C++ Tutorial

• You will need Visual C++ installed on your machine to do this tutorial.
• You will need to download the Content Examples as she uses some assets from this project.
  • In the Epic Games Launcher
  • Click on the Learn tab
  • Scroll down to find the Content Examples box.
  • 
  • Click on Create Project
  • It claims to be a 2.1 GB project.
  • And it takes quite a bit of time.
• Video 2
  • Starting the project takes quite a while.
  • And quite large (1.5 GB to start)
  • But there is nothing tough here.
  • She does show how to migrate assets from one project to another.
• Video 3
  • My initial compilie was MUCH slower than the one in the video.
  • She provides an overview of the generated code.
  • She is much more leasierly and easy to follow.
  • Just for reference, the final code is

    Pickup.h
    
    	// return the mesh for the pickup
    	FORCEINLINE class UStaticMeshComponent* GetMesh() const { return PickupMesh; }
    
    private:
    	// static mesh to represent the pickup in the level*/
    	UPROPERTY(VisibleAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly, Category= "Pickup", meta=(AllowPrivateAccess= true))
    	class UStaticMeshComponent * PickupMesh;
    
    
    Pickup.cpp
    	PrimaryActorTick.bCanEverTick = false;
    
    	// create the static mesh component
    	PickupMesh = CreateDefaultSubobject(TEXT("PickupMesh"));
    	RootComponent = PickupMesh;
    	

• Video 4
  • In this video you will write two member functions which will turn into nodes.

    Pickup.h
    	// return th value of bIsActive
    	UFUNCTION(BlueprintPure, Category="Pickup")
    	bool IsActive();
    
    	// set the value of bIsActive
    	UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable, Category="Pickup")
    	void SetActive(bool NewPickupState);
    
    Pickup.cpp
    
            // return active state
            bool APickup::IsActive() {
            	return bIsActive;
            }
    
            // change active state.
            void APickup::SetActive(bool NewPickupState) {
            	bIsActive = NewPickupState;
            	return;
            }
    	

  • 
  • BlueprintPure - functions which shouldn't modifiy things
    • Executed everytime data is needed.
  • BlueprintCallable - functions which are more expensive
    • Only called when the execution pin is hit.
    • Return data from last call is stored with "node".
• Video 5
  • I had some problems getting physics turned on in this class. Not quite sure how it fixed it's self, but I did add a debugging statement.

    BatteryPickup.h
    
    	ABatteryPickup();
    BatteryPickup.C
    
    // set default value
    ABatteryPickup::ABatteryPickup() {
    	GetMesh()->SetSimulatePhysics(true);
    	UE_LOG(LogTemp, Warning,TEXT("I Am in the Contstructor Yes I am"));
    }
    
    	

  • and can be viewed
    • 
    • 
• Video 6
  • I just noticed I mistyped volume as volumn, sorry.

  • SpawnVolume.h
    	FORCEINLINE class UBoxComponent * GetWhereToSpawn() const { return WhereToSpawn; }
    
    	// generate a random point to generate the items.
    	UFUNCTION(BlueprintPure, Category= "Spawning")
    	FVector GetRandomPontInVolume();
    
    private:
    	// the boxl componenet to specify where pickups should be spawned.
    	UPROPERTY(VisibleAnywhere, BlueprintReadOnly, Category = "Spawning", meta = (AllowPrivateAccess = "true"))
    	class UBoxComponent * WhereToSpawn;
    
    };
    
    SpawnVolume.cpp
    
    #include "Kismet/KismetMathLibrary.h"
    ...
    FVector ASpawnVolumn::GetRandomPontInVolume() {
    	FVector SpawnOrigin = WhereToSpawn->Bounds.Origin;
    	FVector SpawnExtent = WhereToSpawn->Bounds.BoxExtent;
    
    	return UKismetMathLibrary::RandomPointInBoundingBox(SpawnOrigin, SpawnExtent);
    }
    	

• Video 7 and 8, no notes.