Installation and versions
Everything downstream — compile times, IntelliSense accuracy, whether Live Coding works at all —
Project anatomy
Knowing which folders in a project are source of truth and which are disposable build output is
Unreal Build Tool
Unreal doesn't use a single monolithic compile step — it compiles per-module, and every module's
Modules and plugins
A module is the compilation unit; a plugin is the distribution unit. Confusing the two leads to two
Unreal Header Tool
UCLASS, UPROPERTY, and UFUNCTION look like ordinary C++ macros, but the code that makes them
Build configurations and targets
The dropdown in Visual Studio's toolbar (DebugGame Editor, Development Editor, Shipping, ...)
Live Coding and hot reload
The single biggest iteration-speed lever in Unreal C++ development is not touching the "restart the
Source control setup
Unreal projects mix hand-written C++ with large binary asset files and gigabytes of regenerable