Technology is all about breaking barriers and tapping into areas that others have deemed unapproachable. So, before anyone tells you that developing a mobile app in Unreal is a feat better left undone, there’s a piece of news that we want to share with you. Our team of experts have developed a fully functional mobile app in Unreal from scratch that offers a seamless experience to users.
Sure, it was challenging to create an app with little to no app support from the engine and a path covered with roadblocks. But fruits of our labor have made it a journey worth the thousands of cups of coffee that our team has downed during that time. Other than the fact that we’re short a couple of months’ worth coffee supplies, entire process of developing our app has been a rewarding experience.
Roadblocks on the Go
Since Unreal is basically a gaming engine, it doesn’t offer extensive app support and help to developers that is available with Unity 3D. Some of the pretty basic modules necessary for a mobile app are not supported by Unreal that’s kept most of the developers away from creating apps in the engine till now. There is no native calendar widget in Unreal. So if you want your app to have anything related to months and dates then you’ll have to put up your own line of codes for every test scenario. Then there’s the issue of simple image uploading for user profiles and hyperlinking that becomes a great hassle for developers in Unreal.
It’s the age of downloading and if a user can’t download content to view, save and share, they’re probably going to write your app off as a boring one. While native development platforms offer support with different plugins and widgets for app development, Unreal has no plugin or widget to integrate DLC system. The limitations don’t just stop at these, there are other hurdles that can make developers scream in frustration.
Then why bother developing mobile apps in Unreal at all when there are other platforms with all the app support you may need?
Well, there’s a perfectly good reason behind it: the destination makes the journey worthwhile. Let’s see why moving mobile app development to Unreal can be more rewarding than it seems.
Visuals that Take Your Breath Away
When talking about graphics, Unreal offers a highly advanced system that is way ahead than other existing platforms. From advanced dynamic lighting to complex particle simulation, Unreal lets you push the graphics to wherever you want. A lot of AAA game titles made in Unreal have captured attention of designers and developers alike, particularly with their high-end graphics. But when it comes to plain old mobile apps, there’s a complete untapped territory that remains to be explored. Creating a mobile app in this has made it visually breathtaking and more realistic.
Augmenting the Augmented Reality
Placing objects in Augmented Reality and making it visually appealing is not a simple task. With real time rendering and graphics hinting at a new age of visual styles, there’s no chance for any app or game to become successful if companies and developers don’t keep up with the trend. There’s a lot more space to play with in augmented reality, but that means you’d need to keep it twice as intuitive and aesthetically pleasing as in any simple app.
We noticed a visible difference in the look and feel of assets placed in AR using Unreal. The texture and details are more pronounced and look more realistic. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that it augments the augmented reality.
Swipe Your Way to a Seamless Experience
Since Unreal is an open source engine, it offers limitless flexibility provided that you have advanced knowledge of coding and willingness to seriously invest your time and efforts to benefit from it. Rather than taking it as a hindrance, our team of developers took it as an opportunity and were able to create a fully functional mobile app that incorporates gestures. So you can swipe to navigate through the app in a seamless manner that keeps users away from all kinds of buggy experiences.
As Unreal Engine lets developers have more control over managing memory with its “lower level” programming language (C++), our team of developers have managed to create an app that incorporates login, signup, social sharing, a dynamic user interface, user profile, a custom calendar popup and DLC system, with aesthetically pleasing visuals. With this breakthrough a new path has been paved for app development in Unreal, but the optimization and possibilities continue to be a source of inspiration for developers all around the globe.