UE5 Lyra How To Setup Your Own Main Menu Background

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through setting up a custom main menu background for your game using Unreal Engine 5's Lyra framework. By following these steps, you'll enhance the visual appeal of your game’s main menu and better engage your players.

Step 1: Create a New Map

• Open Unreal Engine 5 and navigate to the Content Browser.
• Right-click in the Content Browser and select Create Basic Asset.
• Choose Level to create a new map.
• Name your new map, for example, "MainMenuBackground".

Step 2: Design Your Map

• Open the map you just created.
• Use the Landscape tool to sculpt your environment:
  • Add hills, valleys, or other terrain features to create a visually interesting background.
• Import any assets you want to use, such as models or textures.
• Position your assets in the scene to establish a pleasing composition.

Step 3: Set the Background

• Open your Level Blueprint.
• Set up a Skybox or Sky Sphere to define your environment's sky appearance:
  • Drag and drop the Sky Sphere into your scene.
  • Adjust its properties to change the time of day or weather effects.
• Consider adding a Post Process Volume to refine the visual quality:
  • With the Post Process Volume selected, go to the Details panel and tweak settings like exposure, color grading, and bloom.

Step 4: Configure Menu Background

• Navigate to the Main Menu widget in the UI section of the Lyra project.
• Open the widget blueprint editor.
• Add an Image component to the canvas for your background.
• Set the Brush property of the Image to reference the texture or material you created for your background map.

Step 5: Test Your Menu

• Playtest your main menu by hitting the Play button in the editor.
• Check whether the background displays correctly and adjust the positioning as needed.
• Consider adding animations or transitions for a more dynamic menu experience.

Conclusion

You now have a custom main menu background set up in Unreal Engine 5's Lyra framework. Experiment with different designs and settings to further enhance your menu's visuals. As a next step, you can explore adding functionality to your menu, such as buttons or animations to engage players even more. Enjoy your game development journey!