World-Building with UEFN

🧭 Choose Your Path!

Heads up, explorer! UEFN is a super-powerful tool, like the final boss of level design. To have the most fun, pick the path that's right for you right now.

💡 Pan's Pro Tip: Machinima Magic!

Making movies inside a video game is called Machinima. Top creators don't just record their screen while playing. They use UEFN to place "virtual cameras," change the weather to rain, and trigger special effects exactly when they want them!

🚀 Level Up Challenge: The Graybox Gauntlet

Once your basic shapes are in, make it playable! Add a Player Spawn Pad at the start and a Trigger device at the end. Can you run from the start to the finish? You've just made your first playable prototype!

Warning: Super-Advanced Stuff Ahead! 🧙‍♂️

This next part is about Verse, the special programming language for UEFN. You don't need to understand it all right now, but isn't it cool to see the secret spells that make games work? When you're ready, we'll teach you this step-by-step!

Level Up: An Introduction to Verse 📜

Building cool maps is amazing, but what if you want to create your own game rules? That's where Verse comes in! It's how you make things interactive—like creating a button that gives the player a super-jump power-up! This script creates a simple "win" condition. When a player steps on a trigger device, it declares them the winner.

# This line tells our script it can use all the basic Fortnite devices
using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/Diagnostics }

# A device that sends a "You Win!" message when a player reaches the goal
level_goal_device := class(creative_device):

    # This creates a link to the trigger device you place in the world
    # 'EditAnywhere' means you can change it right in the UEFN editor!
    UPROPERTY(EditAnywhere)
    GoalTrigger : trigger_device = trigger_device{}

    # This is the "event listener." It waits for a player to touch the trigger.
    OnBegin():void=
        GoalTrigger.TriggeredEvent.Subscribe(OnGoalReached)

    # When the trigger is touched, this code runs!
    OnGoalReached(MaybeAgent:?agent):void=
        Print("🏆 YOU WIN! Level Complete! 🏆")

Blueprint to Reality: How to Use the Code

Telling you *what* code does is useless if you can't figure out *how to use it*. Here are the exact steps to bring your Verse script to life:

1. In your Content Drawer, right-click and choose Create Verse File. Select Verse Device. Name it `level_goal`.
2. Double-click the file to open the Verse editor in VS Code. Replace all the default code with the example above. Save the file!
3. Back in UEFN, find the toolbar at the top and click Verse > Build Verse Code. This "compiles" your script so the game can understand it.
4. Drag your new `level_goal` device from the Content Drawer right into your scene. It can go anywhere.
5. Select the device. In the Details panel on the right, find `GoalTrigger`. Click the little eyedropper icon.
6. Now, click on the `trigger_device` you placed at your finish line. You've just connected your code to a game object!
7. That's it! Launch a session to test your game. When you step on the trigger, your winning message will appear in the log. You're a programmer!

Heads up! Tool Time!

Tools like Luma AI are not part of Fortnite and may require an account (with a parent's permission!). Always explore new tools with a parent to make sure they're right for you and check their terms of service.

🚀 Challenge: Build Your Dream Hangout Spot

Let's put AI to work with a complete project loop!

Use Luma AI Genie to generate one custom prop that fits the theme from your AI Set Designer. Import it into UEFN as a static mesh and place it in a key location in your graybox level. Your mission is complete when you can take a screenshot of your character standing next to your custom AI-generated prop inside your level. That's a result you can show off!