Strategy Informer  

New UDK features and tools: - Autodesk FBX format support (FBX version 2010.2) * Static meshes, skeletal meshes and animations can now be imported from FBX files * The FBX format is supported by many 3D modeling packages ~ including 3ds Max, Maya, and MotionBuilder. * Download FBX plug-ins from Autodesk ~http://autodesk.com/fbx ~http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/FBXImporting.html - Interactive Static Meshes * Static meshes can now be configured so that all instance of that mesh placed in a level can become dynamic and react with physics when shot or pushed, giving the environment a more interactive feel. * The advantages of this implementation are: ~Consistent behavior * all objects using that mesh will be interactive, instead of it depending on level designer set up. ~Transparent to meshing * L.D.s don't have to do anything special, but they can prevent specific objects from being able to become dynamic when necessary. ~These meshes are lit like any other static meshes until they move so there is no visual impact to using this system. ~No additional performance or memory cost to these meshes except during the short period when a mesh is being physically simulated. * This system is intended for use with small decorative meshes that don't have any gameplay implications. * The interactivity is client-side and is not replicated. * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/InteractiveStaticMeshes.html - New Attachment Editor * For displaying and modifying object relationships * Lets you view and edit the attachment graph for a selected set of actors * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/AttachmentsBrowserReference.html - mipmap sharpening * Increases perceived resolution of textures w/o memory or performance impact * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ContentBlog.html#MipGenSettings - Property window favorites * Simply mark a property as a favorite and it will always be displayed at the top of your property window. * Combined with the search capability, this will greatly stream-line data access in the Unreal Editor. * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/PropertyWindows.html#Property Window Favorites - New texture viewer options * To reimport textures and to 'Compress Now' * Allows artists to easily preview results of texture compression * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TextureProperties.html#Other actions - In Editor Stats viewing * Enables the stat HUD in editor viewports * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/StatsDescriptions.html#In Editor Stat Viewing - New Kismet actions * stream in cinematic mip-levels ~Allows sharing textures of in-game and cinematics characters ~http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/TextureProperties.html#Num Cinematic Mip Levels ~http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/KismetReference.html#Stream In Textures * Set VectorParam and Get Location and Rotation ~Adds the ability to get the location and rotation of a socket or bone (if the target is a pawn with a skeletal mesh) ~Makes it possible to hook a kismet vector object. ~http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/ContentBlog.html#New kismet functionality for "Set _VectorParam" and "Get Location and Rotation" actions - New 'Select All Visible Levels' option in level browser right click menu * http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/LevelBrowserReference.html#Context Menu --- Improvements * Continued moving UTGame native functionality either to UnrealScript or to the UDKBase package. * Content Browser ~now tracks recently used assets * click the new "Recent" check box in the filter panel to show these ~asset list now supports drag and drop ~search now works with full asset path names ~sound cues can now be moved/renamed like other assets ~localized sound nodes can now be moved into different packages - Crowd Population Manager improvements. * Now supports streamed GameCrowdDestinations. (listed as "fixed crowd issues with level streaming" in the engine news) * Improved LOD support. * Improved designer control over population manager using Kismet. - Lighting * character lighting improvements ~fixed shadows from non-directional lights on characters ~added a WorldInfo property CharacterLightingContrastFactor * scales up the light environment's primary light * scales down the secondary light on characters ~added a WorldInfo Lightmass property LightEnvironmentIndirectContrastFactor * increases the contrast of lighting volume samples * multiple dominant light improvements ~dominant spotlight cones can now intersect as long as one of them is shadowed in the intersection ~when multiple dominant lights affect the same primitive, only the brightest is used ~dominant lights are now toggleable at runtime ~dominant lights no longer allow bForceDynamicLight set to true * improved cinematic lighting ~added light option bNonModulatedSelfShadowing * use normal shadow blending when shadowing themselves * use modulated shadow blending on everything else ~added light option bSelfShadowOnly * allows shadows from the light to not affect anything but the caster ~added a higher quality filtering method to reduce aliasing on character faces - Editor improvements * you can now press the F2 key to select the builder brush at any time ~ also, added new menu command for this: Edit -> Select Builder Brush * selecting objects is now super fast, even with tons of objects! * after a map build the editor will now blink in the task bar * added auto-save support for asset (non-level) packages! * added 'Select All' to the viewport right click menu * 'show references' dialog window now allows more than one open at a time * you can now customize your PIE launch URL string ~ just right click on the Play In Editor button to edit the URL * dynamic volumes can now be initially disabled (new 'Disabled' property) * 'Reimport' now works with skeletal meshes and sound waves! ~just right click on the asset in content browser, and select 'Reimport' * level browser now prompts you before streaming volumes are cleared --- Changes requiring a re-save or change * Any texture imported since the December 2009 UDK build that had its import-time texture format specified as TC_NormalmapUncompressed will have had its source art (stored in the .UPK file) corrupted when the package was first saved. * This source art data is only used when changing texture formats in the editor at a later date and is not used for gameplay. * The bug that caused this corruption has been fixed in this UDK build, and code has been added to detect content with this problem. * If you see a warning dialog box when changing texture formats in the editor, the best course of action is to re-import the texture from the source file. * Matinee material parameter tracks have been rewritten to create runtime instances of MaterialInstanceConstants so that they do not affect content objects which could have had unintended side effects. ~However, as a result of this change, a Matinee can now only affect the materials on objects in the same level as the Matinee. ~This is required so it can determine the affected objects at save time instead of iterating all Actors at game time.