Unreal Engine Blueprints for beginners: where to start
Blueprints are Unreal Engine's visual scripting system: instead of typing code, you connect nodes in a graph to define how objects behave. You can learn them with no programming background by following one order: the editor, variables, arrays, flow control, functions and events, Blueprint classes, and communication between Blueprints. The course follows that path across 12 modules and 129 lessons.
At a glance
- Lessons
- 129
- Hours of video
- 21.5
- Modules
- 12
- Level
- Beginner → intermediate · no programming needed
- Languages
- Original audio in Portuguese, an AI-dubbed English audio track, and English and Spanish subtitles.
- Certificate
- Certificate of completion
- Access
- While the course is published, 1 year minimum
- Guarantee
- 14-day full refund
- Regular price
- US$ 79 one-time payment; launch and seasonal offers are shown on the course page
What are Unreal Engine Blueprints?
A Blueprint is a graph of nodes. Some nodes are events, such as pressing a key or an object being touched. Others are actions, such as moving an object, playing a sound or changing a material. You connect them with wires, and the engine runs the logic from the event onward.
Everything you can do with Blueprints in this course, from doors and lights to menus and cameras, comes from combining a small set of ideas: variables, flow control, functions and events, and communication between objects.
In what order should a beginner learn Blueprints?
The order matters more than the speed, because every later interaction uses the earlier pieces:
- The editor and the basics: what Unreal Engine is, what Blueprints are, the editor, execution order, helpers and node types
- Variables and data types: Integer, Boolean, Float, Text, Object, Struct, Vector, Rotator and Transform; Get and Set
- Arrays: Get, Find, Length, Last Index, Contains, Insert, Remove and Clear
- Flow control: Branch, Switch, Do Once, Do N, Flip Flop, For Loop, Gate and Sequence
- Functions, events, macros and enums, to reuse logic
- Blueprint classes and actors: moving, spawning and destroying actors
- Communication: direct references, casting, Blueprint Interfaces and Event Dispatchers
Five small exercises that make the basics stick
Open an empty Blueprint and try these. Each takes a few minutes and each comes from a free PDF made from the lessons:
- Variables: create one of each type, drag them into the graph holding Alt for Set and Ctrl for Get, then put a Print String before and after a Set to see the old and new value. On an Integer, typing 23.5 gives 23.
- Arrays: build an Integer array with 5 values. Length is 5, Last Index is 4, and a Find for a value that is not there returns -1. Indexes start at 0.
- Flow control: a For Loop from 0 to 4 with a Print String on the Loop Body runs 5 times; a Flip Flop on a key press alternates between A and B, which is how you switch a light on and off.
- Communication: ask four questions. Do I know exactly who I am talking to? Is it a family of classes? Do many different objects share one action? Does one thing happen and several others react?
- A first project: a color picker with three sliders (Hue, Saturation and Value) that recolors an object in the scene.
Which shortcuts save the most time?
Four habits make the Event Graph faster: Ctrl-drag a variable for a Get node and Alt-drag for a Set node; select a group of nodes and press C to wrap them in a comment box; replace a long wire that crosses the graph with a Reroute node; and name events in a logical sequence. The free Blueprint cheat sheet puts these and the node colors on one page.
Do I need a specific Unreal Engine version to follow along?
No. Most lessons were recorded in Unreal Engine 4, and the Blueprint nodes and concepts are the same in Unreal Engine 4/5; only parts of the editor look different. If you have either version and the free editor, you can follow.
Where does it go after the basics?
After communication come time control (Delta Time, Timelines and Timers), vectors and rotation, materials at runtime and UI widgets. Those become real systems such as doors, a light dimmer, a time-of-day control and an elevator, and they come together in a complete interactive architecture project.
What the course covers
- Editor and Blueprint Fundamentals 9 lessons
First steps: what Unreal Engine is, what Blueprints are, the editor, execution order, helpers and node types. - Variables and Data Types 14 lessons
Integer, Boolean, Float, Text, Object, Struct, Vector, Rotator and Transform; Get/Set, properties and operators. - Arrays 11 lessons
Creating and handling arrays: Get, Find, Length, Last Index, Is Valid Index, Contains, Insert, Remove, Clear and Append. - Flow Control 12 lessons
Switch, Branch, Do N, Do Once, Flip Flop, For Loop (with Break), Gate, Multi Gate, Sequence and While Loop. - Functions, Events, Macros and Enums 6 lessons
Reusable logic: collapsed nodes, events, functions, macros, macro libraries and enums. - Blueprint Classes and Actors 9 lessons
Actor, Game Mode, Character and Player Controller; moving, spawning and destroying actors; Is Valid; Get All Actors of Class. - Blueprint Communication 7 lessons
How one Blueprint talks to another: direct references, casting, Blueprint Interfaces and Event Dispatchers. - Time Control 7 lessons
FPS, Delta Time and Tick; Delay; Timelines with custom curves; Timers. - Vectors and Rotation 11 lessons
Spatial math for interaction: vector length, distances, normalized vectors, forward/right/up vectors, Rotate Vector, Find Look at Rotation, pitch/yaw/roll. - Materials 2 lessons
Materials at runtime: an introduction to materials and material instances. - UI and HUD 8 lessons
Interfaces with Widgets: input mode and focus, programming and styling the UI, text input. - Hands-on Project: Interactive Architecture 33 lessons
Everything applied to an architectural visualization: first-person character, material highlight, swaps and colors, doors, lights, exterior camera, menus, level loading and streaming, movable objects, audio, clock, minimap, camera modes, elevator, third person, save/load and more.
Free PDFs that go with this page
One-page guides made from the lessons, sent by e-mail.
- Blueprint Cheat Sheet — A free one-page PDF for Unreal Engine 4/5, made from the lessons of the course. Keep it next to your editor while you learn.
- Variables and data types — What each Blueprint variable stores, plus the Get, Set and struct moves that go with them.
- Arrays in Blueprints — Every array node you need, what it does and what it returns, from the lessons of the course.
- Flow control nodes — Branch, Switch, loops and gates on one page: what each node does and which pins to know.
- Free PDFs
Frequently asked questions
What are Unreal Engine Blueprints?
Blueprints are Unreal Engine's visual scripting system. Instead of typing code, you connect nodes in a graph to define how objects behave.
Can I learn Blueprints with no programming experience?
Yes. The course starts from the editor and builds up node by node, and assumes no programming experience.
How long does it take to learn the basics?
It depends on your pace. The course has 129 lessons and 21.5 hours of video in 12 modules, and the early modules cover the basics before anything is built.
Is there something free I can try first?
Yes. There is a free sample lesson and a library of free one-page PDFs, including a Blueprint cheat sheet, made from the lessons.
Blueprints or C++?
For the interactions in this course, such as doors, lights, menus and cameras, Blueprints are enough and no C++ is needed.