rdInst Source Code Layout and Configuration
Last Updated: 27th May 2025
The source code for rdInst is included with the package. Normally this resides in the Unreal Engines Plugin/Marketplace folder.
If you want to directly view and/or edit the code – you can add it to your projects “Plugin” folder (if there isn’t one, just create it). If your project is c++ based, it will be included as part of the Visual Studio project. This can also help when packaging your project.
Note: The source code for the rdTools projects are laid out with minimal inter-token spacing and mostly camelCase.
If you find this hard to read (if you get used to it, it is more efficient) you can format it to your own style using the Visual Studio “Format Document” or “Format Selection” tools.
As of version 1.50 the source code has been broken into 3 modules:
- rdInstRuntime – the runtime module, packaged with your project.
- rdInstEditor – the Editor module, only used when in the editor.
- rdInstPCG – the PCG module contains PCG nodes and tools, this can easily be removed by commenting out the module dependence in the rdInst.uplugin file.
Development Style
For Editor plugins, my approach to development is a “Fast as Possible” method. The code is not designed to be elegant or readable (although I find it very easy to navigate and read myself) – it’s designed to get the job done in the minimum amount of time and energy required, allowing for subsequent updates with fixes and new features.
To put the amount of time and energy needed for beautiful code would take away from my game development time, and mean a large increase in pricing for the tools to compensate.
This is the approach taken by a lot of software houses for full products too – financiers are not interested in the code itself (mostly) – they want to see it do the things they’ve been promised. The code quality can be used as a bargaining tool when selling a company (traditional to require sending some snippets of code) but it’s really the algorithms and sales figures that are of interest, the code readability only slightly affects sales price. The new owners coders are going to say the code is bad not matter how beautiful it is anyway.
However:
For a runtime plugin, the code is more likely to be modified by the customer so a more readable format is needed. More like an open source code set.
The goal has been to get all the ground-work done for rdInst in a similar way as Editor plugins – spanning from version 1.0 through to 1.5 – incorporating all classes, structures and base routines needed for the journey to version 2.0.
Version 1.50 of rdInst has restructured the code into modules and folders and started adding more comments in the code. Structures have been formalized.
New sub-versions up to version 2.00 will continue to expand on the readability by breaking up some of the larger classes, adding more comments, cleaning up areas of code and expanding the online documentation.
Use of AI
No AI has been used for creation of any code in my plugins – I do ask for ways to do things from time to time.
I also use AI for script and cut-scene design in my game with the intention to create some 2D artwork (pictures etc and marketing material), and judging by some of the latest video generation demos I’d like to create some game related videos too.