Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free software release that provides uncompromised access to the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 toolset, has exceeded 50,000 users worldwide since its launch on Nov. 5. This rapid adoption of Unreal Engine 3 technology extends to approximately 130 countries and 4,500 cities across the globe.Epic plans the imminent release of updates for the UDK beta version. UDK is available for download at www.udk.com, where product features, licensing terms, frequently asked questions, support resources and more are also available.
UDK is available to anyone interested in using 3D game engine technology, from game developers to students, hobbyists to researchers, and creators of architectural walkthroughs to digital filmmakers. Use of UDK is free for all schools and students, and anyone can release free UDK-powered games.
"We are very excited to see the uptake of UDK cross over the 50,000 mark in only one week, and we're looking forward to seeing amazing games and applications come out of it," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "We're also thrilled to finally be able to offer UDK free for schools and students so they can work with the same awesome Unreal Engine 3 tools used by many of the top game developers and publishers around the world."
Extensive UDK technical documentation is available at the Unreal Developer Network (udn.epicgames.com/Three/DevelopmentKitHome.html), and community members can share ideas, show off projects and learn from UDK developers like Psyonix and The Prometheus Team at www.udk.com/forums.
3D Buzz (www.3dbuzz.com), the leading provider of Unreal Engine 3 training, will soon release dozens of free video tutorials specific to UDK to complement the company’s existing Unreal Engine 3 video training modules. Over 100 Unreal Technology videos are viewable at the 3D Buzz web site free of charge.
“Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I: Introduction to Level Design with Unreal Engine 3” and “Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume II: Advanced Level Design Concepts with Unreal Engine 3” are the recommended textbooks for learning Unreal Engine 3 tools and technology. 3D Buzz authored both reference texts, published by Sams, and each come bundled with a free, downloadable copy of “Unreal Tournament 3” for PC.
Individuals and companies wishing to develop software for commercial purposes should refer to licensing terms at www.udk.com/licensing. Commercial terms have been structured to make it easy for independent developers, start-up firms and seasoned professionals to use UDK with minimal financial barrier from concept to deployment.
About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and its best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 maintains those features in addition to multi-core processor support, Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 optimizations, massive world support, and a highly mature tool pipeline. Unreal Engine 3's consistently evolving toolset is designed to accelerate developers' productivity for PC and console games, visualization applications, training simulations, and linear animated content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained through the Unreal Technology Web site at www.unrealtechnology.com.