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STEP 10 OF 67 · YOU ARE THE TECHNICAL ARTIST

Install the core software

Unreal Engine, the C++ tools, Character Creator 5 with Headshot 3, Blender and version control. Duke checks each one is installed.

How to do it

  1. Epic Games Launcher, then Unreal Engine 5.8.
  2. Visual Studio 2022 with "Game development with C++" (free from Microsoft).
  3. Character Creator 5 and Headshot 3, plus Reallusion's free Auto Setup plugins for Unreal and Blender.
  4. Blender (current version).
  5. Git with Git LFS.
  6. Before any upgrade, check the Auto Setup plugin supports that Unreal version, then keep it fixed until your first milestone ships.
How AI speeds this up

The Duke app on your PC detects everything you have installed and tells you what is missing, with the official download links.

Example from a sample game

Ashfall: UE 5.8, VS 2022, CC5 + Headshot 3.1, Blender 4.x, Git LFS. All detected.

Before you move on

In Duke Forger, this step's gate checks:

Words to know

Unreal Engine
Epic Games' engine used for Star Wars Outlaws-class graphics. Free until a game earns $1 million, then a 5% royalty.
Character Creator 5
Reallusion's character software (CC5). It builds realistic, fully rigged people from sliders, presets and photos, ready for Unreal.
Headshot 3
A Character Creator plugin that uses AI to build a realistic 3D head from a single photo of a face.
Blender
Free professional 3D software for modeling, sculpting, UVs, texturing and rigging.
Version control
A system (like Git) that records every change to your project so you can undo mistakes and recover old versions.
Do step 10 on your own game

Included in Creator, Academy and Studio. Duke drafts it with you and checks it before step 11 opens.

Start free