Are you ready to forge ahead with Unreal and the future of VR? Epic and Leap Motion have joined forces to create an official plugin for Unreal Engine 4. With this introductory Windows plugin, developers can quickly and easily add virtual hands to their games.

Right now, you can access the plugin directly from the Unreal 4.7 source code. Download the source from Unreal’s GitHub repository, build it, and start creating an amazing experience for desktop or VR! The plugin will also be bundled with future Unreal binary tool releases.

Update: Due to an issue with the plugin in Unreal 4.8, we recommend taking one of three possible approaches. For more information, see our forum thread.

Developers have long been experimenting with Leap Motion and UE4, and we’re excited to provide the official support that people have been waiting for. Currently, the plugin works by mapping Leap Motion input to virtual hand meshes, which can collide with other objects in the game world. Cherry Pie Games’ Hollow is the first game to showcase the integration. Originally created for the Leap Motion 3D Jam, it harnesses Unreal’s visual effects power and Leap Motion’s hand controls to take players on a ghostly hayride.

This introductory release is just the beginning, and the plugin will continue to evolve in the weeks and months ahead. Your feedback will play a crucial role in deciding where we take it next – so we want to hear from you! Share your progress on the Unreal forums. For support and feature requests, post in these official plugin threads:

Leap Motion: community.leapmotion.com/t/official-ue4-plugin/2503

Unreal: forums.unrealengine.com/showthread.php?59865-Official-Leap-Motion-Plugin!&p=227875#post227875



Next week, you’re also invited to drop by the Unreal Engine booth (#1024 South) at GDC to grab a special Leap Motion discount code. Together, we can build the next generation of games for VR.