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UE3 Home > User Interfaces & HUDs

User Interfaces & HUDs

The way in which the game communicates and interacts with the player is extremely important. User interfaces (UIs) and heads-up displays (HUDs) are the games way of providing information about the game to the player and in some cases allowing the player to interact with the game.

Unreal Engine 3 provides multiple means of creating UIs and HUDs. The Canvas class can be used to draw directly to the screen at a low level, overlayed onto the world. Scaleform GFx is also integrated into the engine and provides a complete menu and HUD solution using professional-grade tools such as Adobe Flash Professional. For mobile games, there is also a mobile menu system built on top of the Canvas functionality that provides the ability to create menus using touch input.

Getting Started Topics

Getting Started: Gameplay Elements - Intro to adding new gameplay elements in Unreal Engine 3.

Scaleform GFx

General

ScaleForm GFx - Overview of the Scaleform GFx integration in UE3.

Essential Reading

Setting Up Scaleform GFx - Setting up Scaleform for UE3 in Adobe Flash Professional
Scaleform Quick Start - Creating a basic Scaleform UI for Unreal Engine 3.
Scaleform Workflow - Workflow tips for creating Scaleform UIs for UE3.
Scaleform Terminology - Commonly used terms and concepts for Scaleform and Flash.

Technical Topics

Scaleform Technical Guide - Guide to working with and controlling Scaleform through code in Unreal Engine 3.

Content Topics

Scaleform Content Guide - Guide to creating and setting up Scaleform UIs for use in Unreal Engine 3.
Scaleform GFx Import Pipeline - Guide to importing Flash scenes and content for Scaleform UIs into UE3.
Scaleform GFx Content Best Practices - Tips and tricks on how to optimize content with Scaleform and UE3.

Technical Topics

HUD Technical Guide - Guide to creating heads-up displays in UE3.
Canvas Technical Guide - Guide to using the Canvas object to draw to the screen.
Mobile Menu Technical Guide - Guide to using the mobile menu system for touch interfaces.
UI Data Store System - Guide to creating and using datastores for UIs.

Content Creation Topics

Creating and Importing Fonts - How to import true type fonts for use in UE3.

Tutorial Topics

Actor Selection Boxes - Rendering selection boxes around an actor on screen.
Creating a Mouse Interface - Adding a visible mouse cursor that interacts with the game.