Epic Games Announces Free Unreal Development Kit, Powered by Unreal Engine 3
Posted by: Drew Sikora at November 5, 2009 8:31:14 PM
Epic Games, Inc. announces the launch of the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free edition of Unreal Engine 3 that provides community access to the award-winning toolset like never before. This software release is available to anyone interested in using 3D game engine technology, including game developers, students, hobbyists, researchers, creators of 3D visualizations and simulations, and digital filmmakers. Anyone can start working with the industry-leading Unreal Engine 3 toolset by downloading UDK at www.udk.com, where detailed product features, technical documentation, commercial licensing terms, support resources and more are also available.
An unprecedented milestone in game development, the release of UDK awards free access to the same world-class tools and technology used by many of the world’s best video game developers and publishers. Unreal Engine 3 is a constantly evolving game engine, and UDK contains all the most recently added features and technological enhancements, including many that have yet to be seen in an Unreal Engine game. Furthermore, Epic Games will release ongoing, upgraded builds of UDK for free.
There is no charge for noncommercial or educational use of UDK. Over 100 academic campuses currently use Unreal Technology as part of teaching game development-related courses, and colleges with plans to incorporate UDK into their curricula include the University of Pennsylvania, North Carolina State University, The Art Institute system of schools, Drexel University, Westwood College, DeVry University and Atlantic College, with many others to be announced.
Individuals and companies wishing to develop software for commercial purposes should refer to licensing terms at www.udk.com/licensing. Commercial terms have been structured to make it easy for independent developers, start-up firms and seasoned professionals to use UDK with minimal financial barrier from concept to deployment. UDK is currently for PC use only, although console support is under consideration. Developers approved to make games for Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 may inquire for more information by emailing udklicensing@epicgames.com.
Benefits of UDK include the following:
Immediate access to Unreal Engine 3, the critically acclaimed 3D game engine technology for cross-platform game development.
Easy content creation with the Unreal Editor, a fully integrated suite of top-tier development tools, which comes complete with:
Unreal Content Browser, a revolutionary tool for browsing, searching and organizing game assets with collaborative metadata tagging system.
UnrealScript object-oriented programming language and Unreal Kismet, a visual scripting system that enables rapid prototyping on the fly.
Unreal Matinee, a powerful tool with movie director-class controls for building in-game cinematics and gorgeous cut scenes.
Unreal Cascade, an advanced particle physics and environmental effects editor that aids the creation of fire, fog, explosions and other visuals.
NVIDIA® PhysX®-powered physics system with Unreal PhAT visual modeling tool for creating character and object physics rigs.
Unreal Lightmass, a global illumination system that dramatically lights and shadows with minimal effort required by artists and designers.
AnimSet Viewer and AnimTree Editor, which give animators precise control over every muscle and bone movement.
Time saved thanks to technology integrations with leading game development middleware tools including SpeedTree®, Bink Video®, and FaceFX®.
Output of standalone applications: Games created with UDK run entirely on their own with no additional software required. This means anyone can make UDK content and distribute it for free.
“I’m excited about the possibilities the Unreal Development Kit opens to those who are looking to get into the game business but don’t otherwise have the means to acquire world-class technology and tools like ours,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “UDK is Unreal Engine 3, which has been used to create games in a wide range of genres, as well as military simulations, 3D architectural walkthroughs, animated movies and more. Users are only limited by their imaginations. Go ahead make something Unreal!”
Psyonix Studios (www.psyonix.com), a game studio based in San Diego, Calif., created the first proof-of-concept game using UDK in less than two months using a two-man team of one artist and one programmer. “Whizzle” is a downloadable vertical scroller in which players swim through underwater levels as an adorable sea creature that collects items and frees allies from captivity. To read more about “Whizzle,” view the developer diary video, or download technical documentation, visit www.udk.com/showcase-whizzle.html.
Until now, noncommercial access to the Unreal Engine 3 toolset has been available only through the PC versions of games such as Epic’s “Unreal Tournament 3” and “Gears of War” games. Users made new game experiences, called modifications or “mods,” by changing existing game assets or creating original content through the Unreal Editor tools that ship with every game copy. Many of these mods have been showcased through the $1 Million Intel Make Something Unreal Contest (www.makesomethingunreal.com), which awards over $1 million in cash and prizes to aspiring game developers. While mods require running the original game for interaction with user-created content, UDK provides a standalone experience every time, meaning a smaller digital footprint and no additional software requirements.
“The Ball,” an award-winning “Unreal Tournament 3” mod by Toltec Studios (www.toltecstudios.com), is available now as a free UDK-powered download at www.udk.com/showcase-the-ball.html. Anyone authoring mods for Epic’s PC games can port their original content over to UDK.
Support for UDK includes over 200 pages of newly unlocked documentation at the Unreal Developer Network (udn.epicgames.com), dedicated forums (www.udk.com/forums), as well as other resources available through the UDK web site, www.udk.com. 3D Buzz also hosts hundreds of free video tutorials for using Unreal Engine 3 technology at www.3dbuzz.com.
Furthermore, Sams Publishing and 3D Buzz recently published two definitive guides for learning the Unreal Engine toolset, “Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3” and “Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume II: Advanced Level Design Concepts with Unreal Engine 3.” Both books are bundled with a free, downloadable copy of “Unreal Tournament 3” for PC.
About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and its best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 maintains those features in addition to multi-core processor support, Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 optimizations, massive world support, and a highly mature tool pipeline. Unreal Engine 3's consistently evolving toolset is designed to accelerate developers' productivity for PC and console games, visualization applications, training simulations, and linear animated content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained through the Unreal Technology Web site at www.unrealtechnology.com.
About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in its “Unreal” series, including “Unreal Tournament 3” for PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and Xbox 360®. Epic’s “Gears of War” won over 30 Game of the Year awards, and the sales of "Gears of War" and “Gears of War 2” have eclipsed 11 million units. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the three-time consecutive winner of Game Developer magazine’s Best Engine Front Line Award and is this year's Hall of Fame inductee. Unreal Engine 3 has also been recognized as the number one game engine by Develop magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through the Epic Games Web site at www.epicgames.com.
"Epic Games Announces Free Unreal Development Kit, Powered by Unreal Engine 3" Discussion
hikikomori-sanMember since: 3/19/2007
Posted - 11/5/2009 3:51:43 PM
I don't get it! Does this mean the infamous Unreal Engine 3 is now free for noncommercial use? Or is the free version a subset of the real thing? Well I'm downloading anyway ;)
HodgmanMember since: 2/14/2007 From: Melbourne, Victoria
Posted - 11/5/2009 5:27:02 PM
Quote:
Original post by hikikomori-san
I don't get it! Does this mean the infamous Unreal Engine 3 is now free for noncommercial use?
I think it does!
It kinda makes sense. If every wannabe developer cuts their teeth on freeware UE3 projects, then when they go into a business they've already got UE3 experience.
If all your staff have UE3 experience, you'll be more likely to purchase a license for your next project.
Kind of like how everyone pirates Photoshop and learns to use it, then employers have to buy lots of copies because it's everyones tool of choice.
_SnowMember since: 9/9/2009 From: Calgary, Alberta
Posted - 11/5/2009 5:41:32 PM
How come we can't post our own articles? I mean, yes I posted just a summary, but if you want a full well written article on the front page, I can do that.
starstriker1Member since: 12/17/2002 From: Edmonton, Alberta
Posted - 11/5/2009 6:39:38 PM
To be fair, the royalty terms are pretty steep: 25% after the first $5000. That's not trivial compared to licenses that you buy once and then may use to develop and sell games royalty free.
At the same time, though... god DAMN is that ever a deal. I'm adding that to my (ever growing) list of things to tinker with.
True, but a full license of UE3 costs a boat load anyway.
So, what you've got here is a chance to use a AAA engine and sell your stuff with zero risk up front (aside from your time) and if you do well then both you and Epic win.
Now, end of the day between this and the cut a digital distributer might take you might only see ~50% of what you charge for the game (so $5.25 for a $10 selling point) but its going to save you a boat load of time, get you some AAA tools and give you a chance to set yourself up.
Heck, if you sell at a $10 price point and went via a service which took say 30% off the top you'd have to ship over 700 units before you have to pay them a penny; not bad I say.
This is the biggest thing since the invention of the cristmas tree :P.
Finally someone catched on, and let us non billionares play with high end engines, i mean, why make it if not many can afford to use it in the end.
This is a awesome move from Epic, and it can only be a win/win for them, they stand to loose nothing.
Maybe some day Crytech wakes up and let us tinker in the same way with Cryengine 3, but, i highly doubt it since they dont even answer us "non huge billion company's".
Hell, unless they know for fact you can make something uber nice they wont even sell you Cry Engine 3, because it might ruin the engine's reputation, i mean, lol ?
Original post by RingTekThis is just incredibly cool news, unless you recently shelled out 6 figures for the same engine a few months ago ;-) lol imo
Not quite that bad. Those six figures get you the source code to the engine which you don't get with the UDK. You have to do everything through UnrealScript. Still very cool for Indies. Not as useful for the big shops though.
Original post by _Snow
How come we can't post our own articles? I mean, yes I posted just a summary, but if you want a full well written article on the front page, I can do that.
This isn't written by me, it's the official press release posted by me.
On second thought, this isn't really great news to everyone - it makes all the engines that people here are working on redundant and look insignificant. Though maybe there is still hope since, as PlayerX said, you'll still have to do everything in UnrealScript which seems like a serious limitation, but I'm not sure.
After spending the past day and a half playing with the UDK and going through the tutorials, I'm thinking that there's still plenty of room for other engines. Those who like to develop shooters should be very pleased because its definately designed for them.
Beyond that, its a VERY DEEP rabbit hole that will take weeks to explore. I'm not sure yet how to develop a non-shooter with it (ie puzzle game, 2d slider, etc). I'm sure it can just about anything, but again, it "feels" designed for shooter development. It seems counter-intuitive to be concerned with "why is the guy with the gun in my game?", when I didn't place him there to begin with.
In summary, the look and feel is like driving a cadillac, with laser weapons mounted on the hood.
It's actually really flexible. The reason it seems shooter specific is that the UDK automatically loads the UTGame package as it's default package, which imports all the Unreal Tournament style actors. If you wanted to make a truly original work, you would create your own package, and have it reference only core, not loading UTGame at all.
There doesn't seem to be a good tutorial anywhere on how to do this, because frankly, no one ever really did it before. If you're working on a UT3 mod, or a GoW mod, then you are stuck working with that game as base package. UDK breaks that limitation, but the documentation doesn't represent that very well.
The docs are a little lacking atm, I agree, but I'm happy to live with that; just means a bit of hunting if you want info
As for the flexibility, the proof of concept game which was done in 2 months by 2 people using the UDK was a 2D, top down, scrolling puzzler with no guns at all. (there is a pdf you can download which covers some of the stuff they did which was a decent enough read)
a1programmerMember since: 3/25/2008 From: Bowling Green, KY
Posted - 11/9/2009 3:09:48 PM
Wow, this is awesome!!!
Before someone else does this, for all who are interested, I'm looking to put together a team for an idea that I have! Anyone want to work on a project?
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hikikomori-san
Member since: 3/19/2007
Posted - 11/5/2009 3:51:43 PM
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