HydraUnrealEngine

Windows CLI tool for Unreal Engine project packaging and delivery. Packages UE projects, runs preflight checks, and uploads builds to HydraTransfer for distribution.

Infrastructure

Operations

Install / Update

Download the latest binary from the release server:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri 'https://releases.experiencenet.com/hydraunrealengine/production/latest/hydraunrealengine-windows-amd64.exe' -OutFile hydraunrealengine.exe

Or use self-update:

hydraunrealengine update

Check version

hydraunrealengine version

Create packaging context

hydraunrealengine context create --project "C:\Path\To\Project.uproject" --config Shipping --platform Win64

Package a project

hydraunrealengine package

Deliver a build

After packaging, upload the build to HydraTransfer:

hydraunrealengine deliver

Key Concepts

Preflight checks

Before packaging, HydraUnrealEngine runs preflight checks to catch common issues:

• Live Coding disabled — Live Coding interferes with packaging
• Visual Studio available — Required for UE compilation
• GameplayStateTree plugin — Checks plugin compatibility
• UE version — Verifies supported Unreal Engine version

Chunked upload

Builds are uploaded to HydraTransfer using chunked uploads (10 MB chunks) with SHA256 verification. Large builds (10+ GB) are handled reliably this way.

Workflow

Developer
  → hydraunrealengine package (builds UE project)
    → hydraunrealengine deliver (uploads to HydraTransfer)
      → Share download link with team / agency

hydraunrealengine-server

URL: https://hydraunrealengine.experiencenet.com

Web service that manages packaging jobs triggered via the UI. Runs on Hetzner, exposes a job queue API consumed by the hydrapipeline dashboard.

Check service health

curl https://hydraunrealengine.experiencenet.com/api/v1/health

Check current job status (API)

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $HYDRAUNREALENGINE_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
  https://hydraunrealengine.experiencenet.com/api/v1/jobs

Expected: {"jobs":[{"status":"idle"}]} when no job is running, or the last job state with status, config, startedAt, and downloadUrl when completed.

Dashboard panel

When jobs_url and admin_token are configured for hydraunrealengine-server in hydrapipeline's config, a collapsible UE Jobs panel appears inline under hydraunrealengine-server in the Upstream (Ingest) card. Shows status, platform, config, started time, and a download link for completed jobs. Hidden when status is idle (no job run since last server start).

Troubleshooting

Packaging fails

1. Check UE is installed and the project path is correct
2. Ensure Live Coding is disabled in UE editor settings
3. Check Visual Studio is installed with the C++ game development workload
4. Review the UE build log output for specific errors

Upload fails

1. Check network connectivity to hydratransfer.experiencenet.com
2. Verify the build output directory exists and contains the packaged build
3. Check for disk space issues

Preflight check fails

Each preflight check provides specific guidance. Follow the instructions in the error message. Common fixes:

• Disable Live Coding: UE Editor > Edit > Editor Preferences > Live Coding > uncheck Enable
• Install VS C++ workload: Visual Studio Installer > Modify > Game development with C++