Unreal Mapping FAQ (UT)

This FAQ is for UnrealEd 2, for Unreal Tournament. See Unreal Mapping FAQ for the new UnrealEd 3 FAQ.

Got a question that isn't covered here? Add it to the list (at its appropriate place) and leave the answer out. Somebody else will fill it in. Alternatively check the Help Desk for more advanced problems

Basics

Where do I get a map editor for <insert name of Unreal engine game>?: UnrealEd is included in the PC version of Unreal Tournament and other Unreal engine games; for some of them (like Deus Ex), you'll have to download an SDK separately that contains the editor. If you have a Mac or Linux version you'll need either a seperate PC or an emulator and a PC version of the game . On a PC, look for the folder that your game is installed in: usually C:\UnrealTournament. Look for a folder called System inside this. In there, you should find an application called UnrealEd. See UnrealEd Versions for information on patching your game to get the latest version of the editor.
Are there any other map editors?: Nope, it's UnrealEd or bust.

Crashes and Other Snafus

See also Crashing UnrealEd for preventative measures.

When I start my map to test it... things go wrong

see the troubleshooting guide on Playtesting.

When I test my map with Ctrl+P, everything´s ok, but when I play it outside the editor, the map is fully lit (very bright, no shadows). How can I fix it?

This has happened to me exactly once, and I think that it was because the dynamic lighting stuff got corrupted. I rebuilt the lighting and it stayed all brightly lit. I finally solved this problem by moving a light and performing a Build All.

When I start UnrealEd, the area where viewports should be is empty.

This occurs in some cases. It seems that UnrealED sometimes resets things, causing the viewports to disappear. It should be fixed by doing this:

Start UnrealEd.
Do UnrealEd Main Menu → View → Viewports → Configure
Choose the layout you want for your viewports and hit OK.

Normally you should have your viewports back now. Also see UnrealEd Viewports.

UnrealEd crashes when I try to configure the viewports

It can happen that UnrealEd crashes when you try to configure your viewports, which you have to do to solve the above problem. If this is the case delete the file called UnrealEd.ini in your System folder. Don't worry, this file will be recreated when you start UnrealED again, though you might lose some settings.

UnrealEd crashes immediately after I start it up. What's the deal?

This is a problem that can be fixed by patching UnrealEd. Go to Unreal's [official tech site] and get the patch that matches your version of UnrealEd. (see UnrealEd Versions for details on different version and patches of UnrealEd.) Also, you might want to restart, your memory might have ran out.

UnrealEd 2.0 works, but the actor browser is empty.

This was a known problem with one of the previous patches. UnrealEd was compiled on a PC running a certain version of the necessary Runtime DLLs. The version running on that PC was one of the latest ones, so anyone installing the patch and wanting to run UnrealEd would need at least those version of the runtime DLLs. This was fixed in a later patch by compiling the editor on a PC running a lowest version possible.

In some cases it has been known that, even with the latest patch, the Actor browser still doesn't show any actors. I've been told this can be solved by installing Internet Explorer 5.5 or Update your Windows. This will install a correct version of the Common Controls DLL (Windows\System\Comctl32.dll).

UnrealEd seems to load a map but there's nothing there

This happens when UnrealEd can't find a reference such as a texture or sound package. Either you're missing that package or the file paths are incorrect. Check the [log file]?: the log will say 'Failed to load map' or something similar. It will give you the packages it cannot find directly below. This error can happen if you load a map from CD.

Minor Niggles

How do you scale multiple objects so they are still proportionate (same ratio height width length)

Export the brushes and actors and use MapScale.

I've made a mover but It's completely non-solid, players can pass through! What's the problem?

Probably you had manually rescaled or rotated the red builder brush before you use it to intersect the mover shape. Reset all transformations on the RBB then change its size with numeric values until it is big enough to enclose all the shape. See Create a mover for more.

How do I add a preview screenshot to my level?

See Screenshot.

What's this thing called autosave?

See UnrealEd Advanced Options.

How do I change the pivot point of a brush?

See Pivot.

I'm trying to rotate brushes, but it makes them change shape instead of rotating. What's up?

See Transform Permanently.

How can I select brushes quicker?

When you hold down the Shift key and click on a surface, UnrealEd will select the brush to which that surface belongs to. This is very useful when you want to know to which brush a certain surface belongs to.

How do I select multiple actors?

Selecting multiple actors is easy. There are several ways to accomplish this. One is using the Ctrl key. Press and hold down the Ctrl key and click on each actor you want to select. An actor can be a brush, lightsource, weapon, ... Another way is using Ctrl+Alt. Press and hold down the Ctrl key and the Alt key and drag a box around the actors you want to select. And yet another way is to simply right-click each actor. So right-click the first actor (a menu will appear, but don't bother with that), then right-click the second and so on.

Can I use mathematical expressions in builder properties?

Yes you can. Type something like "=64*2" into a field. See brushbuilders for more.

How does the vertex editing mode work?

See Vertex Editing.

Isn't there an easier way to pick and apply textures (quick texturing)?

Yes there is. See Surface Painting on the Selecting Surfaces page.

How can I scale lights?

To scale lights first select the lights you want to scale. Then do UnrealEd Main Menu → Tools → Scale Lights, check Percentage and type in a value to your liking.

How do I make solid glass, using sheets or regular brushes?

See Glass.

I can't import textures. What's wrong?

See the troubleshooting list on Texture Import and Export.

My reachspecs keep increasing at each rebuild. Can I decrease it again?

Reachspecs keep increasing at each rebuild even when you didn't change the pathnode network. To clean things up you do the following:

Select a Pathnode.
Right-Click it and click Select All Pathnodes.
Right-Click again and goto Order and click Last.
Rebuild.

Now the reachspecs should be reset.

Unreal Mapping FAQ (UT)

Basics

Crashes and Other Snafus

Minor Niggles

Related Topics