CommonUI: Exploring the Next Generation UI System in Unreal Engine

What is CommonUI?

CommonUI is a UI plugin system in Unreal Engine 5.4 (currently in beta). Its main advantages lie in providing unified template design and better controller support.

Why Consider CommonUI?

Advantages in multi-controller support, my background in frontend development helps me appreciate its value in template uniformity.

Core advantages of CommonUI:

1. Unified development standards
2. Reusable component design patterns
3. Foundation for community knowledge sharing

While some say it's not yet perfect, I believe a framework's value lies not in perfection, but in establishing a common development foundation for developers.

Migration Experience

I spent three days converting a UI system that originally took a week to build into CommonUI. Here's what I learned:

• Though time-consuming, the conversion is worthwhile in the long run
• The larger the project, the higher the conversion cost
• It's recommended to decide whether to use CommonUI early in the project

Main Challenges of CommonUI

1. Complex initial setup required
2. Limited learning resources
   • It changes rapidly
   • Best recommended tutorial: CommonUI Tutorial by MrButier CommonUI Tutorial
   • Not much videos' talking about it

Should You Use CommonUI?

The decision depends on your specific situation. While CommonUI offers more advantages than regular Widget Blueprints in the long term, consider these factors:

• Still in beta
• Most learning resource are in English
• Requires significant learning investment
• Project scale and development timeline
• Team's technical background

If your project is in its early stages and you're willing to invest time in learning, CommonUI might be worth considering. However, for ongoing projects, carefully evaluate the conversion costs.