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I Cannot see the text/ image of the Main Menu.

UDK3 and  Image or Text Widgets problem.

Depending on what year/date of UDK3 engine you are using I was contacted by several people who were having issues with their keyboard based main menu. At first I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about until I duplicated what they were trying to do. Now, with this error you will not see it within the UDK editor. But!....as soon as you pack your project using Frontend and install your project as an independent software package your main menu has mysteriously "Disappeared." Wow, okay?...The good news is, I am going to show you how to fix this! Download the file below to begin or have a file of your own. You will need an image preferably with the dimensions of 1280x720. Resize your image to 1024 x 512 once you are ready. Your image should be "related" to your project in some way.

DOWNLOAD:: Myudkproject.zip

STEP ONE

This was tested on  UDK-2015-01, UDK-2013-07 & UDK-2012-05. Download the file above, or use your own file with the dimensions of 1024pixels x 512pixels. Unzip the file myudkproject.png.

STEP TWO

Unzip the file called "myudkproject.zip" or prepare your own file. Extract the myudkproject.png file.

If you do not know how to import images into UDK click HERE.

*NOTE* With UDK you can create your own packages and package names. So this means the default name is "My package". You can change this package name at any time.

STEP THREE

Now we  need to IMPORT the .png image file.

• Start UDK

• Open the UDK Content Browser (Black icon next to binoculars.)

• Click the Import Button

• Locate in your PC directory the image file you want to import.

• Select the menu file you want and click "Open"

• When the Import window opens click "OK to All"

• Go to File and Save All in the UDK editor menu

If you are not sure how to import files or don't even know how to set up the widgets for images using kismet you will have to read this tutorial first. CLICK HERE.

You will now need to create a "Material" out of the texture you imported.

If you are not sure how to create a material continue below. If you know how to, use your texture to create a material, make it Emissive and go to STEP FOUR.

Right click near the file you imported in your UDK library and a list will appear. Select, "New Material."

Give the package a name or leave it, this is up to you. With the "Name", call the file "myudkprojectmat".  The material editor will open. Move it out of the way and select the texture you imported earlier. Go back into the material editor and press and hold down the "T" key on the keyboard.

 Left click the mouse on an empty space in the material editor window and your texture should appear. Connect the black connector to Diffuse and Emissive.

Click the green tick in the left corner. Exit material editor by clicking the red x in the top right corner. Save any changes. This will be our new material that we are going to use.

STEP FOUR

We will need to create a blank map now.

• Left click File in the UDK editor and select New Level...
• Select Blank Map
• Create a cube 256x256x256 (This is the default size anyway.)
• Click Brush on the top menu of the UDK editor.
• Select CSG ADD

We should now have a map with nothing but a blue and white chequered square in the middle of it with dimensions of 256x256x256. We will need no lighting at all for this map because our material is emissive.

Now we want to create what I call the "Cinema Screen". This will need to be in front of the box we created. It also will need some distance away from the box we created also, just like a television set hanging from a wall. If it is in the wrong place don't worry you can move it later.

• Select your brush builder again if it is not selected already.
• with the x coordinates type 2
• with the y coordinates type 1024
• with the z coordinates type 512
• click build
• move the red brush builder rectangle away from the square you created earlier. (Example in image left.)
• Click Brush on the top menu of the UDK editor
• Select CSG ADD.

STEP FIVE

Now we need to add a material texture to the surface of the rectangle we created. Second, we need to add a camera actor.

• Locate the material you created in Step Three and select/click it.

• Select the surface facing the cube you created earlier by left clicking its surface.

• Hold shift and left click the surface you want the material texture on. Just make sure the texture is highlighted in the UDK Browser or this will not work.

• Left click the surface to select it if not still selected

• Right click the surface and select, "Surface Properties".

• While the surface is still selected click "Fit" under alignment.

• In your Content Browser, click the tab at the top called "Actor Classes".

• Under the Categories select "CameraActor" If you cannot see this option click the + sign left of the word "Common" to display it

• Right click the top middle of the cube you created earlier and select "Add CameraActor Here" or drop and drag it out of the Actor Classes window by holding down the left mouse button.

• Select the camera that you added

• Click the "Eye" icon located in your UDK editor in your viewport window. Each viewport window in UDK has this option.

• Move the camera so it basically faces the texture you created earlier.

• Click the eye in the viewport window again to turn it off. You should be able to freely move in the editor again without moving the camera.

STEP SIX

It is time now to program the camera.

• Open Kismet by clicking the green "K" in the UDK editor.

• Right click the kismet window and select "New Event"

• Select "Level Loaded"

• Right click the kismet window and select "New Matinee"

• Select the camera you want matinee to run

• Double click the matinee widget to open it

• Right click the window under the word "All" and select "Add New Camera Group" (Make sure your camera is still selected.)

• Edit the timeline track so it only goes for 1 second but any time will do but try to make it no longer than 5 seconds if possible

• Right click the window again and select "Add New Director Group".

• Click in the green timeline window on the right next to the word "Director" This will highlight the word Director.

• Press "Enter" on the keyboard.

• Select "New Camera Group" in the drop down list but not  "Dirgroup" because this is not selecting your camera.

• Click OK. Exit Matinee and reselect the Matinee widget but don't open it. Make sure that you can see its properties. If you cannot, select "Window" in the left top corner and make sure "Properties" is ticked.

•  Put a tick in the box called "Looping" in the "Seq Act Interp" so that the camera will play non stop or without any interruptions

• Connect the Level Loaded widget to the Matinee widget

• Reopen matinee by double clicking it

• Play the matinee by clicking the play button and try to edit/move the camera so it can see all of the material texture you added.

• Exit matinee, Right click the kismet window and select, "New Action", "Toggle" and select "Toggle Cinematic mode"

• Connect the Level loaded widget to the "Enable" option on the "Toggle Cinematic mode" widget. This will stop any movement.

This is the camera set up and we are nearly finished. This is also where you can make some choices. You can have your matinee play for 5 seconds and then load your project after or have it so spacebar or Esc key will load the next level. Don't forget you will need to also Add a player start in the middle of the cube you created or the map will not load. Right click the middle of the cube, select "Add Actor" then select "Add Player Start".

Why don't you even try adding special effects or maybe an introduction and other misc options to make your project impressive!

STEP SEVEN

Let's review what we have done. 1st we created a texture. 2nd we fixed a camera to it. 3rd we created a matinee and 4th we stopped any movement in the map. Cool....but why did we do this?

For some reason, (maybe it is just the 2013 version of UDK only, I'm not sure of this), the drivers don't fully load on the first start up when using image and text widgets in kismet. So what we have done is load a level first, then loaded a second level which will successfully display our menu. Perhaps there is an easier way but at least this way works.

To finish our level off you will need to connect your matinee to a Console command or assign a key to it. Below left is an example of how I would personally set up a level. I won't go into details because this tutorial is pretty big already. But, let me describe it to you...

1. We have 5 widgets, Level loaded, toggle cinematic mode, a 5 second matinee, a Key Button Pressed widget with the Spacebar, M and Esc assigned to it and a console command

2. The level loads, it stops movement and runs the matinee

3. If the Esc, M or Spacebar keys are not pressed, after 5 seconds, the main menu will load via the console command because the matinee has completed

4. If the Esc, M or Spacebar keys are pressed, the main menu will load and the 5 second matinee is no longer valid

Console commands can be found in kismet under New Action, Misc, Console Command. Simply type "open" (without the quotes) and the name of your level. Don't forget, after the word "open" make sure you have a space, then the name of your level. Have Fun!!!!