Structure Of C++ By Example: Chapter 13 (2022)

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#1

I am a new student with Udemy studying the Unreal Engine C++ Developer course. My goals are to build a solid foundation from which to grow into specific areas of development with the Unreal Engine as a content production platform, while developing versatility that would allow me to utilize the engine in many different ways. I have a good foundation of knowledge of programming in a variety of languages and am looking to solidify those skills with more theory and practical applications for the skills I’ll be learning. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and opportunity for creativity this course offers.

Chapter 13 (Unreal Engine C++ Developer 2022)

The purpose of the main function in any C/C++ program is that it is the starting point of the program (in the form of a Portable Executable (*.exe) on Windows). This is the point that execution begins when it is first run from the Windows GUI or the command line. When the application is run, the Windows OS looks up the address offset location of the main function in the .exe file and runs the machine code from there on one of the CPU cores of the system. This behaviour is the same for all compiled executables targeted as a .exe file format output during compilation and builds of custom and library code.

In the case of the application we’re developing, TripleX, it is:

  • the point from which we first declare and initialize all of the variables we’ll be using during the program

  • the point from which we communicate with the end user via the standard console device via std::cout device stream and accept input via the standard console device via std::cin device stream

  • the application loop is also contained in the main function, where it simply loops continuously until certain circumstances are met with the values of variables that may be altered by the end user via their input.

  • If during the application loop these values indicate that the end user has progressed through the required number of questions, they win and are presented with a winning message and then exit gracefully

  • Alternately, if any of the questions are answered incorrectly, the application with break out of the loop and present a message to the end user that they lost the game and then exit gracefully

  • During the application loop, the end user’s answers are checked as to whether they match both the sum and the product of the real answers to the question generated randomly within the game loop

  • During the generation of each question, the current round number is added to the range of random numbers that determine the answers, hence with each round, the possible answer becomes more difficult

  • The application loop also ensures that the syntax of the end user input is correct and in the case it isn’t, it re-asks for that input until the end user inputs the correct syntax, at which point the input is verified as to whether it is the correct answer or not

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#2

Your goals align with mine. Have you started messing around with Unreal Engine 5?

#3

Thanks for the reply :slight_smile:

I haven’t installed Unreal 5 or even checked it out, but I have played with the character creator online and I’ve seen a bit on YouTube and the web about the scalable technology being used for lod and scene and geometry occlusion.

I agree that when its released for development and production environments, its going to revolutionize many mediums (entertainment software, live broadcasting virtual sets, virtual production, architectual viz etc).

The first way will be by allowing for the creation of production assets such as 3D human based characters via code or blue print. This will likely all be keyed to a handful of parameters and a random seed, so with only those params and a random seed, you’ll be able to reproduce the exact same character every time in code, on the fly. Think of all the time that will save in production where character NPC assets are created randomly on the fly and have full animation compatibility with the Unreal character rig and already huge animation library. I imagine that this might be customizable enough in the future to change the “genetics” of what kinds of characters are being created, following a basic form such as bipedal. Elves? Dwarves? Zombies? Robots? Angels? Demons?

The second way is via their geometry processing and occlusion pipeline, which gives the power of scalability despite the complexity of the underlying scene. Also it will likely make level and world streaming somewhat trivial by today’s standards, seeing as from what I understand, in order to create an open world with world streaming, there’s considerable planning and setup that is required. After Unreal 5, this will likely be handled in large part by the geometry processing and occlusion pipeline, though I’m speculating based upon what I already understand about the subject.

We’ll see an explosion of small and even home based virtual production companies with capabilities of producing film quality (at least visually) on a considerably small budget. It will likely become very competitive for video content producers on venues like YouTube, Daily Motion and Twitch. Many pioneering VTubers have already had a huge influence on streaming that way (and some specific ones who are innovating the medium in much the same way that the early pioneers of television did so with their antics, engagement of the audience and their improv).

When this new technology is released for production, its really going to change things, but at the heart of it all, its only going to mean that what will decide what catches on and what doesn’t will be related to the strength of its message, its narrative, story and substance. Special fx and bells and whistles are very effective in presentation, but you have to have substance or at the very least some kind of gimmick to what you’re presenting that will engage your audience.

Unity is also working on their own suite of tools in this direction, and it will be interesting to see how that all integrates into their editing paradigm.

I hope you and others are using this course to grow your potential in that direction as am I, especially if you’re aiming in that direction professionally. Focus yourself on it while you’re young and you’ll be capable of seeing what’s ahead for most of your life.

Again, thanks for the reply :slight_smile:

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