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Rube Goldberg Contest in Unreal Engine

Our team has created a wonderful way to learn and play in Unreal Engine. Many new users struggle with navigation in 3D environments and this project rewards you with the ability to create silly contraptions on your journey towards building Interactive 3D skills. Follow all six activities to practice your navigation skills and learn a special feature of Unreal Engine in each lesson! It's free! Try it today!

2026 Contest

Challenge: "Open a Box" 

This contest is a great opportunity for students to experience playful learning while honing their creativity and critical thinking. Get hands-on experience in Unreal Engine, an essential career tool for our digitial future.

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"Open a Box" Assets

The assets you can add to the Rube Goldberg Learning Kit to participate in the 2026 contest. Download this pack and add it to your existing Rube Goldberg projects if you need a box to open.

This video will show you how to Install the Open a Box assets in Unreal Engine.

Keep scrolling to access all the lessons for getting started with the Rube Goldberg Learning Kit in Unreal Engine.

1. INCLINED PLANES

Learn about Inclined Planes as you complete challenges by adding and manipulating them in the sample project. Celebrate your achievement by creating a custom Niagara particle effect.

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2. LEVERS

Levers are a simple machine you see and use daily. But, it's not everyday that you get to fling a pancake across the kitchen. After making a mess, you will learn about custom materials, so you can redecorate your kitchen.

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3. WEDGE

The wedge is a simple machine, like an axe or knife. Learn how to create a sharp cheddar that will slice objects in half as you sharpen your Interactive 3D skills. You bonus activity will add even more mayhem by using the Chaos fracturing system to shatter a watermelon to pieces.

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4. WHEEL & AXLE

We did it. We reinvented the wheel. Well, not entirely, but taking this simple machine for a spin in Interactive 3D is indeed a whole new experience. Amp it up by learning how to use Metasounds to add new sound effects to your project. 

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5. PULLEYS

A pulley is a wonderful simple machine. You'll get a kick out of this lesson by configuring the pulley device to create a chain reaction in style. After you've customized your pulley in this lesson, you'll walk through the steps for creating your own custom objects (meshes) inside of Unreal Engine.

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6. SCREWS

A screw gets a lot of work done even though it just rotates in place. In this lesson you'll learn the different settings for the screw and a few neat extras. Using screws to move objects along ramps and tunnels can lead to some exciting outcomes. You'll be learning how to use splines in Unreal Engine to build amazing slides and even place hundreds of dominos with ease.

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Free Download:
Unreal Engine Navigation Cheatsheet

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"Feed a Pet" Assets

The assets you can add to the Rube Goldberg Learning Kit to participate in the 2025 competition. Download this pack and add it to your existing Rube Goldberg projects to feed your pet!

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Professional Development
for Educators

Guide your students boldly toward the future with our Epic Games Interactive 3D Educator Accelerators. Contact us to get more info and get on the schedule!

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