The Problem with Renaming Unreal Engine Projects

Developing games on Unreal Engine is no easy task - you never know where a concept or idea might lead.

During development, almost anything can change, from game assets to the project’s entire name.

We’ve faced this situation multiple times, leading to a seemingly simple but frustrating challenge: renaming an Unreal Engine project.

The issue is that connections within the project are tightly bound to its original name, especially when working with C++ code. Attempts to rename the project often disrupt these links, causing assets to lose their hierarchical roots. This break in the chain can lead to asset failures, which in turn cascade and damage other assets, potentially destroying the entire project.

Existing Solutions: Unreal or Overly Complex

When we searched for existing solutions, none seemed viable. Many developers who encountered this issue considered it either unreal or overly complex to resolve.

The standard workaround involved creating a new project from scratch under a new name, manually transferring C++ code and resources from the old project to the new one - a painstaking and time-consuming process.

Our Tool: Seamless Renaming

After some time, we managed to develop a tool capable of scanning all project files, updating references containing the original name, and replacing them with the new one - preserving the integrity of all links.

With this tool, we were able to create a new project with all the original resources intact, without extensive manual effort or rebuilding.

All that remained was restoring the engine version and recompiling the code - essentially the same process as pulling a project from a Git repository. And just like that, the old project was transformed into a new one with a different name.

A Tool for the Community

We decided to release this tool publicly so that other developers facing this challenge can resolve it quickly and efficiently.

More information

Status	Released
Category	Tool
Platforms	Windows
Release date	51 days ago
Author	Little Battle Bits
Tags	Game engine, Unreal Engine
Average session	A few seconds
Languages	English
Inputs	Keyboard
Accessibility	One button
Links	Homepage, Discord

Download

UnrealChanger_1.0.0.0_release.zip 5.5 MB

Install instructions

Downloading and Installing Unreal Changer

Download the Archive:
Navigate to the Unreal Changer page on itch.io and click on the "Download" button to download the UnrealChanger_1.0.0.0_release.zip archive.
Extract the Archive:
Once the download is complete, extract the UnrealChanger_1.0.0.0_release.zip archive to any convenient directory on your computer.

Working with utilit

Navigate to the directory where you extracted the Unreal Changer files and run the UnrealChanger.exe file to launch the utilit.
When launched, the script will create a configuration file named config.ini in the same directory from which it was executed. It will automatically open the file in Windows Notepad for further editing, and the utility will enter a standby mode while you make changes to the file.
Fill in the fields in the configuration file and close it. Once the file is closed, the utility will resume operation.
The program will read and validate the configuration. If all information is correct, the script will request confirmation to begin the process.
After confirming, the script will initiate the process of renaming the project and creating a copy of it in the target directory.
The processing time depends on the size of the project and the speed of file access for the project.
Wait for the script to complete its work. Once finished, please Enter to close the program.
Navigate to the target directory specified in the configuration file and run the .uproject file. This will trigger the process of restoring the engine's shells and compiling the source code.
If successful, the project with its new name will open in the Unreal Engine editor.
You can then restore the associated Visual Studio project through the available options:
- For version 4.xx: Go to File -> Refresh Visual Studio project
- For version 5.xx: Go to Tools -> Generate Visual Studio project

Configuration Fields:

Source path - The path to the source Unreal Engine project:
The path must not contain invalid characters, be empty, point to a non-directory object, lead to a non-existent location, or reference a location with restricted access.

TargetName - The new name of the Unreal Engine project:
The name must follow Unreal Engine's naming standards:
- It must not include symbols other than letters, numbers, or underscores.
- It cannot begin with a number.

TargetPath - path to the copied project with a new name
The path must not contain invalid characters, be empty, lead to a non-existent location, or reference a location with restricted access.

IMPORTANT:

The length of the new project name must not exceed the length of the original project name.
If the project contains C++ code, ensure that the code compiles without errors before starting the renaming process.

UNREAL CHANGER