Unreal Python Recipe Book
  • About
  • Getting Started
  • Dev Conveniences
    • Python Command Line
    • Modifier Keys (alt, ctrl shift)
    • Convenience Modules
    • Abstraction Layer
  • Assets
    • Loading Assets
    • New Asset Instances
    • Getting the Default Object
    • Get / Set Editor Properties
    • Calling BP Graph Functions
    • Asset Path ↔ File Path
    • Python Module Example
  • Actors
    • Get Asset from Actor
      • [c++] Get Asset List For Actor
    • Spawning Actors
    • Get All Actors in 3D Level
    • Walking The Actor Hierarchy
    • Walking Components
    • On Selection Changed Callback
    • Python Module Example
  • Metadata
    • Epic Documentation
    • [c++] Registering Metadata Tags
    • Setting Metadata
    • Getting Metadata
    • Find Assets By Metadata
    • Python Module Example
  • Calling Python From Blueprint
    • The Execute Python Script Node
    • Blueprint Function Libraries
      • Python Module Example
      • Making BP Function Libraries Safer
    • Subsystems (Don't Use)
  • Editor Menus
    • Discovering Menus to Extend
    • Getting a Reference to a Menu
    • Adding a Drop Down Menu
    • Python Menu Class
      • Insert Position
      • Menu Icons
      • Toggled Menu Entries
      • Editor Utility Widget Launcher
    • Python Module Example
  • Startup & Shutdown Scripts
    • Treat init_unreal like __init__
    • Startup Script Management
    • Shutdown Script Management
    • Python Module Example
  • Using Engine-Version Specific Code
  • UE5 Demo Plugin (GitHub)
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  1. Dev Conveniences

Abstraction Layer

simplifying Unreal's API

For anyone coming from Maya development, the comparison I like to give is that Unreal doesn't really have a cmds equivalent, Unreal's Python API is like OpenMaya: a direct conversion of C++ classes with minimal conveniences.

While I do write a lot of tool-specific code, I also build up convenience modules as well for various parts of the Unreal Python API, such as making a more accessible save function:

from systems import EditorAssetSubsystem

def save_asset(asset, force=False) -> bool:
    """Save the provided asset or asset path"""
    if isinstance(asset, unreal.Object):
        asset = asset.get_outermost().get_path_name()
    
    return EditorAssetSubsystem.save_asset(asset, not force)

I can call this function with a string asset path or a loaded Unreal Object, making it more accessible to save assets elsewhere in my Python code.

My general rule of thumb is to look out for one of two conditions:

  • Does a repeated task consistently require the same multiple lines to use properly?

    • some Python API functions may require additional setup to use, if used frequently enough they're solid candidates for making a convenience function for

  • Could a repeated task be made more accessible?

    • save_asset as an example, we could make a single function that handles any kind of common asset reference (asset path, loaded object, or AssetData object)

Last updated 25 days ago