Modular design is a cornerstone of modern game development, enabling artists and designers to create vast, detailed environments from a library of reusable components. Working with modular kits, however, comes with its own set of challenges. Without a proper workflow, you can end up with levels that feel repetitive or misaligned. Here are five essential tips for working efficiently with modular kits in Unreal Engine 5.
Tip 1: Establish a Strict Grid and Scale
This is the golden rule of modularity. Before you even start placing assets, decide on a grid size and stick to it. Most modular kits are designed to work on a power-of-two grid, commonly 50 or 100 units in Unreal. All your pieces—walls, floors, pillars—should be modeled to these dimensions. In the editor, set your grid snapping to this value. This ensures that every piece you place will fit perfectly with its neighbors, eliminating gaps and Z-fighting, a visual artifact that occurs when two objects occupy the same space, causing flickering or visual distortion.
Tip 2: Create Prefab “Blocks”
Placing individual wall, floor, and ceiling pieces one by one is incredibly time-consuming. A much faster approach is to create your prefabs, also known as “blocks.” Assemble a few pieces into a larger, more complex chunk—for example, a complete corner section with two walls, a floor tile, and a pillar. Once you’re happy with it, select all the pieces and, in the Actor menu, choose “Convert Actors to Blueprint Class.” Now, you have a single, reusable asset that you can drag and drop to build your level much more quickly, saving you valuable time and effort.
Tip 3: Master Vertex Snapping
While grid snapping is your primary tool, sometimes you need more precision, especially with complex or off-grid shapes. Vertex snapping is your best friend in this situation. To use it, hold the ‘V’ key while dragging an actor’s transform gizmo. This will allow you to snap a vertex from the selected actor to any vertex of another actor in the scene. It’s the perfect way to align pieces that don’t quite fit the grid or to connect detailed props seamlessly.
Tip 4: Break Repetition with Decals and Props
The most significant danger of modular design is the ‘copy-paste’ look. Your level can quickly feel sterile and repetitive if it’s just the same few wall and floor pieces repeated endlessly. The key to breaking this up is set dressing. Use decals to add unique details, such as cracks, stains, graffiti, or rust. For instance, you can use a ‘crack’ decal to make a wall look weathered or a ‘stain’ decal to add a sense of history to the floor. Place small props, such as crates, pipes, cables, and furniture, to add visual interest and tell a story about the environment. This ‘post-pass’ is what transforms a collection of blocks into a believable world.
Tip 5: Plan Your Layout on Paper First
Don’t just jump into the editor and start building. You’ll save yourself countless hours of rework by planning your level’s layout first. Grab a piece of paper or a digital whiteboard and sketch a top-down map. Think about player flow, key locations, combat arenas, and sightlines. This high-level plan will guide your construction process and ensure you’re building with purpose, not just filling space. It’s a strategic approach that will set you up for success.