Sub-Archetype

Currectly there's no much information about sub-archetype on UDN, so I'd like to share some I know.

An archetype is an instance of a centain class, its properties inherit the class default values but you can change them as you wish. If its property values do not change but the class default values do, the property values will change accordingly. If its property values change, then they will stick to the modified values as the class default values change. You can create an archetype in the Actor Classes Browser.

Sub-archetypes work like archetypes except they inherit other archetypes instead of class default values. They works like the "Parent" property in PhysicalMaterial. You can even create complex hiearchies of archetypes, which each archetype inherits another. To create a sub-archetype, right click an archetype and then clicking the "Create Sub-Archetype..." item on the popup menu.

This menu item was added in UDK of Feburary 2012. Before that, there is another way to create sub-archetypes by exploiting the function of creating an archetype from an actor in the Level Editor. To do that:

• Select the parent archetype in the Content Browser.
• Create an instance of the parent archetype in the Level Editor (by dragging it to the Level Editor or using the popup menu).
• Select the instance in the Level Editor and right click it and then select "Create Archetype..." on the popup menu.

 If you'd like to know the parent archetype of a sub-archetype, you can check "Object Archetype" property in the Property Window.