Gameplay Camera and Control Devices

Use the Gameplay Camera and Control devices in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) to design a unique top-down or side-scrolling gameplay experience. With the editor you can quickly iterate on your project using bulk editing tools and further customize the camera’s angle and depth of field.

The functionality of the Fixed Point Camera device, Fixed Angle Camera device, and Third Person Control device, and how the priority system works are the same in UEFN as in Creative, but in UEFN you can take your camera work to the next level by combining the cameras with child actors.

For example, use a light actor and post processing to further style your experience for a look and feel that goes beyond the classic Fortnite over the shoulder camera angle.

In this overview, you will learn more about player and camera perspectives, camera lighting, and see an example of how to use the cameras to add a cinematic title sequence to your game start.

To learn more about how camera devices and the control device works, as well as the priority system, see Designing with Cameras and Controls.

For more information on each of the devices covered here, see:

• Fixed Point Camera device
• Fixed Angle Camera device
• Third Person Controls device

Player Perspective

To determine the player’s camera perspective for your island, there are a few things you should consider first:

• Is how the player traverses the level important to the player or gameplay?

• Is there a core mechanic or environmental change that makes a shift in perspective necessary?

• Does the environmental layout of the level support a changing perspective?

Decide your perspective early on to avoid having to overhaul game mechanics and level design to accommodate perspective changes. Think about the story you’re trying to tell or what you want the player to experience, then think about how the camera plays into the overall gameplay of your vision.

Player Camera

Placing the camera devices in the viewport automatically opens up the camera view in the right-hand corner. This happens without opening Sequencer.

The camera view is useful for controlling what is captured by the player camera and seeing what player’s Field of View (FOV). The two camera devices have different properties.

The Fixed Point Camera doesn’t move, but can rotate to look toward the player. This is great for framing an area or scene, sometimes used to capture the entire play space.

The Fixed Angle Camera can move to follow the player, but doesn’t rotate. This is great for top down games, side scrollers, and more.

The device options called out below are also available in Creative.

Fixed Point Camera

With the Fixed Point Camera you can select the FOV that is right for your shot, then decide how to track the target of your camera from the Details panel.

Offsets

• Look at Offset Distance - Moves the camera forward or backwards offsetting the view of the target.

• Look at Offset Horizontal - Move the camera left or right offsetting the view of the target.

• Look at Offset Vertical - Moves the camera up and down offsetting the view of the target.

Yaw and Pitch, Speed and Acceleration

• Yaw Acceleration - Determines how fast the camera accelerates left or right towards the camera’s target.

• Yaw Max Speed - Determines the max speed the camera rotates left or right towards the camera’s target.

• Pitch Acceleration - Determines how fast the camera accelerates towards the camera’s target.

• Pitch Max Speed - Determines the max speed the camera rotates up or down towards the camera’s target.

Fixed Angle Camera

With the Fixed Angle Camera here are several options that increase and decrease the FOV and change the camera angle and speed from the Details panel.

Camera Perspective

• Field of View - Determines the vertical Y axis the camera can view.

• Distance - The distance between the camera and the target.

• Angle Pitch - Rotate the camera around the player, up or down.

• Angle Yaw - Rotate the camera around the player, left ro right.

Camera Offsets

• Offset X -A positive value shifts the view target forward relative to the device , while a negative value shifts it back.

• Offset Y - A positive value shifts the view target left relative to the device, while a negative value shifts it right.

• Offset Z - A positive value shifts the view target down relative to the device, while a negative value shifts it up.

Speed

• Horizontal Speed - The speed that the camera moves on the X and Y axes to frame the target.

• Vertical Speed - The speed that the camera moves on the Z axis to frame the target.

You can either drag in the option settings or determine the option amount directly.

Camera Lighting

Once the camera device and player’s FOV is decided, lighting the scene appropriately for the camera angle will be the next important step. You do this by adding a light actor to the camera device. The light actor becomes a child actor to the device and follows the camera.

Select the camera device in the Outliner, then continue to add the light properties from the Details panel.

If the camera device is highlighted in the Actor Names list in the Details panel when you add the light actor, the light attaches to the device base on the ground.

If you select the Camera Actor in the Actor Names list in the Details panel when you add the light actor, the light attaches to the camera in the sky.

The Point Light was used with the Fixed Angle Camera device. Different light actors have different options, therefor the options below may not be available with a different lighting actor.

1. Click +Add and scroll down the list to select a light actor from the Actor dropdown menu. The light actor becomes the highlighted actor in the viewport and its options open in the Details panel.

   

   You can translate the light actor once it’s in the viewport.

2. Rename the light actor.

3. Select a drastically high Intensity amount, then decrease the amount drastically. Go back and forth until you find the right Intensity for the camera.

   

4. Select a Light Color for the light actor depending on how you want the scene to feel. Blue hues will make the scene feel cold, yellows and oranges will make it feel warm.

   

5. Drag the Attenuation Radius to the right, this increases the light’s radius. Drag back and forth to decide how much light you want in the scene.

   

6. Change the diameter of the source light by increasing the following options:

   1. Source Radius

   2. Soft Source Radius

   3. Source Length

   

7. Set Use Temperature to True, then drag the Temperature option left and right to find the amount of light temperature that’s right for your scene.

   

8. Drag the Indirect Lighting Intensity to the left to increase the amount of light bouncing off objects in the scene.

   

If you want the light to act like a mystical element, drag the Volumetric Scattering Intensity all the way to the right to create a ball of light with soft edges.

Post Processing

You can also add post processing effects to camera devices. To edit post processing properties use the same steps as above to create a post process child actor and open its options in the Details panel.

With post processing you can alter how the scene looks by incorporating rendering effects to the camera lens.

You can further adjust the light and camera lens by combining additional post processing effects:

• Color Grading

• Global Illumination

• Rendering Features

• Film Grain

Title Sequence Example

Camera devices are useful for displaying title screens for your project using a HUD Message device and the UI Widget Editor. Title screens add a layer of professionalism and refinement to your project. The Fixed Camera device changes the automatic camera view of the game camera when the game starts.

Create your own title screen in the photo editing software of your choice then import the images into the editor and use them in the UI Widget Editor to create a custom pop up. Once the title screen is set up, bind the UI element to the HUD Message device to display your title screen.

Show your title screen on the HUD Message device against the custom view of your camera device.

Learn how to include a title screen in a custom title sequence with Verse.