This comprehensive page was created in order to clarify any terms which may be used in the Tutorials. Press [ctrl] + [F] to search for a term (usually, the first hit will be a link to the word you're looking for). If you have any questions/comments/concerns or additions, please email me at ice@icecreamyou.com.
This page has not yet been updated for UT3, but almost all of the information here is relevant to it.
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Go to Symbols A B C D E F G H I J-K L M N O P Q-R S T U V W-Z
Common UT Abbreviations - Go to A-E F-H I-N O-R S-T U-Z
See also File Formats, UDN Terms.
^ Used to indicate exponents. For example, 2^6 is 2 to the 6th power, or 2*2*2*2*2*2, which is 64.
* In code, the asterisk signifies multiplication. In file names, it signifies all eligible names. Next to an actor name in UnrealEd, the asterisk means that that actor is placeable in a map.
[ ] Used to indicate keyboard characters. For example, to indicate the "A" key, the symbol would be [A]. When written like this: ][ , signifies a revised version of a map.
\UT2004 The UT2004 directory, within which all the files related to Unreal Tournament 2004 are stored.
>> Used to indicate the next step in a series, a sub-class, or sub-#Property. For example, to indicate the location of the Emitter actor, the notation would be Actor>>Emitter.
0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ_[]- These are the characters that may be used in the name of a UT2004 map. Map names are in the format PREFIX-MapName.ut2. Similarly, no other characters may be used in Level Descriptions. See also Alphanumeric.
2 The base of all integer calculations. The Unreal Engine best calculates numbers that are powers of two, because of the types of variables used in the UE code. These variables, called short, int, and long int respectively (with the optional prefix of unsigned or signed to indicate positive and negative, or just positive numbers, respectively) hold numbers in an Array; the amount of numbers they hold are powers of two, so using powers of two in your UnrealEd work makes the Unreal Engine's life easier since those numbers will divide evenly with the variable types.
2D Two-dimensional. These dimensions are most often referred to as the X and Y axes, or Height and Length. This term is most often used in reference to certain viewport types as well as sheet brushes.
3D Three-dimensional. These dimensions are most often referred to as the X, Y, and Z axes, or Length, Width, and Height, respectively. This term is often used to describe a certain type of viewport. Sub-types of viewports include Wireframe, where only frames, not surfaces are rendered; Dynamic Lighting, where lighting is applied from lights placed within the map; Unlit, where all actors are rendered with only maximum ambient light; Zone/Portal view, which allows viewing of BSP cuts and zones by color; Textured view, which allows viewing of the number of textures used by color; Depth Complexity, which expresses distance and solids by color; and BSP cut view, which has no use.
3DBuzz Usually refers to the 3DBuzz mapping forum at http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/forumdisplay.php?f=119 but also refers to the authors of the excellent book Mastering Unreal Technology.
256 The dimensions, in all 3 axes, of a standard cube brush. Also, the amount of numbers a certain type of variable used commonly in Unreal data can hold (however, the numbers in that case start with Zero and go to 255).
65536 The dimensions, in all 3 axes, of the Unreal Universe in UT2004. This is the maximum size anything can be, because after 65535 everything gets wrapped around again to zero. This is because of the size of the variables used in the code. It also relates to rotational units--see Rotation.
Abstract A certain type of code which cannot be placed in a map and is therefore useful only as a Parent Class (see Parent).
Actor The Parent Class of all placeable objects within Unreal. Think of it as the Grandparent; this includes Brushes, Emitters, Static Meshes, Pawns, NavigationPoints, and pretty much anything else. The Parent of Actor is Object, but by default this (and other subclasses of Object) is hidden, since these are all game elements like the score counter. (A KActor is an actor that has Karma collision enabled.)
Additive/Add; see also Subtractive/Subtract A type of brush or the action of inserting one into a level. This type of brush creates a solid space inside its bounds. The Unreal Universe begins as an Additive Cube. This type of brush is symbolized in the 2D viewports and in Wireframe view by a Blue frame by default.
Adrenaline A certain type of powerup in UT2004. Each adrenaline pellet contributes 2 adrenaline to the total count, as do certain actions such as fragging opponents. Players cannot have over 100 adrenaline, and once a player reaches this amount he/she may perform certain key combinations to gain certain temporary abilities called Adrenaline Combos. When an ability is active, adrenaline levels deplete to Zero, and once there is zero adrenaline remaining the ability is lost and the process begins again. Players cannot have less than Zero adrenaline, and adrenaline can be consumed while an ability is active.
AI/Artificial Intelligence; see also NPC, bot Very simply, this refers to the system of non-human players and their actions. This is controlled by the AIController class, and is quite complex. There are different bot skills; find a discussion of them here.
Alpha An Alpha channel is a part of a Texture which allows it to be partially or wholly transparent or translucent. The Alpha version of a map, mod, or game is the earliest version (except for pre-alpha which is not even useable) which is edited internally and polished until it reaches a point where it can be tested (this point is called Beta). See also Beta, Gold
Alphanumeric This term refers to the set of characters which are acceptable to the Unreal Engine; namely, the 26-character English alphabet in both Capital and Lower-case letters, and the numerals from Zero (0) to Nine (9). See also here.
Ambient/Ambience The term Ambient is often used in reference to effects such as sounds or light which appear to lack a source or come from everywhere or miscellaneous points in the surroundings. For Ambience, see Atmosphere and AVA.
Antiportal A brush type with a greenish wireframe which occludes everything behind it. Used for optimization. Antiportals should not be directly visible to players or they will cause HOMs; however, it must be within the relevant zone for it to have any effect. This means antiportals should be placed with one edge along each wall of the room from which they will be useful, or completely under hills in terrain. Antiportals take some time to render; this is usually outweighed by the benefit of the occlusion they bring, but if the engine has to take longer to render the antiportal than it does to render what's behind it, it shouldn't be there.
Array A set of objects grouped together. Most easily defined by example: anything with the ability to add another cell in the properties is an array--ScriptedSequences have arrays for their actions, Emitters have arrays for emitters, and Static Meshes have arrays for their Skins.
AS/Assault A stock gametype of UT2004 in which one team attacks and one team defends, then the roles are switched. Generally roles are switched once per map; each time a role is switched is called a Round.
Atmosphere The feeling created by a map's environment in the player. Contributing to this are the lighting, sounds, music, meshwork, size of the location and of structures within it, and the chance of encountering an opponent. See AVA below.
AVA/Audio-Visual-Atmosphere A more general category referring to everything in a map other than Gameplay. That is, anything a player can see, hear, or feel within a map. See Atmosphere above.
Axis (plural, Axes) An imaginary line to express direction (Length (X) Width (Y) and Height (Z)). Often, the X-axis is referred to as East-West and the Y-axis governs North-South. The colors Green, Blue, and Red are often used to indicate direction, but they vary from program to program.
Beta The version of a map, mod, or game which is nearly complete except for testing and polishing. There are often several beta releases, both internal (where only the creators or certain designated testers test for flaws) and external (where anyone can test the project). A beta version is entirely complete and playable by itself, but may have errors or design flaws which should be corrected before final (Gold) release. See also Alpha, Gold
Boolean The name of a certain type of variable, which holds only two values. These two values are generally equated to True and False, although they are stored as 1 (True) and 0 (False) within the engine.
Bot; see also AI, NPC "Bot" is the name for any non-human character which is a participant in the game.
Botmatch A practice match in which only one participant is human and there is at least one bot player.
BR/Bombing Run A stock gametype in UT2004 in which a Bomb or Ball is spawned, and the objective of both teams is to carry the ball into the opponents' hoop. Bombs are picked up by running over them, and are dropped in place upon death. If a ball is untouched for ten (10) seconds or if it passes below the KillZ, it will return to its original spawnpoint automatically.
Browser The name of the window within UnrealEd which allows a designer to view actors, textures, SMs, Animations, meshes, Sounds, and Music. Often it is referred to by a more specific name, such as Texture Browser.
Brush Brushes are the main tools of Level Design; they are the parent of the Additions or Subtractions made in a map. Static Meshes are also brushes; actors which cannot be "touched" or "seen," however, are not (this includes NavigationPoints, lights, and other similar actors).
Brush Sinking is a method of creating a sub-surface where one brush is superimposed on the other. That is, the surface of a smaller additive brush is aligned with a surface of a larger subtractive brush. If the additive brush was added after the subtraction, the result will be a surface within the larger one which can hold its own texture.BSP/Binary Space Partition/BSP Cut This refers to the method of rendering the Unreal Engine uses. Essentially, borders between Solid and Nonsolid spaces are determined; these are divided into triangular Nodes, which have lighting and other effects applied to them before they are drawn. Technically, most of the time when BSP is used it should be replaced more accurately by CSG, but so few people know the difference that no one will even bother to correct that mistake. A BSP cut is a line drawn by the Engine to cut surfaces into different shapes (triangles) for rendering.
BuF/BeyondUnreal An excellent source of information for all of your Unreal needs. It is the host of Insite, NaliCity, and the UnrealWiki; it has a main news page; and it has several forums, including the Mapping forum which will most likely prove an invaluable source of assistance for you. Visit http://www.beyondunreal.com for the homepage/news and http://forums.beyondunreal.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9 for the mapping forum.
Camera The camera is the actor in UEd which allows the designer to view his creation in 3D view. It is the point from which a box is drawn outwards into the world, and everything within that box is rendered on-screen. The camera can be selected in the 2D views from a certain distance away. It cannot be deleted, but it does have editable properties. It can also snap (move immediately to, stick to, and move with so that the snapped object is being controlled by the camera's movement) to objects.
Cell I use the word "cell" in these tutorials to refer to any field next to a property name in which a predetermined setting can be chosen. This includes True/False options, as well as any other fields with options available from a drop-down list. See also Field
Channel A part of a material; a forum on IRC.
Character In the Unreal Universe, Character has everything to do with how you look and nothing to do with how you act. It refers to any mesh useable by a player in-game. Also, a symbol on the keyboard.
Child; see also parent The term "child" refers to Classes. When a list of items is Expanded, most commonly in the Actor Browser, anything listed "under" or within the Class Tree of another entity is that entity's Child. In basic English, when you click on the little plus sign next to an object in the Actor Browser and it becomes a minus sign, a Child is any one of the sub-objects which appear under the original object that are indented and connected to it with a little gray line.
Class/Subclass/Tree/Hierarchy Put simply, a class is a group of code. This code is often subclassed, which means another group of code Inherits its properties but then adds its own. Everything in Unreal is built from Classes; the basic class is Object, from which Actor is a subclass, and everything you'll use in a map is a subclass of Actor or one of its subclasses. The term "Tree" refers to the system of classes and subclasses. Often in reference to the Actor Tree, it is used to refer to a class and all of its Children, grandchildren, and so on. The term "Hierarchy" is used to refer to an actor's place in the tree. It is used in a similar way as it is used in government. It is also interchangeable with Tree.
Client In an online multiplayer game, any of the computers whose user is participating in a match, but is not the Server. This is sometimes an issue in map creation because some objects are calculated client-side (meaning on each individual computer) rather than server-side (meaning the server calculates everything, then sends out the information to the clients so it's all the same. This is called Replication). One such object is bullet marks.
Code A language used in programming; what is written with that language.
Collision/Collision Model Collision is a type of interaction between objects whereby one enters the radius of (for non-visible actors) or "touches" (for visible actors) another object. The places where collision occurs is calculated either by a predetermined radius specifiable by a level designer in an actor's properties, on the exact surface of an object, or by a Collision Model. This last is essentially a copy of a Static Mesh, but much simplified with fewer polygons and the Skin has no effect. This Static Mesh is assigned to its more complex brother as a Collision Model; at that point, anything which apparently collides with the complex, visible mesh is actually colliding with the Collision model. This improves FPS because fewer polygons on the Collision model mean fewer calculations for the engine. However, they often scale differently than the original mesh and as a result cause strange "invisible wall" effects. They may also cause bullet marks or blood decals to look somewhat strange.
For lots more good information, see http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Actor/CollisionConsole The console is a text parser which can be brought up any time in-game without pausing the match. Certain commands can be entered to perform various actions; for example, the "summon" command can spawn a weapon-pickup or vehicle nearby; "pause" will pause the game, etc. The most useful tools for Level Designers are "killbots" (which gets rid of the bots) "togglescreenshotmode" (which toggles the HUD and crosshair on/off) "statrender" (allows viewing of rendering times) "ShowAI" (follows a bot and shows information about his goals) "ShowDebug" (shows lots of information) "Addbots #" (adds a number of bots in the map--replace the pound sign with a number) "god" (makes the player invincible) "ghost" (makes the player able to go through walls) "fly" (makes the player able to fly) "rmode #" (switches between 3D views - 1 is wireframe, 5 is dynamic lighting, etc.) "allweapons" (gives the player every weapon with full ammo) and "allammo" (gives the player 999 ammo for every gun except the Redeemer). Press tilde (~) to bring up the full console and Tab for the mini-console. The full console covers the upper half of the screen and is black with white text; the mini-console is a line of green text at the bottom of the screen with no background. Pressing [T] will bring up the mini-console with the command "say" already in place; [R] will start it with the command "teamsay." Note that while a console is up, the player cannot move or shoot.
"Console" also refers to the type of system on which a game is played, for example a computer, PS3, Wii, or xBox360. Rarely if ever will a console other than a computer be referred to in this context, because UEd is not available on any other console.Context Menu The menu that pops up when a designer right-clicks an object in UnrealEd
Contract The opposite of Expand--to click the minus sign to the left of an expanded tree, causing lower branches to fold in so the minus switches to a plus.
Crosshair The small circle or plus sign (or a combination) in the center of a player's screen whose purpose is to assist in precise aiming when firing a weapon
CSG/Constructive Solid Geometry; See also BSP Often confused with BSP, CSG is actually the proper term for the additive and subtractive brushes/geometry used in a map. It includes all brushes except Static Meshes and in some cases Movers. Essentially, if you took away the Static Meshes, CSG is what you would see when you played the map (although the textures have nothing to do with it).
CTF/Capture The Flag A stock Gametype of UT, the objective in CTF is to "capture" the opposing team's flag by running over it, and bring it back to one's own flag. The enemy flag can only be "capped," or returned, if one's own flag has not been stolen. Flags are dropped upon death. By default, CTF includes use of the Translocator, a teleporting device, but the flag carrier will drop the flag if he uses the Transolcator. There is also a Variation called Instagib CTF, where all weapons, ammo, health, and armor are removed and players have only a modified Shock Rifle which delivers instant death upon impact.
Decoration Decoration is a subclass of Actor. Its children are similar to Static Meshes, except that they have their own code which is set to respond according to certain actions. For example, there are three Monitors (A, B, and C) which can be changed to reflect a team color; then when the match begins, they will automatically adopt that team's symbol. Also included are Exploding Barrels (which can be used conveniently, by changing the Static Mesh in the Display properties, to imitate any exploding object, especially since it explodes when triggered) a Shark mesh which swims in a set pattern, and various destroyable objects, among others.
Directory The location of the folder lowest on the system tree which contains given assets. Synonymous with Root.
DM/DeathMatch The standard stock Gametype of UT, the objective is very simply to frag your opponent more times than he can frag you. All other gametypes hold the same rules as deathmatch, which is thought of as the "default" gametype; however, their objectives are different. Deathmatch has many Variations (see Variation).
DOM/DDOM/Domination/Double Domination DOM stands for Domination, which was the name of the UT predecessor to UT2004's Double Domination (DDOM to differentiate). However, DOM is commonly used to refer to Double Domination as well, and is actually the prefix for Double Domination maps.
Dynamic Dynamic refers to actors that change during the course of a match. They are often calculated server-side but can sometimes cause problems when they are not. The most common example of a dynamic actor is the standard Mover, since it changes location. TriggerLights are also dynamic because they can turn on and off, while normal Light is "baked" or pre-calculated and unchangeable.
Embed "Embed" is the term for storing external information, such as textures or SMs, in a map. Embedded files are included inside the map file and so do not have to be distributed separately. All standard files are usually embedded in the MyLevel directory (see MyLevel) for convenience, including scripts but excepting music files because they are in .ogg format, which is not an Epic Proprietary Format (in other words, a format Epic created specially for its own use, like .utx for textures). Music files can be embedded, but it is a difficult and much longer process.
Emitter; see also xEmitter An actor which spawns particles, or two-dimensional sheets with textures on them. These actors are extremely flexible with many different options available for customization; they are used to create moving effects such as smoke, waterfalls, steam, and more.
Epic/Epic MegaGames Epic MegaGames is the company which made the Unreal series and the related Engines and Editors. Thanks, Epic! Visit their homepage here.
Event An event is essentially a call an actor sends out if certain circumstances are met. Other actors have their Tags set to "listen" for that call, and in turn will perform certain actions if the call, or Event, is the same as that actor's Tag. Events are only called once (although many actors can repeat their call, it is not a continuous stream) and the only way to store already-called events is with an IfCondition actor, discussed on the Tutorials page. Events are usually called when an actor collides with something, finishes a task, or is triggered itself; the actor which causes an event to be called is the Instigator. The Trigger actor's specific purpose is to call events, but other actors can do so as well.
Expand; see also Contract This is what you're doing when you click on the little plus sign next to something in the Actor Browser. Basically, you're asking to view the entire list of subclasses, or the branches of the Tree. This also applies to Properties: the >> sign in these tutorials signifies that you should follow a path, and you do this by Expanding the field specified just before the >> sign.
Export; see also Import Saves a certain element of a map or package to another location in a different format.
Extension Extend is essentially the same as Expand, and in fact they're more or less interchangeable in code. An Extension is usually thought of as an external add-on to a program which allows it to have extra capabilities. It is also the name for the letters after the period (.) in a filename which signifies the file format. For example, mp3 is the extension for MP3 files, since it comes after the period in the filename.
Face; see also Poly A face is basically the same thing as a poly. However, in some cases, faces can be entire surfaces which have been divided into polys; for example, if a cube is subtracted in UnrealEd, it will have six faces and six quadrilateral polys. However, the Unreal Engine renders only triangles, and so when it Builds the geometry it will split the squares that make up the sides of the cubes into twelve triangular polys, or tris. In other words, a Face is a two-dimensional region on a plane. It is more or less synonymous with the word "surface."
Field Though usually thought of as the place one plays a sport, a Field in UnrealEd is the place input is placed for properties. For example, to give an actor a Tag, you type a name in it's Tag Field. This is more often used to refer to places where Strings, or free text, may be inputted, but it also includes places offering preset choices, as in Cells.
Flow The ease with which a player can move to all locations within a map. The most essential element of gameplay. Characteristics of Good Flow include multiple exits (3 or more) from each area; Z-axis play; appropriate scale and size of rooms; action focused in multiple areas; and the tendency of players to move to all places in a map without having to consider where they're going.
FluidSurfaceInfo An actor which is essentially a tessellated sheet, but whose vertices fluctuate simulating the effect of flowing water. See also xProcMesh and DGUnreal's excellent FluidSurfaceInfo page.
Format/File Format The way a file is saved or compressed. Formats are distinguishable primarily because they add a suffix to the File Name after a period (.) such as .bmp, a common image format. They are referred to by the name as it appears in a file (.bmp) without the period and in caps (BMP) or, in some cases, as the full name of the file type (bitmap). For a list of the formats relating to UT, click here.
Forum An online messaging system where groups of "posts" (public emails) called "threads" are viewable and users can "post" or email their own thoughts.
FOV/Field of Vision The angle, in degrees, of the amount of the level being viewed by a player on-screen. In other words, when the player camera is pointed in a certain direction and a box is drawn outward from it, FOV is the angle the opposite vertical sides of the box make with each other if the vertex of the angle is at the camera. The most common (and usually the default) angle is 90 degrees, although some games allow up to 130 degrees.
FPS/FRaPS/First Person Shooter/FrameRate Per Second FPS can mean either First Person Shooter (a category of games in which players view the world from "within" a character, as if looking out from that character's eyes) or more commonly Frames Per Second. FRaPS means FrameRAte Per Second. Frames per second and Framerates per second are the same thing; they are the amount of times the monitor updates what it displays each second. When computers "lag," that is another way of saying they have low framerates (high framerates are good, because it means the computer is responsive). Average framerates for UT2004 on up-to-date computers range from 40-130 fps, although some user-made maps push 20fps. Humans should not notice the difference (consciously, at least) until about 6-8fps.
Frag Essentially, to kill someone in a game. Frag technically refers to the kill-score, which (depending on the game rules) can subtract points for suicides or (rarely) deaths; however, saying "I fragged you" basically equates to "I killed you."
Gameplay The collective elements which affect how a match is played. These include both the (more or less unchangeable) coded standards such as running speed and jump height, as well as factors determined by the level designer such as Flow. Good Gameplay generally equates to the word Fun.
Gametype Refers to the basic rules of the match being played; matches with the same basic rules have the same gametype. Stock gametypes of UT2004 are AS, BR, CTF, DM/TDM/Variants, DOM, and ONS (AKA Assault, Bombing Run, Capture the Flag, (Team) Deathmatch, (Double) Domination, and Onslaught, respectively).
Gib The technical name for blood-and-guts splattering in a game.
Gold The final, released stage of a map, mod, or game. See also Beta, Alpha
Grid In UEd, the system of gray lines which helps determine distance in Unreal Units. The size is adjustable, but is most commonly set to 8 or 16 Unreal Units.
GUI/Graphical User Interface In essence: the HUD, Splash Screens, and the menu system.
Health A number assigned to a player which resets the player when it reaches Zero. Health starts at 100, can reach a maximum of 199, and is depleted by the impact after long falls as well as enemy fire and sometimes Movers. Health is increased by either an Adrenaline Combo or a pickup. Health-increasing pickups come in three flavors: healthvials, which are small blue vials which add 5 health points; healthpacks, which look like a blue plus sign and add 25 health but cannot boost health over 100; and the Keg-O'-Health, which adds 100 health.
Hierarchy See Class/Subclass/Tree/Hierarchy
Hitscan An adjective describing a type of play using instant-hit weapons or the weapons themselves. Instant-hit weapons work by drawing a line from the source (the weapon) straight out until the line collides with something; at that point, the weapon hit effects take place.
HOM/Hall of Mirrors An error caused by either a BSP Hole or a viewing distance of over 65535. See this page for more information. Often the cause is brushes that are "off the grid," and so simply snapping them to the grid will fix the issue.
HUD/Heads-Up Display While playing a match, anything on-screen that is not part of the map except characters. It is a screen Overlay which displays which weapons are available, how much health remains, how much time remains, and other essential information.
Import Save an external file into an unreal-compatible package
Inheritance All the properties of a class's parent class. Unless specifically exempted in the code of a subclass, that subclass automatically includes the properties of its parent (that's the benefit of the class system) without extra code.
ini A file type which is used to save changeable game settings. If deleted, UT will regenerate new, clean versions* the next time it is run. Because of this, deleting ini files can occasionally help solve a problem; however, since it resets some settings, use it as a third-to-last resort (reinstalling is the second-to-last, and smashing your computer to bits is the last). *This only works with some ini files, so make sure you know what you're doing before you go deleting them all.
InitialState All actors have a "state" - a condition which affects how they behave. This state can usually be changed during the course of a match. InitialState is the state in which an actor begins the match; if this option is available, it will be in the Object tab of an actor's properties, but most actors can't change initialstates.
Insite An excellent map review site at which I am a reviewer. We review only the best maps that have been released with fairness and a predetermined scale, so you can be sure that our reviews, while they are opinions, are an accurate representation of the map's quality. Head over to http://insite.beyondunreal.com/ for more details.
Instagib A mode of play where all health, ammo, weapons, and other pickups are removed. Each player starts with the Super Shock Rifle, which cannot be thrown. This weapon delivers instant death to opponents and a forward boost to teammates. A scope can be enabled by the server (or human player in a botmatch). Because it is implemented as a mutator (except in the case of iCTF, which gets its own gametype because of its popularity) Instagib rules can be added to any gametype except those which have objectives with deplete-able health, like AS and ONS.
Instigator The actor or player which causes an event to occur.
Inventory The collection of items which a player can use or is using at any given moment. Weapons are the most common and are displayed at the bottom of the HUD.
IRC/Internet Relay Chat A form of real-time internet chatting in which group discussions on forums (called channels) can take place, and private messaging is also possible.
JumpPad Boosts a player in the air. The actor used to create JumpPads in UEd is the UTJumpPad; if a path is forced from it to a JumpSpot, the UTJumpPad will boost players to that location (otherwise, it boosts short distance straight up). The height to which the UTJumpPad sends players is adjustable. The term "jumppad" is often used to refer to the SM base on which a UTJumpPad rests, simply because people who don't use UnrealEd are unaware of what's actually causing the effect.
Karma/Karma Physics Karma is the name for the physics system in UT2004. In the original version of the game, what is now termed Bad Karma was implemented; this was a major system drag and didn't collide properly. As a result, objects sometimes ended up in solid space because the slow calculation speed didn't catch the object before it went through a wall or floor. Good Karma was created afterwards, and operates much more efficiently and effectively but remains an fps killer.
KillZ; see also StallZ The name for the depth below which all players are instantly killed. This shows up in UEd as a red line, and is adjustable in the Level Properties (press F6 to view Level Properties, or click View>>Level Properties).
Ladder Outside of UEd, refers to the rungs that players appear to climb when ascending/descending a LadderVolume. In actuality, Ladders in UT are Volumes which allow players to ascend walls. LadderVolumes automatically generate Ladder actors (after rebuilding) which explain to the bots how to use the ladder. Also, a Tournament Ladder is the arrangement of matches in a tournament; it lays out who plays who. Each round of play is equal to a "rung" on the Ladder.
Lag The result of very low framerates, "Lag" is an effect caused by too many calculations for the computer to handle. It looks like the computer is stuttering--it's actually just not updating its display frequently enough. See also FPS
Level; see also Map The location where a match is played. Though essentially the same as Map, Level refers more often to Singleplayer, objective-oriented maps, while Map is closer to the Multiplayer arena where UT matches are played.
Lift The European word for "elevator." These give a boost if a player jumps off of one just before it reaches the top; this is called a "lift-jump" and requires special bot-pathing.
Light/Unlit A Light is an actor which emits, well, light. There are many kinds and properties. Unlit does not mean dark, as its name would imply, but instead it is set as if it were lit entirely equally by a medium-brightness white light. This property can be found in the Display section.
Vertex Lighting, used by Static Meshes, is a method of lighting objects where a light's effects are applied to each vertex; more specifically, rather than an invisible line being drawn from every pixel (see Per-Pixel Lighting below) a line is drawn from each vertex to each light and then the effects of the light are calculated directly on the mesh rather than from the light itself. Essentially, it means less accurate lightmaps (see below) and some SMs may need to be tessellated in order to light correctly.
Per-Pixel Lighting, used by CSG, is a method of lighting objects where an invisible line is drawn outward in every possible direction from a light source. Upon collision, the light's effects are calculated and the result is a much more dense (read: accurate) lightmap (see below).
Lightmaps are textures stored in each placed SM separately, and there is one for all the CSG in a map as well. They dictate how lighting will affect the visible texture. Unlit surfaces do not have lightmaps.
Dynamic Lighting is lighting that is recalculated each frame. This allows it to be changed in-game; however, it puts an enormous strain on the engine.
Static Lighting is precalculated lighting, applied to each object before the game begins. This is a much more efficient way of lighting but it cannot be changed in-game. It works by calculating the lighting in UEd when you rebuild.Map; see also Level The location where a match is played. Though essentially the same as Level, Map is closer to the Multiplayer arena where UT matches are played, while Level refers more often to Singleplayer, objective-oriented maps.
Material Equates to another name for Texture. However, technically a texture is a specific kind of material (the most basic) and others are available to produce various effects, including reflectivity and motion.
Matinee A mini-movie seen in a cutscene or before playing a match, like those in AS. Usually shows some part of the map or objectives.
Mask An element of a texture which makes sections of the relevant layer translucent.
Mesh/Meshwork "Mesh" often refers to "Static Meshes." Technically, however, a Mesh is an animated SM. Meshes are rarely used in maps, but some can be found in the Mesh Browser. (Actually, the only time I know of where true Meshes are used are in ProjectileEmitters, and those are very rarely necessary). "Meshwork" is a collective name for the Static Meshes in a map.
Mod/Modification A Mod, short for Modification, is any adjustment made to gameplay in distributable form. This can take the form of a Mutator, Gametype, or Total Conversion.
Monster There's a special Monster class in UT, but more directly it refers to any of the beings spawned in the Invasion gametype other than the human player and his bot assistants.
Mover A type of brush which can be set to move to any location. Many settings are adjustable and there are lots of creative uses for them.
Mutator/Mut A Mod which can be used in conjunction with any gametype; for example, Instagib (all weapons are replaced by Super Shock Rifle) or Rocket Arena (all weapons are replaced by Rocket Launchers).
MyLevel A special package automatically saved as part of the map for convenient embedding of resources. All custom content except music can and should be saved in the MyLevel package. Capitalization is irrelevant--MyLevel, mylevel, MYLEVEL, and mYlEvEl will all give the same result. Do not save the MyLevel package. Unused resources will be deleted from the package when the UnrealEd session is ended. To save in the MyLevel package, simply enter MyLevel as the package name. To open the package, select it from the drop-down list. It will not show up in the Open Package window.
NaliCity A nice site for map uploading and downloading. Virtually all maps are accepted, and some are reviewed. Generally the first stop when looking for a specific map, and a good place to upload your work. Visit http://nalicity.beyondunreal.com/ for more info.
NavigationPoint The parent class of all bot-pathing-related actors except UnrealScriptedSequences and pickups. Most of these work as PathNodes if necessary.
Node Often short for PathNode. More accurately, short for BSP Node, which is pretty complicated, hard to explain, and irrelevant for pretty much anything anyone will ever need to do with UEd. See this page if you're really curious and this one for more discussion. Also, the technical name for the "leaves" of class trees is "nodes." Also, the name for the bases you must connect in ONS is "nodes."
Nonsolid; see also Solid, Semisolid A Brush State which has no collision. Still creates BSP cuts. Refers only to additive brushes.
Null No properties or incorrect filepath. This word really only occurs in the error "Null References" which means you haven't textured a surface which the error will point towards.
Nonsolid, see also Solid, Semisolid As the name implies, "nonsolid" describes anything which does not collide. Technically, there are partial nonsolids since there are different types of collision, but objects are usually classified as nonsolid if they do not collide with players or projectiles.
NPC/Non-Player Character; see also AI, bot A Pawn which is controlled by an UnrealScriptedSequence actor. Usually will not take part in the fighting unless it's in a cutscene.
Object In these tutorials, used to express the idea of "something," be it surface, SM, brush, or actor. More commonly, the ultimate Parent at the top of the Tree from which everything else stems. It basically just expresses the idea that something exists, which is why I use that word the way I do in these tutorials.
Objective An in-game goal which must be accomplished to win the match. Also, each section of an Assault map has an "objective" which must be completed before continuing. However, this term also applies to, for example, the goal of having the most frags in DM.
Occlusion When one object "occludes" something, it is blocking the engine from rendering anything behind it. This usually saves rendering time and is a major method of optimization.
ONS/Onslaught A stock UT2004 gametype in which players must connect a series of "nodes" from their Power Core to the opponents'. Once this is done, players may attack their opponents' Core. If a Core reaches Zero, the attacking team wins. Nodes may be destroyed, unoccupied, or rebuilt. This is a vehicle gametype.
Opaque; see also Transparent The opposite of transparent; unable to be seen through. "Opacity" is how easily one can see through an object/texture.
Optimization The process of reducing the time it takes for UE to render the environment in-game. This is done for faster fps and therefore a better gaming experience. Tools most often used are Zone sheet brushes and Antiportals, but certain techniques are considered optimization as well.
Origin See World Origin
Overlay UEd renders based on Overlay, which means that everything (unless Occluded) is drawn from furthest away to closest. This is why players can't see through objects; however, if you switch to wireframe mode (in UEd or in-game by typing rmode 1 in the console--type rmode 5 to switch back) you'll notice that more is rendered than is actually seen.
Package Assets in UEd are saved as "packages," or bundles of resources saved as a single file. These packages are in Epic Proprietary Format, which means Epic MegaGames created the file format of these packages specifically for use in UT and they are not used anywhere else. Packages also have Groups, which act like a Subclass to divide assets into sections. For example, the MyLevel package could contain thirty Textures divided into Brick, Wood, and Metal groups.
Path/Pathing/Pathnode "Paths" are the way bots navigate maps. These are calculated based on the location of NavigationPoints, which explain to the bots how they should behave. Paths can be viewed (represented by lines) by right-clicking on the grey bar above any viewport, expanding View, and choosing Paths. White paths are the widest, are preferable, and in most cases can be followed by vehicles; green are medium-width and will be often be taken by bots; blue are the thinnest and will be avoided if possible or unless there is great reward; purple represents a special path like a ladder, lift, or jumppad; yellow is a "forced" path (forcedpaths simply tell bots that the path exists where one was not automatically generated, they do NOT force bots to follow that path) and red is a "proscribed" path (similarly, bots simply treat the path as if it did not exist). The most basic NavigationPoint is a "PathNode," which does nothing except tell a bot that it is okay to move to that location. "Pathing" is the act of placing NavigationPoints in a map. Navigationpoints should usually be placed 896-1024 units apart and connected like a web so that paths reach every part of a map; however, there are plenty of exceptions. Pickups generate their own NavigationPoints (called InventorySpots, which are bHiddenEd=True by default). "Path" also is the name for the order in which folders are opened to reach a file, analogous to the "branches" one must take in the class tree to reach a destination.
Parent; see also Child The term "parent" refers to Classes. When a list of items is Expanded, most commonly in the Actor Browser, anything listed "above" or at the top of the Class Tree of another entity is that entity's Parent. In basic English, a Parent is any object in a list with a little Plus/Minus sign next to it; it is the parent of the objects that appear when the sign is a Minus.
Pawn A controllable character; an xPawn, bot, or NPC.
Pickup UT2004 uses "pickups" to categorize inventory. They are anything which can be "picked up," including weapons, health, ammo, adrenaline, shield, and double damage. Actors such as the Bomb in BR are very similar.
Pitch; see also Roll, Yaw Refers to the direction an object is rotated. Pitch generally equates to rotation from the perspective of the positive x-axis.
Pivot Technically, to rotate. Better, the Pivot Point is the precise point around which an object rotates. This is generally unimportant except when creating objects using the 2D Shape Editor and in movers; the 2D editor can create brushes by revolving the 2D figure around the pivot, so it affects the shape, and movers will rotate around the pivot so doors, for example, should have the pivot on the wall-side rather than in the mover's center for better-looking movement. The pivot point can be offset from its default location, as well as temporarily set for easier brush rotation.
PlayerStart An actor that designates the location players Spawn into a map.
Poly/Polygon; see also Face A triangular shape rendered by the UE.
Powerup/Power-up "Powerup" is an inventory item which adds extra abilities or strengths, including adrenaline combos and pickups like the SuperShield, Big Keg-O'-Health, and UDamage; Power-up is the action of using or picking up a Powerup. See SuperPickup.
Prefab An exported .t3d brush. Used for saving complex brushes (often created using multiple brushes, then intersected). Useful for quick-and-dirty brushwork which can be edited later in a 3D modeling program.
Projector An actor which projects a texture. Used to create effects such as shadows and stained glass.
Projectile What comes out of non-hitscan weapons. In other words, an actor spawned when the "shoot" button is pressed which follows a path determined by physics rather than a direct instant-hit shot.
Property/Properties The attributes of an actor. When referred to in these tutorials, Properties>> will usually be the Parent of something; this means that you should look for whatever property follows "Properties>>" in that actor's Properties window (found by right-clicking on the relevant actor and choosing "properties" from the Context Menu).
Proxy Something temporary used until the "real thing" is put in place; a placeholder, which acts as something else. Also used like the prefix "pseudo," meaning "false." A Proxy Server is a server which makes requests to other servers, but can modify the input from its clients and output from the other servers.
Quad In UEd, refers to a sector of Terrain. Terrain is divided into these sectors because it facilitates optimization; quads are rendered separately from each other, which allows occlusion. Also, some (most) modeling programs support Quadrilateral Polygons, referred to as Quads. (UEd, however, renders everything as triangles, so will split quadrilateral (four-sided) surfaces into 2 triangles. This process is called Triangulation.)
RCR/Room-Corridor-Room The (terrible) layout of maps with only one or two exits from each room, and long corridors between rooms. Corridors should be minimized and rooms should always have at least 3 exits to provide better flow.
Real World/Reality That strange place away from your computer which doesn't play or build UT. It is a very sad and distant place which should be avoided whenever possible. ;-)
Rebuild The process of recalculating elements of a map. Generally divisible into Path, Geometry, and Lighting rebuilds.
Render Draw onscreen; calculate what to show on the monitor.
Replication Generally, "client replication"; the copying of certain values from a server, usually relating to an actor or actors.
Roll; see also Pitch, Yaw Refers to the direction an object is rotated. Roll generally equates to rotation from the perspective of the positive y-axis.
Root See Directory
Rotation The amount an object is turned in any direction, relevant to its original position. Measured in Unreal Rotational Units, which range from 0 to 65535. Also, the order in which maps are played during a game.
Scale/Drawscale "Scale" is a verb which means to make an object larger or smaller. "Drawscale" is the actual size of an object in comparison to its original size, adjustable in X/Y/Z axes.
Screenshot Also called a screencap, screenie, or Sshot, a static representation of the way a monitor appeared while playing a game at a given moment in time. Take a screenshot with the F9 button in UT; to remove the HUD, use the console command "togglescreenshotmode."
Semisolid; see also Solid, Nonsolid A Brush State which refers only to additive brushes. The name of Semisolids is misleading; they are, in fact, quite solid. The only difference between Semisolids and Solids is that Semisolids do not create BSP cuts, though they receive them. This can be advantageous for better rendering time; however, Semisolids should not overlap with any other brush type.
Server; see also Client The "host" computer; the computer which creates the map rotation (unless Map Voting is allowed) and calculates server-side commands.
Shader A complex type of material which can be used to create special effects.
Sheet A 2D brush used for effects and special purposes such as Zoning.
Shield A value similar to health which is absorbed in quantities of 50 or 100 but cannot go above 150 or below 0. If a player with Shield is hit, two-thirds of the damage will be absorbed by the shield. Also known as Armor.
Skin The "texture" applied to a character. Can be thought of as the "clothes" a character is wearing, though it includes what the 'skin' looks like.
Skybox A room, usually separate from the play area, which is visible "through" any surface marked FakeBackDrop in its properties. This effect of a large (usually outdoor) area which appears to be far away is achieved because the SkyZoneInfo actor acts as a camera, projecting its picture around the map into the distance.
Solid; see also Nonsolid, Semisolid A Brush State which refers only to additive brushes. Has full collision and creates BSP cuts.
Spawn/Respawn Be "born" or "reborn" with full health, default weapons, and no powerups at a PlayerStart actor; (re)enter a level in this state after having been fragged.
Splash screen The picture and text which is viewed while a map or program is loading
StallZ; see also KillZ Represented by a blue line in UEd, flying vehicles cannot go above this height. If one does, its engine stalls and it slowly loses speed until it drifts back down below the line. Adjustable.
State See InitialState
Static Mesh/SM A type of brush, represented by a green wireframe, which uses vertex lighting but is rendered much faster than normal BSP. Can have extremely complex shapes and does not have to be on the grid, so they are used for almost all decoration (replacing Semisolids from UT99). If any part of a SM is visible at any time, that entire SM is rendered, so it's usually a good idea to split large SMs into smaller ones if FPS will be an issue.
Stock Refers to any assets that come with a game
String Line of text. Called a "string" because that's the name of the variable type that can store text.
Subtractive/Subtract; see also Additive/Add A type of brush or the action of inserting one into a level. This type of brush creates a space inside its bounds; it is the opposite of Additive brushes, and it carves out the space from the original giant solid cube (that UEd starts with) in which one plays a match. This type of brush is symbolized in the 2D viewports and in Wireframe view by a Yellow wireframe by default.
SuperPickup; see also Pickup A pickup which contains a "super" inventory item, including but not limited to the ONS or Target Painters, the Redeemer, the Big Keg-O'-Health, Double Damage, and the SuperShield.
Tag A string found under an actor's properties >> Events. If an event is called with the same string as an actor's Tag, that actor will perform a certain action specific to that actor class.
TC/Total Conversion A type of mod which radically alters gameplay and the interface. More than just a gametype, a TC is basically a game in itself except that it was made using a certain game's engine and so cannot be sold. Often a TC will include a new singleplayer campaign and must be started independently of the original game, but sometimes it is accessible from the original game's startup menu.
Terrain A tool in UEd used to create realistic-looking terrain. Limited because it cannot have any part overhanging another part; advantageous over SM and CSG terrain because it utilizes texture blending, per-pixel lighting, quad optimization, and DecoLayers (static meshes like grass can be "painted" on like textures). Has its own sub-interface and set of tools.
Tessellated Describes a planar surface which is divided into smaller polygons. Effectively, the reason there's a difference between faces and polys. Marking bTessellated=True on a Brush Builder (the context menu from right-clicking the builder brush shapes) will divide the sides of the Red Builder Brush appropriately. When creating SMs for xProcMeshes and similar actors, the SM must be tessellated to account for proper animation, since it's the vertices that are manipulated.
Texture Like wallpaper, an asset which is applied to objects, giving those objects color and texture. Technically, if a texture is applied to a Mesh, SM, FluidSurfaceInfo, or variation, it is called a Skin when in reference to that object. Also technically, textures are the least complicated form of Materials, making up the base for all other types; however, once a material is applied, it is commonly referred to as a Texture regardless of the material type.
Theme The combined effect of AVA, especially of textures and SMs, which combine to remind the player of a certain familiar cliché.
Thumbnail A much smaller version of a picture, usually a screenshot. Often Thumbnails will expand into a larger image if clicked on.
Transparent; see also Opaque See-through. The opposite of Opaque.
Tree See Class/Subclass/Tree/Hierarchy
Tri/Triangle/Triangulation A type of Poly with only 3 sides. All polygons are reduced to Tris when rendered; this is done by splitting polygonal surfaces into triangles. Triangles are used because they can make up any polygonal shape with clean seams, as they are the least complex polygon. The process of splitting surfaces into tris is called Triangulation.
Trigger An actor whose specific purpose is to send out events when certain actions are performed. See this page for a discussion about the usage of this word.
Trim Decorative edges, whether created by texture, SM, or sometimes Brush Sinking, which are used to add color and realism to maps.
UDN/Unreal Developers' Network An excellent website for Level Designers with many explanative tutorials. Unfortunately, it is mostly locked to those who have not licensed UE. This is the homepage, and this page has tutorials (for UEd 2, unfortunately, but many are still relevant).
UnrealEd/UEd The program in which maps are created. The actual file is called UnrealEd.exe. Version 3 comes with UT2004.
Unreal Engine/UE The program which calculates everything and decides what to show on the monitor.
UnrealScript The programming language, very reminiscent of modern C++, which is used to program for UT.
Unreal Universe The world in which Unreal takes place. It begins in UnrealEd as a giant solid cube with dimensions 65535^3, and space is carved out of it in which matches take place.
UT/UT2004/UT2k4/UT2kx/Unreal Tournament 2004 The version of Unreal Tournament which was released in 2004. To see all UT titles, visit http://www.epicgames.com/. This is the version of UT to which this site refers, although almost all information applies to UT2003 as well.
UU/uu/UnrealUnits The unit of measurement in Unreal. Unreal Units specifically refer to distance, and Unreal Rotational Units refer to rotation. Both max out at 65535.
Variable A way to store values in code; also, unpredictable.
Variant (TDM, Mutant, Invasion) Specifically, DM Variants. Usually refers to the stock gametypes (namely Team Deathmatch or TDM, Mutant, and Invasion) which have essentially the same rules as DeathMatch but slightly tweaked gameplay (that is, the main goal is to stay alive and frag as many other things as you can) although can refer to custom variants too.
Vehicle A mode of transportation other than walking. Utilizes own weapon and health system and cannot pick up other pickups. Players can be damaged while operating most vehicles, and will die if riding the vehicle when it explodes. Vehicles usually will quickly lose health upon entering liquids.
Vertex The intersection of two edges; a point where two lines meet in Wireframe or 2D view.
Viewport In UEd, any of the 4 sub-windows where different viewpoints of the map are displayed.
Volume The loudness of sound; the size of a 3D object; a special type of brush which appears purple in Wireframe and 2D views and has many specialized options. This last is used for physics, damage, and fog effects, as well as for triggering and location naming.
Weapon Anything that a player can use to damage anything except a vehicle, mover, or long fall. Note that vehicles also have weapons, but the vehicle itself is not technically a weapon. Weapons are usually thought of as Pickups. Main stock weapons include the Shield Gun, Assault Rifle, Bio Rifle, Mine Layer, Shock Rifle, Link Gun, Minigun, Flak Cannon, Rocket Launcher, AVRiL, Lightning Gun, Sniper, Redeemer, Target Painter, and ONS Painter.
Weaponbase The place a weapon spawns, esp. the Static Mesh which marks that spot.
Wiki/UnrealWiki An incredible resource to learn about anything in UEd. Open editing. Visit http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki for more info.
World Origin The point with coordinates (0,0,0) in UEd; the very center of the Giant Solid.
xEmitter; see also Emitter A certain type of emitter specifically made for particle systems and usually called into existence for certain effects.
xPawn The most commonly used type of NPC, essentially just a dummy character who can be given commands.
xProcMesh An actor which can take the form of any SM but whose vertices fluctuate like those of a FluidSurfaceInfo. Useful for creating water surfaces with particular shapes, as well as other things like flags. Visit DGUnreal's excellent xProcMesh tutorial for more info.
Yaw Refers to the direction an object is rotated. Yaw generally equates to rotation from the perspective of the positive z-axis, and is therefore the most commonly used.
Z-axis An imaginary line that goes up and down through the World Origin; the amount of gameplay that involves fighting with height variation (of the map, not of the players). Generally considered a good thing, unless there's too much of it.
Zone/Zone Portal/ZoneInfo/Zoning A "Zone" is a section of a map, completely isolated from the rest by the use of Zone Portals (sheet brushes with properties specific to this purpose). If a player is in a Zone, anything in that zone within the FOV will be rendered (including anything behind walls) but nothing in any other zone will be rendered except if it is directly visible to the player. (There is one exception: if a single polygon of a Static Mesh is visible, the entire thing will be rendered.) ZoneInfos are placed inside Zones (only 1 per Zone) to name them and set certain properties such as fog, ability to render terrain, gravity, and friction. The action of dividing a map into Zones is called "Zoning." Some of the functionality of Zones has been replaced by Volumes.
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Home | Tutorials | UT2004 Tutorials | UT3 Tutorials | Multiplayer Design
Go to Symbols A B C D E F G H I J-K L M N O P Q-R S T U V W-Z
Common UT Abbreviations - Go to A-E F-H I-N O-R S-T U-Z
Many of these are explained above. Use the Find function on your browser to find them (usually [ctrl] + [F]).
Go to A-E F-H I-N O-R S-T U-ZAR Assault Rifle
AS Assault
AVA Audio Visual Atmosphere
BP Bonus Pack
BR Bombing Run
BSP Binary Space Partition
BU BeyondUnreal
CSG Constructive Solid Geometry
(D)DOM (Double) Domination
CTF Capture The Flag
DD Double Damage
DM DeathMatch
ECE Editors' Choice Edition Bonus Pack
FPS Frames Per Second; First Person Shooter
FRaPS FrameRate Per Second
FSI FluidSurfaceInfo
GUI Graphical User Interface
HOM Hall Of Mirrors effect
HP Health Pack or Health Points
HUD Heads-Up Display
HV Health Vial
IRC Internet Relay Chat
iXX The 'i' before any gametype abbreviation symbolizes InstaGib. For example, iCTF means Instagib Capture the Flag.
KoG Keg-O'-Health
LG Link Gun or Lightning Gun
MG Minigun
MMO Massively Multiplayer Online (game)
MP Map Pack; MultiPlayer
NC NaliCity
NPC Non-Player Character
PS PlayerStart
PSM PlayerStartManager
RBB Red Builder Brush
RCR Room-Corridor-Room syndrome
RL Rocket Launcher
RPG Role-Player Game
SM Static Mesh
SMesh Static Mesh
SP Shield Pack; SinglePlayer
SR/SSR Shock Rifle/Super Shock Rifle
SS SuperShield
SZI SkyZoneInfo
TC Total Conversion
TI TerrainInfo
UDN Unreal Developers' Network
UE Unreal Engine
UEd UnrealEd
US UnrealScript
UT Unreal Tournament
UU Unreal Units; Unreal Universe
vXX The 'v' before any gametype abbreviation symbolizes "Vehicle," so for example vCTF means Vehicle Capture the Flag.
WIP Work In Progress
xLock Translocator
xPM xProcMesh
ZI ZoneInfo
ZP Zone Portal
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Home | Tutorials | UT2004 Tutorials | UT3 Tutorials | Multiplayer Design
Go to Symbols A B C D E F G H I J-K L M N O P Q-R S T U V W-Z
Common UT Abbreviations - Go to A-E F-H I-N O-R S-T U-Z