Work with Level Assets

How to create, save, and open Level assets in UE4

Choose your operating system:

Windows

macOS

Linux

For the most part, Levels in Unreal Engine 4 can be handled much like other assets in the Content Browser. There are a few considerations to keep in mind while creating, saving, and opening Levels, and this guide will cover the basics.

Creating Levels

You can create a new Level in the Content Browser in the same way that you would create other assets like Blueprint Classes, Materials, or Particle Systems. However, because Levels are also how you lay out and organize your project, you can create them from the File menu as well.

  1. Open the File menu.

    FileMenu_Windows.png

    FileMenu_Mac.png

  2. Select New Level.

    NewLevel_Windows.png

    NewLevel_Mac.png

    You can also create new levels by using the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl + N.

    The New Level window appears, displaying the different templates you can base your new Level on.

    NewLevelWindow_Windows.png

    NewLevelWindow_Mac.png

    • Default: Select to create a new level with a basic setup that includes a player start, a light, a sky dome, and other various Actors you need for a level to work correctly.

    • TimeofDay: Select to create a new level with a setup that allows you to visualize time-of-day atmosphere settings in real-time.

    • VR-Basic: Select to create a new level with Actors to interact with designed to guide you in learning the VR Editor controls.

    • Blank: Select to create a new level that is completely empty.

  3. Click the template that you want to use.

When connected to source control, new Levels that you create and save will be automatically added to source control.

You can also create new blank Levels or split a section of an existing Level off using the Levels window.

Saving Levels

Saving levels after the initial save is a fairly transparent process you can initiate from the File menu or the Content Browser, but there are some additional steps required on the first save. In addition, changing Levels will prompt you to save your current Level(s) with the Save Content dialog.

SaveContentLevels.png

SaveContentLevels.png

You can also save your current persistent level and/or sublevels through the Levels window.

To save a level for the first time:

  1. Open the File menu.

    FileMenu_Windows.png

    FileMenu_Mac.png

  2. Select Save.

    SaveLevel_Windows.png

    SaveLevel_Mac.png

  3. Pick a location and name for the new Level and click Save in the Save Level As window that appears. This is the same menu you would see if you selected Save As... from the file menu or used the Ctrl+Shift+S keyboard shortcut.

    SaveAs_Windows.png

    SaveAs_Mac.png

Opening Levels

You can open Levels by double-clicking on the Level asset in the Content Browser, but much like creating Levels, you can also work with the File menu.

  1. Open the File menu.

    FileMenu_Windows.png

    FileMenu_Mac.png

  2. Select Open Level.

    OpenLevel_Windows.png

    OpenLevel_Mac.png

    You can also open levels by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + O.

  1. Select a level from the Open Level window that appears, then click on Open.

    OpenLevelMenu_Windows.png

    OpenLevelMenu_Mac.png

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