074.
Timers and the Create Event node
Blueprints | Events | Functions
Connect a Timer to a Create Event node to enable a greater deal of flexibility. This allows the Timer interval to trigger a Function or Custom Event from the Blueprint itself or another object altogether. In addition, this allows the creation of Timers within Functions themselves.
073.
Timers
Blueprints | Events | Functions
Utilize Timers to execute a function or custom event after a given interval, which can be looped. These are useful for functionality such as; stat regen, cooldowns, attack intervals, damage over time, and much more.
072.
Temporarily Change Actor Pivot
Actor | Viewport
Utilize the ALT + Middle Mouse Button shortcut to temporarily change the actor's pivot point. This can be very useful in quickly fine-tuning the location, rotation, or scale of the actor.
071.
The Math Expression Node
Blueprints
Utilize the Blueprint Math Expression Node to quickly generate a collapsed node graph from a typed mathematical expression.
This is useful for simplifying the Blueprint graph and potentially speeding up workflows.
070.
Named Reroutes
Materials
New in Unreal Engine 4.27 and Unreal Engine 5, you can utilize the Named Reroutes feature to help clean up your Material Editor.
These are essentially wire portals that help segment logical sections of nodes.
069.
Hide Editor Grid Lines
Blueprints | Materials
Tired of the Editor grid lines and want a cleaner canvas? Then disable the Use Grids In The Material And Blueprint Editor option in the Editor Properties.
I personally enjoy having a no-grid canvas as it cleans up visual clutter, and improves screenshot possibilities.
068.
The Depth Fade Node
Materials
Utilize the Depth Fade node to add depth blending to your world. This node is very useful for blending the intersection between meshes, water depth, fading an area to black, pseudo-fog, and more~
067.
Rotate Mesh Via Material
Materials | Static Mesh
Utilize the Rotate About Axis nodes to rotate Static Meshes purely by the material. This offloads rotation computation from the CPU over to the GPU. Do note that this does not move the physical location of the Static Mesh.
066.
The Vertex Interpolator Node
Materials | Optimization
Similar to the Customized UV feature, the Vertex Interpolator Node offloads instructions from the Pixel Shader over to the Vertex Shader. But unlike its counterpart, it's more flexible as it's a readily available node.
065.
Customized UV's
Materials | Optimization
Optimize the performance of your materials by utilizing the Customized UV's feature. This offloads texture UV calculations from the Pixel Shader over to the Vertex Shader. And as an added bonus, it helps clean up your graph.
More Info
064.
Show All Redirectors
Best Practice | Content Browser | Search Syntax
Utilize the Redirector Filter OR the Show Redirectors filter and the type=ObjectRedirectors search argument to display ALL of those pesky redirectors that are in your project. It is ideal to clean these regularly to avoid catastrophic file issues later on.
063.
Save & Load Editor Layouts
Editor
You can save, manage, and load your most commonly used Unreal Engine editor layouts. This is very helpful if you have different windows, tabs, and/or panel layouts depending on what you're currently working on. Note, open asset windows/tabs are not saved.
062.
Color Picker Themes
Editor
You can drag and drop colors to the top of the Unreal Engine color picker to save them within a theme. New themes can be created, managed, and switched to via the drop-down button.
061.
Lighting Channels
Lighting | Lumen | Unreal Engine 5
Utilize Lighting Channels to fine-tune what components are illuminated by what lights. This is very useful for accent lighting or lighting up only specific objects (e.g. characters). Note, this will only work with dynamic lights on opaque materials.
060.
Lumen Hit Lighting Reflections
Lighting | Lumen | Unreal Engine 5
Enable the Support Hardware Ray Tracing and the Hit Lighting for Reflections options in the Project Settings to achieve near Ray Tracing levels of reflection quality for Lumen.
Do note that enabling this will impact GPU performance.
059.
The Audio Widgets Plugin
Audio | Plugin | Unreal Engine 5
New in #UnrealEngine5, enable the AudioWidgets Plugin to gain access to ready-made widgets specifically tailored for audio data and system interactions.
058.
The Console Variables Editor Plugin
Console Variables | Plugin | Unreal Engine 5
New in Unreal Engine 5, the Console Variables Editor Plugin allows developers to add, modify, and save out their most used Console Variables.
057.
New Unreal Engine 5 Templates
Unreal Engine 5
Many of the Unreal Engine templates have been updated for Unreal Engine Preview 1 with new materials, map layouts, locomotion, and more! Go check them out~
056.
Call In Editor
Blueprints | Events | Functions
Enable the Call In Editor option for Blueprint Functions and Events to add them as a button to the Blueprint Actor's Details Panel. When this button is pressed, the function/event is called.
Only works without inputs/outputs.
055.
Float to Double in UE5
Variables | Unreal Engine 5
In Unreal Engine 5, the Float and Double data types have been migrated to a singular Float data type.
A Double is double the precision of a regular Float
Newly created Real Variables within a blueprint will be a Double Float
054.
Find In Blueprints
Blueprints | Events | Functions | Macros | Variables
Massively speed up your workflow by utilizing the Find In Blueprints feature, which allows you to search ALL blueprints for functions, events, variables, comments, and more.
No need to search each blueprint one by one ;)
Note: Utilize the CTRL + SHIFT + F shortcut while in a blueprint to open the Find In Blueprints window
053.
For Each Enumerator
Blueprints | Variables
Having trouble finding out how to loop through Enumerators in Blueprints?
Simply open up the Action Menu by pressing the TAB key and type in "ForEachE" in the search field.
This will display all the available Enumerators you can loop through.
052.
The Measurement Tool
Viewport
You can measure the distance between objects by pressing down and dragging the MMB within a level viewport set to an Orthographic View Mode.
Affected by the Viewport Grid Snapping Settings
Displayed metric until can be adjusted by the Measuring Tool Unit settings found within the Editor Properties
051.
Viewport Split View Layouts
Viewport
Click on the top-right button within a level viewport to quickly switch to a split view layout. Press on it again in the desired layout panel to maximize that view.
The desired split-view layout can be set via the Viewport Layout Options Menu found in the top-left of the viewport.
050.
Viewport View Mode Shortcuts
Shortcuts | Viewport
Utilize the CTRL + MMB + Drag shortcuts to quickly switch between viewport view modes. These are immensely useful for speeding up level design!
| View Mode | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Orthographic Top | CTRL + MMB + Up |
| Orthographic Bottom | CTRL + MMB + Down |
| Orthographic Back | CTRL + MMB + Left |
| Orthographic Front | CTRL + MMB + Right |
| Orthographic Right | CTRL + MMB + Up-Left |
| Orthographic Left | CTRL + MMB + Up-Right |
| Perspective | CTRL + MMB + Down-Left/Right |
049.
Python Foundation Packages Plugin
Plugins | Unreal Engine 5
New in Unreal Engine 5, the Python Foundation Packages Plugin finally brings official support for common Python libraries such as -- NumPy, PyTorch, and PIL!
Note: Only available via Unreal Engine 5 source or on release
048.
The JSON Blueprint Utilities Plugin
Plugins | Unreal Engine 5
New in Unreal Engine 5, the JSON Blueprint Utilities Plugin finally brings official JSON support to blueprints. Create and parse Json to your heart's content!
Note: Only available in Unreal Engine 5 source or upon the official Unreal Engine 5 release.
047.
The Niagara Fluid Plugin
Niagara | Plugins | Unreal Engine 5
If you're into Niagara and FX in general -- then you're going to want to check out the Niagara Fluid Plugin coming in Unreal Engine 5!
This plugin provides amazing Grid 2D and Grid 3D templates for Niagara. Gas, fire, explosions, water, and many more are available to try out.
Please note that the plugin is currently listed as beta -- so your milage may vary. In addition, it's only available in Unreal Engine 5 source or upon the official Unreal Engine 5 release.
046.
The Actor Palette Plugin
Level Design | Plugins | Viewport
Enable the Actor Palette Plugin to gain access to a helpful tool that allows you to sample actors from another level.
This tool has proven invaluable for level design and set dressing.
045.
Atmospheric Sun Rotation Shortcut
Lighting | Viewport
The rotation of the Atmospheric Sun Light can be easily modified by holding CTRL + L and moving around the mouse. This is an extremely beneficial shortcut for lighting artists trying to set the mood ;)
Note: This requires a Directional Light with the Atmospheric Sun Light option enabled.
044.
Freeze Rendering
Console Command | Optimization | Viewport
Utilize the FreezeRendering console command to freeze the rendering state of the actors within the Editor Viewport.
This allows you to easily inspect and debug the occlusion culling results.
043.
The Preview Mesh
Shortcuts | Static Meshes | Viewport
Hold the BACKSLASH shortcut to display the Preview Mesh under the mouse's current location within the Editor viewport. Use with the SHIFT modifier to cycle through the designated Preview Meshes.
Useful for previewing specific test Static Meshes in certain environments.
042.
Modifying Structure Variables
Blueprints | Variables
Utilize the Set Members node to easily modify specific variables of the desired structure.
041.
Print String Output Log Tagging
Blueprints | Functions
Append either Warning or Error as a prefix to a Print String to have their colors in the Output Log be Yellow or Red respectively.
Note: This will not tag their verbosity to those levels.
040.
Show 3D Widget
Blueprints | Variables | Viewport
Enable the Show 3D Widget property on Vector and Transform variables to allow direct manipulation from within the level viewport.
039.
Node Pin Drop Context
Blueprints | Functions | Variables
Speed up blueprint workflows by drag dropping variables and functions onto existing node input and output pins. This will automatically spawn and connect them.
038.
Drag Drop Variable Modifier Shortcuts
Blueprints | Variables
Hold CTRL or ALT when drag dropping a variable onto a blueprint graph to immediately drop the GET or SET variable node.
| Shortcut | Node |
|---|---|
| Hold CTRL during drop | GET |
| Hold ALT during drop | SET |
037.
Validated Get
Best Practices | Blueprints | Variables
Improve the readability of blueprint graphs by utilizing the Validated Get method for UObjects over the Is Valid Macro.
036.
Keep Simulation Changes
Physics | Shortcuts | Viewport
Utilize the K shortcut to keep simulation changes on selected actors during SIE (Simulate In Editor).
035.
Align Nodes Shortcut
best practices | blueprints | shortcuts
Utilize these node alignment shortcuts to speed up node organization. Works for Blueprints, Materials, Niagara, ControlRig, etc.
| Alignment | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Left | SHIFT + A |
| Right | SHIFT + D |
| Top | SHIFT + W |
| Bottom | SHIFT + S |
| Middle | ALT + SHIFT + W |
| Center | ALT + SHIFT + S |
034.
Straighten Nodes Shortcut
best practices | blueprints | shortcuts
Utilize the Q shortcut to help clean up your Blueprints by automatically straightening the selected nodes.
Works for all graphs where nodes are connected by wires (e.g. Blueprints, Materials, ControlRig, etc.)
033.
Delete & Reconnect Shortcut
blueprints | shortcuts
Utilize the SHIFT + DELETE shortcut to delete the selected blueprint nodes and automatically reconnect the execution pins.
032.
Session Frontend
console commands | Optimization
Utilize the profiler to visualize recorded statistics to find bottlenecks in both the CPU and GPU.
031.
General Statistic Visualization
console commands | Optimization
Utilize the stat SceneRendering command to visualize general statistics.
This tool is a great starting point to find the general areas of performance degradation.
030.
Live GPU Profiler
console commands | Optimization
Utilize the live GPU profiler to see real-time per-frame statistics for major render categories.
While basic, it provides a quick visualization of the GPU load during an ever-changing environment.
029.
Dump GPU
console commands | Optimization | Unreal Engine 5
New in Unreal Engine 5, you can now dump and visualize GPU intermediary resources for the next frame.
This new feature is indispensable for GPU profiling.
028.
GPU Visualizer
console commands | Optimization
Utilize the GPU Visualizer to quickly identify and hone in on GPU bottlenecks.
027.
Material Node Shortcuts
Materials | Shortcuts
Within the Unreal Engine Blueprint Editor, there are specific shortcuts available that can spawn specific nodes. Utilize these shortcuts to speed up your material creation workflow!
026.
Blueprint Node Shortcuts
Blueprints | Shortcuts
Spend less time hunting for nodes and more time developing! Utilize these shortcuts to speed up your blueprint workflow~
025.
Viewport Smooth Zoom
Shortcuts | Viewport
Smoothly zoom in and out from within the viewport by holding `ALT + Right Mouse Button
and moving the mouse in any direction.
024.
Override Max Framerate
Console Commands
Utilize the t.maxfpsconsole command to adjust the maximum framerate for that editor session.
023.
Select Nodes
Best Practices | Blueprints | Variables
Utilize the select nodes to return a variable based on a given condition (e.g. Boolean, Byte, Integer, Integer64, or Enumerator).
Bonus: As of Unreal Engine 4.26, you can get a random item and its index from an array.
022.
Switch Statements
Best Practices | Blueprints | Variables
Utilize the switch nodes to direct the flow of execution based on the given arguments (e.g. enumerator, integer, string, or name).
021.
Blueprint Sub-Categories
Blueprints | Functions | Macros | Variables
You can establish sub-categories for Blueprints Functions, Macros, and Variables by placing a vertical bar | in-between category names. You can have as many sub-subcategories as you require.
This is very helpful in further organizing your blueprint.
020.
UObject Validated Get
Blueprints | Variables
UObject Variables nodes can be converted to Validated Get nodes by right-clicking on the node itself and selecting Convert to Validated Get.
Use this method over the Is Valid Macro to tidy up your blueprints.
019.
Toggle Light Radius Indicator
Lighting | Shortcuts | Viewport
You can toggle the light radius indicator on or off by holding down ALT and pressing R.
This is very helpful when needing to edit many lights at once without the light radius indicators cluttering up the viewport.
018.
Quick Spawn Point Light
Lighting | Shortcuts | Viewport
Quickly spawn a point light at the current mouse world location by holding L and then left-clicking.
017.
Quick Pinning
Blueprints | Events | Functions | Macros
You can quickly create inputs and outputs for Functions, Macros, and custom Events by dragging a variable's wire to their core input/output node.
Bonus: Macros support this capability with execution pins!
016.
Input Local Variable Nodes
Blueprints | Functions | Variables
While inside of the Blueprints Functions graph, input variables can be accessed directly as variable nodes.
Utilize these to remove those long wires and to clean up your function graphs.
015.
Environment Light Mixer
Level Design | Lighting
Utilize the Environment Light Mixer to create and modify common atmospheric lighting components within your scene.
014.
Numeric Input Math
Properties | Variables
Numeric inputs within Unreal Engine accept and automatically calculate simple mathematical equations.
013.
Quickly Replace Variable Nodes
Blueprints | Shortcuts | Variables
Blueprint Variables can be quickly replaced with an alternative variable of the same type. Simply drag and drop the alternative variable onto the variable node you wish to replace.
The drop location must be on the node itself and not on the pin or text.
012.
Select Similiar Actors
Shortcuts | Static Mesh | Viewport
Utilize the SHIFT + E shortcut to select all actors with the same Static Mesh as the selected actor.
011.
Stat Unit Command
Console Command | Optimization
The stat unit console command displays very useful performance metrics within the viewport.
Utilize these metrics to quickly see which thread is bottlenecking performance.
010.
Title Bar Statistics
Blueprints
Useful statistics such as -- frame rate, frame time, memory usage, object count, and engine stall count -- can be displayed in the engine's title bar.
This can be done by enabling the Show Frame Rate and Memory option in the Editor Preferences.
009.
Blueprint Node Compiling Options
Blueprints
Blueprint node disabling & dev-only compiling options can be enabled from with the Editor Properties.
These compile options help streamline blueprint function debugging and dev tools.
008.
Snap Asset To Floor
Viewport | Shortcuts
Utilize the END shortcut to quickly snap the selected assets to the floor below it.
Note: The floor's Collision Response must be set to Block WorldStatic for this to work.
007.
Asset Finder
Editor | Shortcuts
Speed up your workflow by utilizing the CTRL + P shortcut to quickly find, open, or place assets.
Bonus Tip: Utilize the Advanced Search Syntax in the search field to find assets by their metadata
006.
Shadow Pass Switch
Materials
Utilize the ShadowPassSwitch material function to allow the usage of an alternative mask for the materials casted shadow.
This node is very useful -- especially for situations where static meshes need to be masked away to reveal a character.
005.
Dumptick Command
Console Command | Optimization
Utilize the dumpticks console command to quickly find what objects are ticking within your scene.
Bonus Tip: For objects that aren't using their Tick Event at all, you may disable it completely to further improve performance.
004.
Blueprint Function Parameter Descriptions
blueprints | c++ | functions
Similar to C++, descriptions can be added to blueprint unction parameters by using the @param tag. It's ideal to do this as it can help clarify the intent of the function to other developers and future you.
003.
Area-Specific Color Grading
lighting - level design
Area-specific color grading can be achieved by using the ColorCorrectRegion blueprint. Unlike the Post Process Volume, the camera doesn't need to be within its bounds to be active.
Requires the ColorCorrectRegion plugin to be enabled
Blueprint found in the plugins content directory
002.
Focus Blueprint Wire Connections
blueprints - properties
Shift-clicking a Blueprints node property or wire will persistently highlight that property's connections.
This is very helpful in quickly visualizing that property's connections even when moving around the graph!
