Editor Tools
Unreal has several ways to build editor-side workflows for content teams and technical designers.
Unity Custom Inspectors vs Unreal Editor Tooling
| Unity | Unreal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Custom inspector | Custom details panel | Editor UI customization for properties and tools. |
| Editor window | Editor Utility Widget | Fast way to build editor-facing UI tools. |
| Menu command / batch script | Commandlet | Useful for automation and headless tasks. |
| Package / extension | Plugin | Standard way to distribute editor tools and code. |
Editor Utility Widgets
Editor Utility Widgets are one of the quickest ways to build a custom Unreal editor tool.
They work well for:
- content batch operations
- level setup helpers
- data cleanup tools
- designer-facing utility panels
Blutilities
Blutility is the older term many people still use for editor utility scripting features. You may still see it in discussions or older examples.
Commandlets
Commandlets are command-line style Unreal tasks used for automation.
Examples:
- data validation
- asset processing
- batch import or export steps
Custom Details Panels
When a simple utility widget is not enough, you can extend the editor UI for specific classes with custom details panels.
This is closer to advanced Unity editor extension work.
Plugins
Plugins are the normal way to package reusable editor tooling, runtime code, or both.
When to Build Editor Tools
Build a tool when a repeated manual task is:
- slow
- error-prone
- done by multiple people
- difficult to standardize without automation
Common Mistake
A common trap is solving a recurring content workflow with a long README checklist instead of a small editor tool. If the team repeats the same clicks every day, a tool may be worth it.