The Self-Study Guide is available for purchase below. It is an 83-page PDF digital book that includes 16 tests, one for each chapter, and links to many of the resources the instructor references in the course. It does not include every link as some are outdated or were reserved for private students.  For only $2.95, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Since the book is available only as a digital file, there is no refund once it has been downloaded. But honestly, you shouldn't want a refund since the guide will pay for itself as soon as you start using it. In fact, we have already helped you by pointing you in the direction of the Unreal Foundations Course, which is an awesome learning opportunity you might not have even known about without us! Think of the guide as your faithful companion on the road to Unreal.

GUIDE LINKS (for your convenience)

COURSE SYLLABUS

unreal-foundations-syllabus-320fd2e1d012.pdf (unrealengine.com)

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1 LINK
https://youtu.be/9VNHABQ7OMA

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Vocabulary
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jgBsGaLhUPqQAizhdJUEvdIqonCb-Cz_qawxS4Yf8GU/edit

Mind Map Link
https://mm.tt/1457569049?t=PpijBnERxX

Unreal Foundations and Virtual Production
https://unrealfound.weebly.com/

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2 LINK
https://youtu.be/TZpemf8uSSE

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

UE4 Level Editor Customization & Hotkeys
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1It8bFfrHmQvfSMhX3UFiNqiBB2IfNiS7xCWRAlDNNcI/edit#heading=h.wjtqhrscb3dz

 

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3 LINK
https://youtu.be/PbvLUBcEr2o

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Lighting Essential Concepts: Introduction
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/Xwp/lighting-essential-concepts-and-effects/0ax/lighting-essential-concepts-and-effects-introduction

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4 LINK
https://youtu.be/92BJyt_WWe4

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Material Editor Fundamentals for Game Development
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/pm/material-editor-fundamentals-for-game-development/V1X/introduction-to-the-course

Material Essential Concepts: Introduction
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/eqb/materials-exploring-essential-concepts/882/unreal-engine-material-essential-concepts-introduction

Material Workflow
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/b3Y/materials-understanding-the-production-workflow/z9P/unreal-engine-material-workflow-introduction

Recipes (PBR)

https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/Materials/PhysicallyBased/

Naming Conventions in Unreal Engine
https://www.tomlooman.com/unreal-engine-naming-convention-guide/

Texture Import Guide
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/Textures/Importing/#:~:text=To%20import%20your%20Texture%20into,right%20into%20the%20Content%20Browser.

Streaming Virtual Texturing
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/VirtualTexturing/Streaming/

Material Expression Reference
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/unreal-engine-material-expressions-reference/

Fan FBX (Unit 7)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QgtnMUzLPhmyH3AzrL-3gm8zaj4mlCCo/view

All You Need To Know About Texels
https://zbrushtuts.com/2016/11/18/know-about-texel-density/

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5 LINK
https://youtu.be/CBcYoMYECGc

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Post Process Documentation / Unreal Engine
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/PostProcessEffects/

Using Look Up Tables (LUTs) for Color Grading
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/PostProcessEffects/UsingLUTs/

LUTS and Screenshots
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c-k3cxHfPw-jPhUyoSofeBkaMKBOcprybBNpbSdrG5w/edit

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6 LINK
https://youtu.be/N7LsViAF7WM

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Chandelier Physics Constraint Tutorial Unreal 4
https://youtu.be/ZCJTt9euHJg

Physics Asset Editor
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/Physics/PhysicsAssetEditor/

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 7 LINK
https://youtu.be/rOOmVZw24NY

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Blueprint Quick Start Guide
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/quick-start-guide-for-blueprints-visual-scripting-in-unreal-engine/

Introduction to Blueprint Essential Concepts
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/QGD/blueprints-essential-concepts/P7L/unreal-engine-introduction-to-blueprint-essential-concepts

Blueprint Variables
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/ProgrammingAndScripting/Blueprints/UserGuide/Variables/

Blueprint Editor Cheat Sheet
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/ProgrammingAndScripting/Blueprints/UserGuide/CheatSheet/

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 8 LINK
https://youtu.be/LJxY30bA9kE

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Blueprint Communication
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/ProgrammingAndScripting/Blueprints/UserGuide/BlueprintCommsUsage/

Unreal 4 Event Dispatcher - Talk to level blueprint from Player
https://youtu.be/IbiocEDwosw

Blueprint Spline, Part 1
https://youtu.be/BIU5zEnXiGY

Blueprint Spline, Part 2
https://youtu.be/gMYUjE22mZg

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9 LINK
https://youtu.be/6klKlR51lTA

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Introduction to Landscape Essential Concepts
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/Alq/landscape-essential-concepts/pEG/unreal-engine-introduction-to-landscape-essential-concepts

Landscape Outdoor Terrain
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/landscape-outdoor-terrain-in-unreal-engine/

Exterior Rendering and Vegetation Look Development
https://youtu.be/Ehg4sLxOH1o

Level Streaming
https://youtu.be/gPHcWOsCL0c

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10 LINK
https://youtu.be/PtBevM1UYQw

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Setting Up a Character
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/AnimatingObjects/SkeletalMeshAnimation/CharacterSetupOverview/

Animating with a Control Rig (a 2-hour tutorial)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIp4vFoU_d8

Control Rig Mannequin
https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/control-rig-mannequin

Control Rig
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/control-rig-in-unreal-engine/

Chaos Physics
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/Physics/ChaosPhysics/Overview/

Skeletal Mesh Animation Systems
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/AnimatingObjects/SkeletalMeshAnimation/

Animation Editors in Unreal Engine
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/animation-editors-in-unreal-engine/

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 11 LINK
https://youtu.be/05_XtWdE5BM

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

BBC 16,000 Sound Effects
https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/

Audio and Blueprints
https://youtu.be/qFHSm8qfCBA

Navigation Mesh
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/Resources/ContentExamples/NavMesh/

AI Tutorial Series, Ryan Laley
https://youtu.be/bKzbBZiN3Lg

Artificial Intelligence
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/artificial-intelligence-in-unreal-engine/#:~:text=Artificial%20Intelligence%20in%20Unreal%20Engine,photoreal%20visuals%20and%20immersive%20experiences.&text=Framework%20for%20creating%20high%2Dfidelity,real%2Dtime%20immersive%203D%20visualization

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12 LINK
https://youtu.be/PtRzLKnG-Wc

Datasmith Pipeline Workshop (add’l links are in the video’s description)
https://youtu.be/ydmHwI0cwLc

The Art of Game Design
https://schellgames.com/art-of-game-design

Source Control
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/Basics/SourceControl/

SCRUM
https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum

Managing Content
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/Basics/ContentBrowser/

Dissecting the Postmortem:
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/dissecting-the-postmortem-lessons-learned-from-two-years-of-game-development-self-reportage

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 13 LINK
https://youtu.be/rsM2hhjh7Lk

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Sequencer Overview
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/unreal-engine-sequencer-movie-tool-overview/

35 Sequencer How To’s
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/AnimatingObjects/Sequencer/HowTo/

Master Sequences
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/master-sequences-shots-and-takes-in-unreal-engine/

Sequencer Basics
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/AnimatingObjects/Sequencer/QuickStart/

 

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 14 LINK
https://youtu.be/K3SyvgJc3v0

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Unreal Motion Graphics
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/umg-ui-designer-for-unreal-engine/

UMG UI Designer User Guide
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/UMG/UserGuide/

Widget Reference
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/UMG/UserGuide/WidgetTypeReference/

Blueprints (Free from Marketplace)
https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/blueprints?sessionInvalidated=trueAma

Your First Hour in UMG
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/l3p/your-first-hour-in-umg/6o5/introduction

Don’t Make Me Think
https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/

Interactive Material Swaps Using Blueprints
https://dev.epicgames.com/community/learning/courses/VLm/interactive-material-swaps-using-blueprints/e5q/unreal-engine-introduction-and-material-collections

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15 LINK
https://youtu.be/HHtODaC9FwQ

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Subscribe to Newsletter
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/virtual-production

VP Glossary
https://www.vpglossary.com/

Virtual Production Field Guide, Vol 1
https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/vp-field-guide-v1-3-01-f0bce45b6319.pdf

Virtual Production Field Guide, Vol 2
https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/Virtual+Production+Field+Guide+Volume+2+v1.0-5b06b62cbc5f.pdf

Creating Effects with Niagara
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/creating-visual-effects-in-niagara-for-unreal-engine/

Cascade Particle Effects
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/ParticleSystems/

Niagara Quick Start Guide
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/RenderingAndGraphics/Niagara/QuickStart/

Thrale VFX
https://www.youtube.com/c/tharlevfx/videos

Chaos Engine
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/InteractiveExperiences/Physics/ChaosPhysics/Overview/

Destruction Overview
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/destruction-overview-in-unreal-engine/

Real-Time Compositing with Composure
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/WorkingWithMedia/Composure/

Andy Blondin (Green screen Keying and Composure)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGN4I9ias6g

Virtual Reality Development
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/SharingAndReleasing/XRDevelopment/VR/

LiDAR

https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/lidar-point-cloud-plugin-for-unreal-engine/

Live Link
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/live-link-in-unreal-engine/

Mixed Reality Capture
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/WorkingWithMedia/IntegratingMedia/MixedRealityCapture/

Advanced Effects with Niagara
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31GXFW-MgQk

Artistic Principles of VFX
https://youtu.be/BOE8osaPzOY

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16 LINK
https://youtu.be/wxRmoCqrLbc

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Field Guide for Creators
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/prepare-for-the-jobs-of-tomorrow-with-a-new-field-guide-for-creators

Unreal Solutions
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/solutions/film-television

View Modes
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/BuildingWorlds/LevelEditor/Viewports/ViewModes/

Packaging and Cooking Games
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/packaging-and-cooking-games-in-unreal-engine/

Performance and Profiling
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/TestingAndOptimization/PerformanceAndProfiling/

Commercial Deployment Guidelines
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/release

Unreal Insights
https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/TestingAndOptimization/PerformanceAndProfiling/UnrealInsights/