Resources - The Gabmeister - VR - AR - Unreal Engine

The Gabmeister Resources

This page is a collection of links that have helped me throughout my career as a VR, AR, Unreal Engine, and Unity Developer. I’m constantly updating this list, removing old items and adding new ones. I try to remove those that are older than 5 years old. However, there are exceptions which I truly believe contain information that are relevant today. Furthermore, this list is not for beginners. It covers mostly intermediate-advanced topics. I hope that these resources assist you in your journey.

XR

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is.
You have to see it for yourself."

- Morpheus, The Matrix (1999) -

Best practices for VR and mobile AR graphics in Unity (2020) by Unity Technologies
Unreal Engine XR Development Docs

Virtual Reality

Oculus Documentation for Unreal Engine
Oculus Documentation for Unity
OpenVR API GitHub Wiki
Showdown on Quest Part 1 (2022) by Zac Drake
VR Optimization and Performance Tips for Unity (2021) by VRwithAndrew
VR Content Examples for UE 4.24 by DownToCode
How to improve visual rendering quality in VR (2019) by Ryan O’Shea
ARKTIKA.1 Strategies for Great Effects in VR (2017) by Nikita Shilkin

Augmented Reality

Programming

"Talk is cheap. Show me the code."

- Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux -

Clean Code and Design Patterns

A Short Summary On Clean Coding Best Practices (2021) by Thilina Ashen Gamage
Refactoring Guru
Game Programming Patterns (2014) by Robert Nystrom
Summary of “Clean Code” by Robert C. Martin
C³: Common Coding Conventions

Career Advice

The Hacker Mindset (2019) by Davyd McColl

Unity

"I think the unmissable "skill" is the drive to create. 
If you have that drive, Unity will give you back thousandfold."

- David Helgason, Co-founder of Unity -

Unity User Manual

Unreal Engine

“Within our lifetimes, we will be able to push out 
enough computational power to simulate reality.”

- Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games -

Unreal Engine Documentation
Unreal Engine 5 Style Guide by Michael Allar
Open Unreal Conventions by Jonas Reich

C++ / Blueprints

The Gabmeister Unreal Engine C++ Code Reference by The Gabmeister
Unreal Engine Multiplayer Framework (2022) by Kekdot
Blueprints vs. C++: How They Fit Together and Why You Should Use Both (2021) by Alex Forsythe
The Unreal Engine Game Framework: From int main() to BeginPlay (2020) by Alex Forsythe
Unreal Engine C++ Project Setup, From Scratch (2020) by Alex Forsythe
Best Practices for Creating and Using Plugins (2019) by Max Preussner
How the C++ Compiler Works (2017) by The Cherno
How the C++ Linker Works (2017) by The Cherno
Unreal Property System – Reflection (2014) by Michael Noland
Unreal Engine 4 Network Compendium by Cedric “eXi” Neukirchen

GPU / Graphics Profiling and Optimization

An In-Depth Look at Real-Time Rendering (2019) by Sjoerd de Jong
Profiling and Optimization in UE4 (2019) by Paulo Souza
Performance Optimization for Environments (2020) by Matt Oztalay and Jakob Keudel
UE4 Graphics Profiling Part 1 – Measuring Performance (2017) by Tech Art Aid
UE4 Graphics Profiling Part 2 – Graphics Pipeline (2017) by Tech Art Aid
UE4 Graphics Profiling Part 3 – GPU Visualizer (2017) by Tech Art Aid
UE4 Graphics Profiling Part 3.5 – GPU Visualizer (2017) by Tech Art Aid
UE4 Graphics Profiling Part 4 – Intel Frame Analyzer (2017) by Tech Art Aid
How to improve game thread CPU performance in Unreal Engine (2014) by Bob Tellez

Lighting

Understanding Lightmapping in Unreal Engine in documentation
Generating Lightmap UVs in documentation
Modular Asset Lighting Problem
Unreal Engine 4 Lighting Masterclass Summary (2017) by Tom Looman (talk by Jerome Platteaux)
Unreal Engine 4 Lighting Academy by 51Daedalus

Networking / Multiplayer

Unreal Engine Multiplayer Tips and Tricks by WizardCell
Persistent Data Compendium by WizardCell
[UE4] The Secret of Multiplayer | Ownership (2021) by Aaron Hunt
Multiplayer in Unreal Engine: How to Understand Network Replication (2020) by Alex Forsythe

Pixel Streaming

Pixel Streaming documentation
Interacting with the Pixel Streaming System
Pixel Streaming servers and frontend GitHub repo
Frontend Communication with Unreal Engine Client (2023) by Betide Studio
Voice Chat with Unreal Engine Client (2023) by Betide Studio
How to Pixel Stream Unreal Engine 5.2 on AWS Instance (Windows) (2023) by Eagle 3D Streaming
4Players ODIN – Voice Chat SDK compatible with pixel streaming

Crash Troubleshooting

GPU Crash Debugging in Unreal Engine: Tools, Techniques, and Best Practices (2023) by Thijs van Wingerden
Crashing With Style in Unreal Engine (2022) by Ari Arnbjörnsson
What do you do when Unreal Editor crashes? (2020) by Alex Forsythe
Crash Reporting in Unreal Engine. NOTE: Download Editor symbols for debugging if you’re using Unreal Engine from the Epic Launcher. These will allow the Crash Reporter to show you a detailed call stack. Moreover, the Crash Reporter does not show up when you’re using a UE5 Editor Source Build from GitHub. Instead, you need to run Debug Mode in Visual Studio.

Networking / Multiplayer

"People come to The Oasis for all the things they can do, 
but they stay because of all the things they can be."

- Wade Watts, Ready Player One (2018) -

The Ultimate Guide to Forwarding Ports in Your Router (2021) by Jason Bauer
Netcode 101 – What You Need To Know (2017) by Battle(non)sense
Gaffer On Games Articles by Glenn Fiedler
BaaS + Game Server Comparison Sheet by Imperium42

3D Environment Art

"Art is never finished, only abandoned. "

- Leonardo da Vinci -

Polycount Wiki

The Polycount Wiki is “a catalog of information aimed at game development artists; whether professional, student, or hobbyist.” To be honest, this is the only resource you need if you’re starting out as a 3D Game Artist. It covers all the topics. Don’t be fooled by the old-school UI. This is the place where the AAA game artists hang-out. I’ll try and hand-pick a couple of links which are pertinent to 3D environment art: