Organizing an Unreal project with Git involves setting up a Git repository for version control, properly managing the project structure, and understanding best practices for collaborating with other developers. Here is a detailed guide on how to organize an Unreal project with Git:
1. Setting up a Git repository:
- Create a new repository on a Git hosting service, such as GitHub or Bitbucket.
- Clone the repository to your local machine using Git command line or GUI tools.
- Initialize the Git repository within your Unreal project's root directory by executing the command git init.
2. Ignore unnecessary files:
- Create a .gitignore file in the project's root directory to specify which files and directories Git should ignore.
- Unreal Engine provides a default .gitignore file that you can use as a starting point. You can find it in the Unreal Engine repository on GitHub.
- Customize the .gitignore file based on your specific project requirements. Generally, you would want to ignore intermediate files, compiled binaries, and large asset files that can be regenerated or downloaded.
3. Branching strategy:
- Define a branching strategy that suits your team's workflow. The most common approach is to use a "feature branch" workflow, where each developer creates a new branch for their feature or bug fix.
- Create a new branch for your specific feature or task before starting any work. This helps to isolate your changes and prevents conflicts with other developers' work.
- Regularly merge or rebase your branch with the main or master branch to incorporate the latest changes from other team members.
4. Commit and push changes:
- Before committing your changes, review your code and test it thoroughly to ensure it does not introduce any errors.
- Use meaningful commit messages to describe the changes you made in each commit.
5. Collaboration:
- Communicate with your team members to avoid conflicts by coordinating who is working on which parts of the project.
- In Unreal, conflicts can arise from changes made to blueprint assets, level files, or asset references.
- Regularly pull the latest changes from the remote repository to keep your local copy up to date.
- Resolve any merge conflicts that arise during the merge process. This involves manually reviewing and editing the conflicting lines in the conflicting files.
6. Project structure:
- Organize your Unreal project in a way that makes it easy for other developers to understand and navigate the codebase.
- Use logical folder structures to group assets and code files. For example, separate blueprints, C++ code, materials, textures, and other assets into dedicated folders.
- Keep asset file names clear and consistent to avoid confusion. Use descriptive names and avoid special characters or spaces.
- Consider using modular architecture and creating separate modules or plugins for major features to promote code reusability and maintainability.
By following these guidelines, you can effectively organize your Unreal project and Git repository, ensuring smooth collaboration, version control, and efficient development workflows.