UI3 Input Controls & Game Modes

The Game Mode defines the type of game (Touch, VR) for the scene and what input devices are used to control it.

Some of the content is slightly different between versions.

The Game Mode is set in the World Properties or your main (persistent) level. Sub-levels world properties are ignored.

UI3 has 4 Game Modes to choose from:

• SDotUI3_GameModeKeyboard for keyboard and mouse support
• SDotUI3_GameModeTouch for touch controls
• SDotUI3_GameModeGamepad for XBOX Gamepad support
• SDotUI3_GameModeVR for VR headsets with a controller or gamepad.

Create a Persistent level for each input method. This level will only contain a few actors like the Info Map and a player start.

There are persistent levels for each input method in the UI3 demo project:

• UI3_PersistentDynamic - default, keyboard
• UI3_PersistentController - gamepad version
• UI3_PersistentVR - VR headset with tablet
• UI3_PersistentTouch - touch controls

All other assets are split into sub levels. The same sub levels are attached to the persistent levels and changes made in one of the sub levels applies to all scenes.

1. Select the Input Method
2. Click Apply Preset

The tick box will immediately unselect itself to unlock the preset variables for changes. Read the section for each input method to see which variables are recommended to be changed.

SDotUI3_CharacterV3

This blueprint is part of all game modes. It contains many of the most important nodes. It also contains the movement related nodes.

SDotUI3_ControllerType

These blueprints contain the nodes for interacting with objects in the scene.

SDotUI3_GameModeType

These blueprints define which character and input controller are used in the game mode and other things.

Game Mode for keyboard and mouse controls. It uses

• SDotUI3_CharacterV3
• SDotUI3_ControllerKeyMouse

The game mode contains a node from the OpenXR plugin to disable the VR headset.

The Info Map has default settings that work well with this game mode.

Use this Game Mode for touch screen devices. Also use it if you want to Pixel Stream onto a touch screen device. It uses

• SDotUI3_CharacterV3
• SDotUI3_ControllerTouch

The game mode contains a node from the OpenXR plugin to disable the VR headset.

Touch can be simulated during development with Project Settings -> Input -> Use Mouse For Touch. Note that this will block the Mouse input from working in the keyboard mouse game mode.

Settings in the Info Map blueprint:

Use this Game Mode with the XBox gamepad, Steam/VIVE, and Oculus/Quest controller.

This Game Mode uses the

• SDotUI3_CharacterV3
• SDotUI3_ControllerGamepad.

The game mode contains a node from the OpenXR plugin to toggle the VR headset.

Settings in the Info Map blueprint:

How to use a different controller with the user interface is explained at the end of this page.

Select may be either [SPACE] or [ENTER] in earlier versions.

Use this Game Mode for VR scenes. It enables the 3D interface on the virtual tablet.

• SDotUI3_CharacterV3
• SDotUI3_ControllerGamepad

Grabbing or pointing at objects with your hands may not work with UI3.

Using VR with UI3

The actual input keys and buttons are assigned in the file MC_ArchVizUI3

Enhanced Input on YouTube

examples of how it works:

Keyboard Key S

This key controls the backwards movement. Movement is two- dimensional and can be X or Y, or forward/backward and Left/Right. You'll need 2 modifiers for this control key

• Swizzle Input Axis Values: redirects default X to direction Y which is forward/backward.
• Negate will invert (negate) the value to move backwards.

Gamepad Left Stick

The lift stick is a 2 dimensional input. There are another 2 modifiers used for this type of input:

• Dead Zone is a limiter that stops input of low values. Most controllers are not perfectly calibrated and send low values when they are idle.
• Scalar is a simple multiplier that increases the value of the stick 50 times for X and Y axis.

A simple Button, like the Select Button doesn't need any modifiers.