in my above post as some kind of rant of some kind.. wasn't meant to be.

I really like the Learning Portal & the way it's coming along with some great courses & just a great concept period.

1) would like to see a permanent filter for not showing courses that we already have finished in the course catalog.

2) and if possible - any course videos that we 'have' to stop in the middle of, would start back where we left off when we come back.

3) bookmarks for marking reference material for coming back to later.

*** & get Sam Deiter a nice Stand-Alone Microphone for Christmas …. Make that NOW !! lol

* btw great courses Sam (& btw learn Blender, lol)

[chrismmurray_EG]

Hi. Thanks for the new learning portal, which is great and for me a high motivation to continue learning!
I have a few suggestions for improvement if you don´t mind. Some icons on the left side of the overview list would be nice to be able to quicker grasp if there is a quiz coming up or a tutorial. Also, the times of each part would be nice to see up front (shown in red on the screenshot). A total tutorial time for a full course would also be great, since some of the included courses might take many hours while some a just a couple of minutes. Knowing up front how long a full course takes, would help to decide scheduling learning hours and days.



Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Martin

Thanks for the ideas Martin, I've passed them on to the rest of our team!

Glad you're enjoying it!

Chris

[chrismmurray_EG]

It looks really cool, but I do have one gripe with the page:

Unreal says: give us your real name, we'll keep it private, but then the achievement page puts it front and center, with not much insight on who can see what, and with no means of changing it (at least, not obviously).

Share your badge on social media, or linkedin, or where ever sounds cute, but not if it comes with a legal name not used anywhere else...

Hi Lunlun, the achievement page is private only to you. It shows only your achievements. No one can see yours and you can't see anyone else's... if that's not the case let me know!!

The linkedIn sharing is totally optional, and because the way LinkedIn works you will be required to manually fill out some of the course info to post it to your profile. This is a limitation of LI, not of the learning portal.

Thanks for learning with us!

Chris

[Sveitar]

Is this still happening, Sveitar?

It's working fine now!

[VIZPARK]

Hi. Thanks for the new learning portal, which is great and for me a high motivation to continue learning!
I have a few suggestions for improvement if you don´t mind. Some icons on the left side of the overview list would be nice to be able to quicker grasp if there is a quiz coming up or a tutorial. Also, the times of each part would be nice to see up front (shown in red on the screenshot). A total tutorial time for a full course would also be great, since some of the included courses might take many hours while some a just a couple of minutes. Knowing up front how long a full course takes, would help to decide scheduling learning hours and days.



Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Martin

[TheCutestLunLun]

It looks really cool, but I do have one gripe with the page:

Unreal says: give us your real name, we'll keep it private, but then the achievement page puts it front and center, with not much insight on who can see what, and with no means of changing it (at least, not obviously).

Share your badge on social media, or linkedin, or where ever sounds cute, but not if it comes with a legal name not used anywhere else...

[ayretek]

hi all & Sveitar - have you followed all the guidelines here: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/b...eview-released
( & I don't know if it will help but ya could try logging out then back into your account - weird stuff like this works sometimes )

first few times I tried to access from the link provided in this thread I got the error 500 but tried another link later & it worked - so keep trying!


-- also (since I can't find the feedback link (or see it ?? anymore)) -->

To Note:
1) the Tab Title on Explorer has Home - Epic Games - which is confusing. Maybe Learning Portal - Epic Games or something else would be more appropriate

2) in IE 11 - the Exit button is barely on the page when doing a course (is Edge required?)

3) I have yet to find a place to actually Log Out ! or to access my account & change anything like maybe the avatar icon for the account. (again IE 11 - maybe I'm the only one that uses it anymore)

4) course library needs categorizing - redesign or something - it's getting so confusing, so fast, with all the new additions being introduced.

5) need more Links & more Info on a lot of subjects - to show more resources and places for further study -

6) And I hate seeming critical of such a great resource … but..
hate even more seeing quick hacks or should I say something that will probably cause issues later on for someone just starting Unreal Engine:

* was doing one of the courses & a point light was added with an effect in a Torch BP so ok.. great for visuals
then in the event graph the first node after begin play a Delay node was put in... which made me twitch just a lil'...

ok... a delay to randomize the point light, it's just a demonstration, right. then it was hooked back into itself … ack an Infinite Loop, my skin begins to crawl, that's a bit hacky but just a Demo, right
then drags off it in the Level & creates 4 more (my mind flashed back to when I put 4 Point Lights too close to each other & the Engine puked it back out (previous Version)) then...
again dragged off that 4 & now we have 8 Beautiful Torches w/ 8 Point Lights w/ 8 Infinite Loops! And My Heart actually skipped a couple of beats but thought 'Just a Demo right?'

even in the Course when the Demo Level started up I could see it snag & lag at the beginning & thought I bet that's a high end computer and it still popped like that. argh!
then I'm reminded of trying to help others on Forums etc. just to find out they have done something like this in their Levels & they couldn't figure out why they were getting less than 9 FPS

** Time to Stop the quick hacks in Tutorials & Demos without explanations &/or links showing other more correct ways of doing things in Unreal !
( this could ruin the Unreal Engine experience for a lot of people later on )

* Links etc would also be helpful for more advanced topics, as well, to help fill in the blanks. The more advanced the subject the more background Information one needs to fill in the gaps someone might have.


- You are Teachers & Instructors trying to help people learn Unreal Engine - Not 'Used Car Salesmen' trying to sell a car to some Old Lady!

We're already Sold on Unreal & anyone that can't hang in long enough to learn how to do it right won't stay for long anyway.

-- There is No 'Easy Button' in Unreal ! --

sorry for the post being so long

the Learning Portal is a great Idea & loving it so far !

- & as always -- Thank You Epic / Unreal !!!

[Kalvothe]

I'm getting error 500 when I try to join the preview

Is this still happening, Sveitar?

[Sveitar]

I'm getting error 500 when I try to join the preview