Unlock the God Mode: How to Import Unreal Engine Modules in Verse

So you’ve got a Trigger Volume and a Prop Mover, but you want your island to do something extra. Maybe you want to spawn a custom mesh from the asset browser, or maybe you just want to talk to the web. That’s where the Unreal Engine API comes in. Think of it as the secret cheat codes for the engine itself. But before you can use those cheats, you have to tell Verse where to find them. In programming, this is called importing a module. It’s like opening a specific drawer in your toolbox. If you don’t open the drawer, you can’t grab the wrench. Let’s learn how to open that drawer and start building.

What You'll Learn

• What a Module is (and why it’s not a mini-game).
• How to use the using statement to import Epic’s pre-built toolkits.
• The difference between default imports and custom imports.
• How to compile your code so the engine actually listens to you.

How It Works

The "Toolbox Drawer" Analogy

Imagine you’re building a trap. You have a Trigger Volume (the pressure plate) and a Prop Mover (the falling rock). But what if you want the rock to be a specific, rare skin from the Item Shop that isn’t in the standard device list? Or what if you want to fetch data from a website?

You can’t just wish it into existence. You need access to the Unreal Engine’s internal systems. Epic Games has grouped these powerful, low-level tools into collections called Modules.

A Module is like a specialized drawer in a workshop.

• The /Fortnite.com/Devices drawer contains tools for standard Fortnite devices (Triggers, Spawners, etc.).
• The /UnrealEngine.com/Assets drawer contains tools to manipulate 3D models and materials directly.
• The /Verse.org/Simulation drawer has tools for physics and time.

By default, when you create a new Verse file in UEFN, Epic opens the most common drawers for you. But if you want to use the fancy stuff—like custom assets or web requests—you have to manually open those specific drawers. This is done with the using keyword.

The using Statement

In Verse, you don’t "call" a module. You import it. It’s like saying, "Hey Verse, I’m going to need the Assets drawer. Please bring it over to my workspace."

You do this with the using command followed by the path to the module. A path is just the address of the file or library you want to access.

// This line says: "Open the Assets drawer from the Unreal Engine folder"
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Assets }

Once you’ve imported a module, you can use the functions inside it. If you don’t import it, Verse will look at your code, see you trying to use an Asset function, and throw a fit (a compiler error) because it doesn’t know where to find it.

Why Not Just Use Devices?

You might ask, "Why not just use a Spawner device?" Because devices are limited. They have preset properties. The API (Application Programming Interface) lets you bypass the UI and talk directly to the engine. Want to change the material of a prop every 0.5 seconds? You can’t do that easily with just devices. You need the API. And to get the API, you need to using the right modules.

Let's Build It

We’re going to build a simple script that demonstrates how to import a module. Since we can’t actually spawn a complex custom asset in a simple text snippet without a full project setup, we’ll simulate the structure of how you’d import the Assets module to manipulate a prop.

This code shows you exactly how to declare the module so it’s available for your island’s logic.

Walkthrough

1. using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }: This line is your safety net. It ensures you have access to standard devices like TriggerVolume or PropMover. Even if UEFN adds this by default, writing it out makes your code readable for other humans.
2. using { /UnrealEngine.com/Assets }: This is the key line. This tells Verse, "I am about to do some heavy lifting with 3D assets." Without this line, any code trying to manipulate assets would fail because Verse wouldn’t know where the Assets functions live.
3. MyAssetScript := script(): This creates your actual script object. It’s like building the robot body. The using statements are the power cables you plug into the wall before you turn the robot on.

Try It Yourself

Ready to try this in UEFN?

1. Open your project in Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).
2. Go to Verse > Verse Explorer.
3. Right-click your project name and select Add new Verse file to project.
4. Choose the NPC Behavior template (it’s the simplest one for beginners) and name it ModuleTest.
5. Open the file in Visual Studio Code.
6. At the very top of the file, add this line:

   using { /UnrealEngine.com/Assets }
   

7. Save the file.
8. Go back to UEFN and click Verse > Build Verse Code.

The Challenge: If you see a green checkmark, congratulations! You’ve successfully imported a module. If you see a red stop icon, check your spelling. Did you type /UnrealEngine.com/Assets exactly? Did you forget the curly braces {}? Fix it and try again.

Hint: If you want to get fancy, try importing the Diagnostics module (/UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/Diagnostics) and see if you can print a message to the screen using a function from that module instead of the default print.

Recap

• Modules are collections of powerful tools provided by Epic Games.
• You must import a module using the using { /Path/To/Module } syntax before you can use its functions.
• Importing is like opening a toolbox drawer; if you don’t open it, you can’t use the wrench.
• Always Build Verse Code after saving to ensure your imports are recognized by the engine.

Now that you know how to import modules, you’re no longer limited to the pre-set properties of devices. You’re starting to talk directly to the engine. Next up, let’s look at how to actually use those imported functions to change things on the map.

References

• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/getting-started-with-devices-in-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/fortnite/verse-api/unrealenginedotcom
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/fortnite/modules-and-paths-in-verse
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/modify-and-run-your-first-verse-program-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite
• https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/uefn/create-custom-npc-behavior-in-unreal-editor-for-fortnite