Unlocking C++ in Unreal Engine

Take Unreal Engine beyond Blueprints. In this intensive day you’ll configure a full C++ toolchain for Unreal Engine 5.5, learn when native code outshines visual scripting, and discover how AI code copilots can super-charge your workflow. Through guided exploration and live coding you’ll compile your first custom Actor class, expose functions to Blueprints, search the Unreal source code, and learn how to improve your C++ skills using LLMs.

For more workshops like this, visit Tandon at The Yard's 2025 Summer Workshops page.

• Technical artists & gameplay programmers migrating from Blueprints to C++
• Virtual-production & real-time content creators who need maximum performance
• Indie devs & prototypers wanting AI-assisted coding inside Unreal Editor

Basic familiarity with Unreal Editor navigation is assumed; no prior C++ required.

• Laptop with Unreal Engine 5.5 installed
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 (Community or higher) with “Game development with C++” workload (Note: we will walk through this step in class)
• GitHub Copilot / Cursor / Cline or Claude/ChatGPT (optional, free tiers okay)
• Three-button mouse for comfortable viewport work
• (Optional) External SSD for project files
  
  

10:00 – 10:15

Welcome & Goals
Workshop roadmap; poll participant experience

10:15 – 10:45

Why C++ in UE?
Native vs Blueprint performance; memory, determinism; exploring the source code

10:45 – 12:15

Environment Setup & First Compile
Create C++ project; configure VS; hot-reload; build a custom Actor; Debugging Compile Errors

12:15 – 12:30

Morning Break

12:30 – 1:30

Exposing C++ to Blueprints
Core C++ classes; UCLASS, UFUNCTION, UPROPERTY macros; Samples;

1:30 – 2:15

Lunch Break

2:15 – 3:15

AI-Assisted Coding
Integrating LLMs into the workflow; prompt patterns for boilerplate, refactors

3:15 – 3:30

Afternoon Break

3:30 – 4:30

Project Sprint
Creating a custom C++ feature (from prompts or your own idea); Profiling;

4:30 – 5:00

Showcase & Closing
Share builds, Q&A, next-step resources

Participants will:

1. Configure and compile C++ projects in Unreal Engine 5.5.
2. Create custom Actors, Components, and Blueprint-exposed functions.
3. Leverage AI coding tools to conceptualize, boilerplate and debug code.
4. Prepare a custom C++ feature together (Optional: bring your own idea)
5. Leave with the skills to use C++ for future games or virtual-production pipelines.

David Cihelna — Technical Director and co-founder of Pyramid3, an R&D studio building virtual content, game engine and synthetic-media experiences. David guides teams across virtual production, AI tooling, and experiential entertainment, drawing on deep expertise in Unreal Engine, and real-time graphics. LinkedIn

For walking directions from the gate to the workshop venue, click here.

Also check out other Workshops in Brooklyn, Arts events in Brooklyn.