Fill in the .env file with your web3storage key
Run forge test for tests
The test will run the main.ts file, upload the image and capture the CID for the test
Run forge build to build
Setup your deployTestnet.sh file to deploy the contract onto the arbitrum goerli test net.
For the NFT Storage System in Unreal Engine, the first steps involved were to set up the smart contracts. I used Foundry for the solidity development environment, I set up the ERC721 standard, included the ERC721Enumerable and ERC721URIStorage extensions as well and complied with them. After, I was able to include the CID with the NFT once you mint. After building foundry tests and passing them, I uploaded them to the Arbitrum Goerli testnet and I made a frontend application to communicate with it. From there, I minted the NFTs. In Unreal Engine, I installed Hyperplay and the web3.unreal plugin and connected my wallet to be able to communicate with the network. The Unreal Engine demo achieves displaying all the NFTs inside the world. This is done by calling the smart contract, downloading the texture and creating a material with the downloaded texture and applying it. The frontend portion allows you to connect your wallet and view or mint your NFTs. It uses web3storage to manage the images on IPFS, which are handled completely by their cid.
The experience building on IPFS and web3.storage was very seamless. Using Foundry for solidity development was tough at first and very hard to set up but in the end it was very quick and reliable. Building with Unreal Engine was very tough and challenging. Most foundry challenges that I approached were solved by reading their handbook and documentation. However in Unreal Engine, using hyperplay and web3.unreal, there was not a lot of documentation and almost no online resources to help. Trial and error was the main way of addressing those problems, which was difficult and time-consuming.