UE5 Uniform Grid UI

What You Will Learn

• What the Uniform Grid Panel does in Unreal Engine UMG
• How to add and position a Uniform Grid Panel
• How to place widgets using Row and Column values
• How zero-based indexing works in grid layouts
• How to duplicate widgets and arrange them quickly
• How to use alignment settings inside grid cells
• How to use Fill and Center alignment correctly
• How to add padding between grid cells
• How to mix different widgets like images and text inside one grid
• Where Uniform Grid Panel is useful in real game UI

What the Uniform Grid Panel Does

The Uniform Grid Panel arranges child widgets into rows and columns. Each child widget is assigned a Row and Column index, and the panel places it into the correct cell.

The main advantage is consistency. Every cell in the grid follows a uniform structure, so your UI stays clean and predictable.

In simple terms:

• Rows control vertical placement.
• Columns control horizontal placement.
• Each widget sits inside a specific cell.
• The cells stay evenly organized.

When You Should Use Uniform Grid Panel

Use Uniform Grid Panel when you need a structured grid where widgets should line up neatly.

Good examples include:

• inventory slots
• ability icons
• stat panels
• menu buttons
• profile dashboards
• character attribute grids
• level selection icons
• shop item previews
• achievement rows
• settings option blocks

If your UI needs a clean row and column structure, Uniform Grid Panel is usually a better choice than manually placing widgets on a Canvas Panel.

Step 1: Create a Widget Blueprint

Start by creating a Widget Blueprint.

In the Content Drawer:

Right-click → User Interface → Widget Blueprint

Name it something clear, for example:

WBP_UniformGridExample

Open the widget and make sure you have a Canvas Panel as the root.

The Canvas Panel is useful for this tutorial because it lets you position the grid panel directly in the screen preview while learning the layout behavior.

Step 2: Add the Uniform Grid Panel

In the Palette panel, search for:

Uniform Grid Panel

Drag it into the Canvas Panel.

Select the Uniform Grid Panel and configure its Canvas Panel slot settings.

Example values:

Anchor = Center
Position X = 0
Position Y = 0
Size X = 500
Size Y = 300
Alignment X = 0.5
Alignment Y = 0.5

This centers the grid on the screen and gives it enough space for multiple rows and columns.

Why the Panel Size Matters

The size of the Uniform Grid Panel controls how much area the grid has available. If the panel is too small, widgets may look cramped. If it is too large, spacing can feel too loose depending on the child alignment settings.

For testing, a size like 500 by 300 is a good starting point because it gives you enough room to see rows, columns, padding, and alignment behavior clearly.

Step 3: Add an Image Widget

Drag an Image widget into the Uniform Grid Panel.

By default, the first widget usually starts at:

Row = 0
Column = 0

This means the first row and the first column.

This is where beginners often get confused. Unreal uses zero-based indexing here, which means counting starts from zero, not one.

Understanding Zero-Based Indexing

Uniform Grid Panel row and column values start at zero.

That means:

Row 0, Column 0 = first row, first column
Row 0, Column 1 = first row, second column
Row 0, Column 2 = first row, third column
Row 1, Column 0 = second row, first column
Row 1, Column 1 = second row, second column

This matches how arrays and many programming systems work. If you understand this once, grid placement becomes simple.

Step 4: Duplicate the Image Widgets

Select the Image widget and duplicate it several times.

Shortcut:

Ctrl + D

Create six image widgets total.

You will arrange them into two rows and three columns.

Step 5: Place Images Using Row and Column

Select each image and set its Uniform Grid Slot values.

Use this layout:

Image 1: Row 0, Column 0
Image 2: Row 0, Column 1
Image 3: Row 0, Column 2
Image 4: Row 1, Column 0
Image 5: Row 1, Column 1
Image 6: Row 1, Column 2

This creates a clean two-row grid.

If your widgets appear in the wrong position, check the Row and Column values first. Most grid layout mistakes come from incorrect indexing.

Step 6: Use Colors for Visual Clarity

While testing, assign different colors to the images.

Example:

• Image 1: light blue
• Image 2: red
• Image 3: blue
• Image 4: dark red
• Image 5: green
• Image 6: purple

This is not required for final UI, but it makes layout testing much easier.

Color coding helps you quickly see whether each widget is landing in the expected cell.

Step 7: Adjust Alignment Inside Cells

Select the image widgets and look at the Uniform Grid Slot settings.

You can control:

• Horizontal Alignment
• Vertical Alignment

Common alignment options include:

• Center
• Fill
• Left
• Right
• Top
• Bottom

Center keeps widgets in the middle of the cell. Fill stretches them to occupy the available cell space.

Center vs Fill Alignment

Center alignment is useful when your child widget should keep its natural size.

Fill alignment is useful when you want the widget to expand and use the whole cell.

For example:

• Inventory icons may look better centered.
• Colored background blocks may look better filled.
• Stat panels may need fill alignment for consistent cell coverage.

Do not blindly use Fill everywhere. Use it only when stretching supports the design.

Step 8: Add Slot Padding

Select the Uniform Grid Panel.

In the Details panel, find:

Slot Padding

Set it to:

15

This adds space between the widgets in the grid.

Without padding, the UI can look cramped and amateur. Padding makes the layout cleaner immediately.

Why Padding Is Important

Padding controls visual breathing room between widgets.

If cells are touching each other, the layout becomes harder to read. This is especially bad for inventory slots, icons, and dashboard panels.

A small amount of padding can make a huge difference in perceived UI quality.

Step 9: Add Text Blocks to the Grid

Uniform Grid Panel is not limited to images.

Drag Text Block widgets into the grid and place them in a new row.

Example:

Text 1: Row 2, Column 0
Text 2: Row 2, Column 1
Text 3: Row 2, Column 2

Increase the font size so the text is readable.

Now you have a layout with image widgets in the first rows and text widgets in the bottom row.

Step 10: Mix Different Widget Types

The Uniform Grid Panel can hold many widget types:

• Images
• Text Blocks
• Buttons
• Progress Bars
• Size Boxes
• custom Widget Blueprints

This makes it useful for real UI systems where each cell might contain something more complex than a simple image.

Practical Use Case: Inventory Slots

Uniform Grid Panel is useful for inventories where items should appear in exact rows and columns.

A simple inventory hierarchy might look like this:

Uniform Grid Panel
  WBP_ItemSlot at Row 0, Column 0
  WBP_ItemSlot at Row 0, Column 1
  WBP_ItemSlot at Row 0, Column 2
  WBP_ItemSlot at Row 1, Column 0

Each slot can be a custom widget containing an icon, quantity text, rarity border, and hover behavior.

Practical Use Case: Stat Dashboard

Uniform Grid Panel is also useful for stat dashboards.

Example layout:

Row 0: Health, Armor, Stamina
Row 1: Damage, Speed, Critical Chance
Row 2: Level, XP, Currency

Because the grid is uniform, the dashboard looks balanced and easy to scan.

Practical Use Case: Level Selection

If you have a fixed number of level buttons or mission cards, Uniform Grid Panel can help align them cleanly.

Each cell can contain a button or custom level card widget with:

• level preview image
• level name
• completion stars
• locked state
• difficulty label

Uniform Grid Panel vs Grid Panel

Uniform Grid Panel creates evenly sized cells. Grid Panel gives more control over row and column sizing.

Simple rule:

• Use Uniform Grid Panel when every cell should be consistent.
• Use Grid Panel when you need more custom sizing per row or column.

If you are building a simple icon grid, Uniform Grid Panel is usually faster and cleaner.

Uniform Grid Panel vs Wrap Box

Uniform Grid Panel uses explicit row and column placement. Wrap Box flows items automatically and wraps them based on available width.

Use Uniform Grid Panel when you know exactly where items should go.

Use Wrap Box when item count or available width changes and you want automatic wrapping.

Simple rule:

• Uniform Grid Panel is structured and precise.
• Wrap Box is flexible and responsive.

Uniform Grid Panel vs TileView

Uniform Grid Panel is a layout container. TileView is a data-driven list widget that generates entries from objects.

Use Uniform Grid Panel for smaller or controlled layouts.

Use TileView for larger dynamic item collections where entry generation, selection, and data-driven population matter more.

Common Mistake: Wrong Row and Column Values

If a widget appears in the wrong place, check its Row and Column values.

Remember:

0 means first row or first column
1 means second row or second column
2 means third row or third column

Do not start counting from one. That is the fastest way to place widgets incorrectly.

Common Mistake: No Padding

A grid with no padding can look crowded.

Add slot padding early so you can judge the layout properly.

Clean spacing is not decoration. It improves readability.

Common Mistake: Using Canvas Panel for Grid Layouts

Canvas Panel is good for freeform positioning, but it is a poor choice for repeated grid layouts.

If you manually position every inventory slot or icon, you are creating unnecessary work and future bugs.

Use the correct layout panel. For structured rows and columns, use Uniform Grid Panel.

Common Mistake: Stretching Icons Too Much

Fill alignment can be useful, but it can also distort icons if you are not careful.

If an image looks stretched, try Center alignment or place the image inside a Size Box to control its dimensions.

How to Add Widgets Dynamically Later

In a real project, you may not manually place every widget. You may want to create grid items at runtime from an array.

The general Blueprint flow is:

1. Create a custom item widget, such as WBP_ItemSlot.
2. Loop through your item array.
3. Create Widget for each item.
4. Set the data on the widget.
5. Add Child to Uniform Grid.
6. Calculate Row and Column from the array index.

For example, if you want three columns, you can calculate row and column like this conceptually:

Column = Index % 3
Row = Index / 3

This lets you build dynamic grid layouts without manually placing every item.

Good Widget Hierarchies with Uniform Grid Panel

For a simple static grid:

Canvas Panel
  Uniform Grid Panel
    Image
    Image
    Image
    Text Block

For an inventory:

Border
  Uniform Grid Panel
    WBP_ItemSlot
    WBP_ItemSlot
    WBP_ItemSlot

For a scrollable grid:

Scroll Box
  Uniform Grid Panel
    WBP_ItemSlot
    WBP_ItemSlot
    WBP_ItemSlot

This keeps the interface structured and easier to maintain.

Design Tips for Uniform Grid UI

• Use consistent cell sizes for clean layouts.
• Use padding between widgets.
• Use Center alignment for icons that should not stretch.
• Use Fill alignment for backgrounds or panels.
• Use custom widgets for real item cells instead of raw images.
• Do not manually place repeated UI elements on Canvas Panel.
• Use zero-based indexing correctly.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to use the Uniform Grid Panel in Unreal Engine UMG to create clean row and column layouts. You added a Uniform Grid Panel, placed image widgets inside it, assigned row and column values, tested zero-based indexing, adjusted alignment, added padding, and mixed image and text widgets in the same grid.

Uniform Grid Panel is simple, but it is extremely useful for structured UI. Use it when you need consistent rows and columns for inventories, menus, stat dashboards, icon layouts, and other organized interface elements.

Watch the full video tutorial: Uniform Grid Panel in Unreal Engine UI

More Unreal Engine UI tutorials: rambod.net

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Resources

• YouTube Tutorial
• More Unreal Engine Tutorials
• Rambod Dev YouTube Channel

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Uniform Grid Panel in Unreal Engine UMG?

Uniform Grid Panel is a layout widget that arranges child widgets into evenly sized rows and columns.

When should I use Uniform Grid Panel?

Use it when you need a clean, structured layout with consistent cells, such as inventories, icon grids, stat panels, and menu sections.

Do Row and Column values start from zero?

Yes. Row and Column indexing starts at zero. Row 0 and Column 0 means the first cell.

How do I add spacing between grid items?

Select the Uniform Grid Panel and adjust Slot Padding. This adds spacing between child widgets.

Can I mix images and text in a Uniform Grid Panel?

Yes. The Uniform Grid Panel can contain different widget types, including images, text blocks, buttons, progress bars, and custom widgets.

Should I use Uniform Grid Panel or Wrap Box?

Use Uniform Grid Panel when you want precise row and column placement. Use Wrap Box when you want items to flow automatically and wrap based on available space.