How to Make a Basic Car Game in Unreal Engine 4 (UE4)

Setting Up Your Unreal Engine 4 Project for a Car Game

First things first‚ you need to fire up Unreal Engine 4 and create a new project. Think of this as laying the foundation for your masterpiece. Here’s how:

• Launch Unreal Engine 4: Open the Epic Games Launcher and launch Unreal Engine 4.
• New Project: Select “Games” and then “Blank” template.
• Project Settings: Give your project a name (something cool‚ like “Speed Demons” or “Drift Kings”!). Choose a location to save it. Crucially‚ select “Blueprint” as the project type. We’ll be using Blueprints for this beginner’s guide because they’re visually intuitive.
• Create Project: Click “Create Project.” And just like that‚ you’re in!

Now you have a fresh‚ empty world waiting for your creative touch. Exciting‚ isn’t it?

Importing or Creating Your Car Model in Unreal Engine 4

What’s a car game without a car? You have two main options here: import a pre-made model or create your own. Let’s explore both:

Importing a Car Model

If you’re not a 3D modeling whiz‚ importing is the way to go. There are tons of free and paid car models available online. Sites like Sketchfab‚ TurboSquid‚ and the Unreal Engine Marketplace are great places to start. Just make sure the model is compatible with UE4 (usually in FBX format).

To import:

• Drag and Drop: Simply drag the FBX file into the Content Browser in Unreal Engine 4.
• Import Settings: A window will pop up with import settings. Generally‚ the default settings are fine for a basic car model. Click “Import All.”

Creating a Basic Car Model (Simplified)

Okay‚ let’s be honest‚ creating a detailed car model from scratch is a complex task. But you can create a very basic placeholder model using UE4’s built-in shapes. This is useful for prototyping and testing.

To create a basic car:

• Add Cubes: Add several cube Static Meshes to your scene (drag them from the “Modes” panel).
• Reshape and Position: Scale and position the cubes to roughly resemble a car body. Don’t worry about perfection!
• Add Wheels: Add cylinder Static Meshes for wheels.

This won’t win any beauty contests‚ but it’ll get the job done for now!

Tip: When importing or creating your car model‚ make sure it’s properly scaled. A car that’s too big or too small will cause problems with physics and handling.

Setting Up Vehicle Movement with Blueprints in Unreal Engine 4

This is where the magic happens! We’ll use Blueprints to control our car’s movement. Don’t be scared; it’s easier than it looks.

Creating a Vehicle Blueprint

First‚ we need to create a new Blueprint class based on the “Vehicle” class.

• Content Browser: Right-click in the Content Browser and select “New Blueprint Class.”
• Choose Parent Class: Search for and select “Vehicle.”
• Name Your Blueprint: Give it a descriptive name‚ like “MyCar_BP.”

Adding Components

Now‚ open your new Blueprint. We need to add some components to represent the car’s parts.

• Static Mesh: Add a “Static Mesh” component and assign your car model to it. This is the visual representation of your car.
• Spring Arm: Add a “Spring Arm” component. This will control the camera’s position relative to the car.
• Camera: Add a “Camera” component as a child of the Spring Arm.
• Vehicle Movement Component: This is the most important part! The “Vehicle Movement Component” handles all the physics and movement calculations for your car. It’s automatically included when you create a Vehicle Blueprint.

Configuring the Vehicle Movement Component

Select the “VehicleMovement” component in the Components panel. In the Details panel‚ you’ll see a ton of settings. Here are a few key ones to adjust:

• Mass: Set the mass of your car (e.g.‚ 1500 kg).
• Drag Coefficient: Adjust the drag coefficient to control air resistance.
• Engine Setup: Configure the engine’s torque curve‚ max RPM‚ and gear ratios.
• Wheel Setups: This is where you define the properties of each wheel‚ such as its radius‚ suspension stiffness‚ and damping ratio.

Interesting Tip: Experiment with the Vehicle Movement Component settings to fine-tune your car’s handling. Small changes can make a big difference!

Controlling Your Car with Input in Unreal Engine 4

Okay‚ we have a car‚ but how do we actually drive it? We need to set up input mappings to connect keyboard presses (or gamepad inputs) to the car’s movement.

Setting Up Input Mappings

Go to Edit -> Project Settings -> Input. Here‚ you can define Action Mappings (for things like jumping or braking) and Axis Mappings (for continuous inputs like steering and throttle).

• Axis Mappings: Create Axis Mappings for “MoveForward‚” “MoveRight‚” and “Turn.”
• Assign Keys: Assign keys to each Axis Mapping. For example‚ “W” and “Up Arrow” for “MoveForward‚” “S” and “Down Arrow” for “MoveBackward‚” “A” and “Left Arrow” for “MoveLeft‚” and “D” and “Right Arrow” for “MoveRight.”

Blueprint Logic for Input

Now‚ go back to your Vehicle Blueprint’s Event Graph. We’ll add some nodes to handle the input events.

• Input Events: Add InputAxis events for “MoveForward‚” “MoveRight‚” and “Turn.”
• Vehicle Movement Functions: Use the “Add Throttle Input‚” “Add Steering Input‚” and “Add Brake Input” functions from the Vehicle Movement Component.
• Connect the Nodes: Connect the Axis Value from the InputAxis events to the corresponding input functions. For example‚ connect the “Axis Value” from “MoveForward” to the “Throttle” input of “Add Throttle Input.”

That’s it! Now your car should respond to your keyboard inputs.

Adding Basic Camera Following in Unreal Engine 4

A good camera is crucial for a playable game. We’ve already added a Spring Arm and Camera component‚ so let’s make the camera follow the car.

Adjusting the Spring Arm

Select the Spring Arm component in your Vehicle Blueprint. Adjust the following settings in the Details panel:

• Target Arm Length: This controls the distance between the camera and the car. Experiment with different values to find a good distance.
• Socket Offset: This allows you to offset the camera’s position relative to the car.
• Rotation Lag Enabled: Enable this to smooth out the camera’s rotation.
• Lag Speed: Adjust the lag speed to control how quickly the camera follows the car’s rotation.

Blueprint Adjustments (Optional)

For more advanced camera control‚ you can add Blueprint logic to adjust the camera’s position and rotation based on the car’s speed or other factors. But for a basic setup‚ the Spring Arm settings should be sufficient.