Ask Lemmy

game editor UI or maybe generally UI design as well.

once I learned about dear imgui I realize and could easily spot so many engines and desktop app built with dear imgui.

I think I've also seen a game engine, clearly built with dear imgui, but styled to look like Visual Studio.

There's someone written custom stylesheet for the CryEngine Sandbox editor to also make it look like Visual Studio. Speaking of which CryEngine used to be built with Windows MFC UI until CryEngine 5.

Then they switched to Qt, I assume the LGPL version because then maybe one of the reason they sort of "open-source" the engine (not really) probably because they attempted to comply with LGPL? but idk. But since version 5.6 the source code isn't updated anymore.

Although Lumberyard was a fork of CryEngine 3.x.x (uses MFC), Lumberyard eventually switched to Qt and so today, O3DE is also in Qt.

O3DE on linux nowadays is pretty stable, but I've only used it for rendering, not scripting games. admittedly I haven't had time to geek out on O3DE's UI

Godot editor is built on its own UI tooling. Probably not edited on the editor, I assume the UI tool can be worked via code. There's so many desktop app that also built using Godot, like Material Maker, and few 2D pixel art tool I forget its name.

Like Godot, Unreal Editor is built on Slate, their UI framework. The engine has 2 UI tools. Slate and UMG. For in-game UI, UMG is probably easier since it can be built in the editor and Blueprint. Slate UIs is built via C++, but is also used for complex game UI such as inventory. etc.

I also used Unreal Engine 3 via UDK and the editor is cool too.

I used to really like & follow Battlefield in BF1 era. The Frostbite Editor looks really amazing. I really want to touch the editor but o well there's no way to try a proprietary engine. DICE used to show off Frostbite a lot from 2009 to 2017 and showing Battlefield runing in the editor. I don't really see much newer Frostbite videos/screnshots.

Frostbite-era Battlefield does have a few modding tools and they tried to mimic the Frostbite Editor look. It looks pretty. I'm not sure the UI toolkit used.

Refractor editor for BF2 is meh though, and hard to use. Goes the same with Age of Empires IV Essence editor, looks meh. I think both are built on Windows UI tool.

Source's Hammer.. I like Source 2 Hammer but since it cannot be used on Linux I've yet to try it. Hammer for source 1 and goldsrc is okay, and hard to use.

Finally, Unity is what I've used more generally. But I really never dig up what the editor is made of somehow 🤣 I assume it's their own UI like Unreal & Godot. But I have no further clue to say.

I like UIs because they look amazing. especially game editors because it looks complex. I guess it's like people who like seeing trains. I do like trains as well but I never go out birdwatching a train.

I also like UI styles like Aero or Liquid Glass. Although I may have bias towards Aero due to nostalgia effect.

There's other game engine that have its editor made to look like MS Office UI with ribbons lol. It was NeoAxis engine and I think Stride/Xenko used to look like MS Office too. It looks unique.

Blender also have interesting history with its UI. Few overhaul in 2.5 and 2.8. but the latest Blender have the best UI. Sometimes I feel nostalgic with 2.79 because that's what I started with.

Lastly here's my fav editor UI (visually) in order. may not be 100% accurate to my actual feeling. feeling is super subjective amd can quickly change

1. Frostbite Editor
2. Unreal Editor 5.x
3. CryEngine Sandbox 5.x
4. Unigine Editor
5. Unreal Editor 4.10+
6. S&box editor
7. Godot 4 Editor with passivestar's theme
8. O3DE
9. CryEngine Sandbox 3.x
10. Hammer Editor 2
11. Unreal Editor 3/UDK
12. Unity Editor
13. Defold Editor
14. Godot 4 editor (default style)
15. Overwatch's editor
16. Stride editor
17. Godot 3 editor (default style)
18. NeoAxis
19. Age of Empires IV/CoH/Relic Essence Editor
20. Crysis Sandbox
21. Flax Engine editor
22. Fyrox Engine editor
23. Hammer Editor 1
24. Refractor (BF2) Editor