As universities, colleges, and vocational schools continue to introduce Unreal Engine 5 (UE) to students and faculty, a common question is how to distribute UE4 to school computers without exposing the academic account used to access the engine. This document describes how deployment automation can help distribute academic UE installations.
Installing UE and Content #
Schools commonly install UE on multiple computers, such as those in a computer lab or classroom. At the time described in this guide, UE does not provide a silent or single-step installer, so it must be run manually at least once on a machine in the academic environment. Part of the deployment process can then be automated instead of manually running the installer on every remaining classroom computer.
Follow these steps to install UE in an academic environment:
Using the Launcher #
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Note: If your school's network uses a proxy server, the guide recommends a UE build from GitHub because the Launcher may not work behind the proxy. If you prefer the Launcher version, ask your IT department to open port 7777 or 7778. Opening these ports does not always allow the Launcher to start or update through a proxy. |
- Download the latest installer using the following links:
- Run the installer on the machine you want to use as the source for an image.
- When installation finishes, the Launcher starts automatically so you can sign in with your Epic Games credentials.
- To download and install the latest UE version, start by selecting the sidebar option Unreal Engine .
Click to view the full image.
- Next, select the tab Library at the top.
Click the button Engine Versions (+).
Open the dropdown and choose the engine version to download. This example uses version 5.0.1 .
Finally, click Install and follow the installation instructions to install Unreal Engine 5.0.1 on your machine.
Some instructors use learning samples in their curricula. For example, a game design instructor might use Lyra Starter Game as a teaching resource. To download Lyra, select the tab Samples (1), then click Lyra Starter Game (2).
On the Content Detail screen for Lyra Starter Game, first click Free to access the content. An EULA window appears.
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Note: Before downloading a learning sample, check the platform support and supported engine version in Content Details , which are updated when new versions are released. |
Accept the EULA. The button changes to Create Project ; click it to begin project setup.
Set the project name, installation folder, and engine version if needed, then select Create .
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Note: At the time of writing, only version 5.0 was compatible with Lyra Starter Game, so no version choice was available when creating the project. |
Once Lyra Starter Game is installed, it appears under Library > My Projects. It is also available in the Vault for creating new projects.
If you see any automatically created projects under Library > My Projects, delete those projects.
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Warning: Leaving projects that the Launcher created automatically may cause problems when users on shared machines use the same projects. This includes the Lyra Starter Game project created in the example; the content remains available in the Vault. |
- After removing the automatically created projects, copy this machine's setup to the remaining classroom computers. Alternatively, save a machine image and distribute it to the lab computers.
From GitHub #
Read these pages in order to learn how to download, install, and update UE from GitHub:
- Accessing Unreal Engine on GitHub
- Downloading Unreal Engine Source Code
- Updating to Epic's Latest Changes
Performing Updates #
Once UE is installed, you can use the engine and available free content in the academic environment. Plan for updates: when new UE versions or engine content are released, update the reference installation or distribute new content by copying the relevant files. A script can automate this process.
The following sections explain how to update UE and engine content in an academic environment:
Using the Launcher #
- Open the Launcher on a central machine and go to Library .
- Click the button Engine Versions (+).
- After the Launcher downloads the latest UE version, update the reference installation or image.
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Note: If you do not want to perform updates using the Launcher, read the next section to learn how to copy updates to lab machines running UE. |
Copying UE and Content #
- Copy these directories from the source machine to every machine you want to update:
(Local Directory)\Epic Games\Launcher\VaultCache[Local Directory]\Epic Games(Engine Version)
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Note:
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- Create the following directory on each machine you want to update:
[Local Drive Letter]\ProgramData\Epic\EpicGamesLauncher\Data\Manifests. - If you have just downloaded the engine, copy the most recently downloaded manifest from
[Local Drive Letter]\ProgramData\Epic\EpicGamesLauncher\Data\Manifeststo the target machine's local manifest directory created in the previous step.
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Note: For example, a manifest filename may resemble |
- To confirm that you have the latest downloaded manifest, open the manifest file in a text editor and look for “AppNameString”.
After these steps, the Launcher detects updates when a user starts it. This applies to new engine versions and content downloaded from the Marketplace.
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Important: To stop the Launcher from automatically detecting updates, read the next section. |
Disabling Automatic Updates #
By default, the Launcher checks for updates when it starts. To prevent Launcher updates from taking up classroom time:
- Right-click the EpicGamesLauncher shortcut to open its context menu.
- Select Properties to open the file properties window.
- Find the Target: field on the Shortcut tab and add
-noselfupdateto the end of the target command.
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Important: Re-enable Launcher updates when class is not in session. |
Student Best Practices #
Some situations may affect students' access to UE or downloaded content. For example, a school may regularly erase or reimage computers for security or resource-management reasons, affecting students' classwork. The following practices address common situations students may encounter when using UE in an academic environment.
During a Network Outage #
Students can start the Launcher during a network outage by selecting Continue in Offline Mode when signing in.
Student Best Practices #
Some situations may affect students' access to UE or downloaded content. For example, a school may regularly erase or reimage computers for security or resource-management reasons, affecting students' classwork. The following practices address common situations students may encounter when using UE in an academic environment.
During a Network Outage #
Students can start the Launcher during a network outage by selecting Continue in Offline Mode when signing in.
When creating a project, students should choose a folder or network directory, such as a Sandbox drive, that will not be removed when the computer is reimaged.
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Note: If school policy permits it, students may download additional content through the Launcher. Unless that content is saved outside the drive being reimaged, it is likely to be erased during reimaging. |
Source:
https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.1/en-US/academic-installation-of-unreal-engine/
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