Physics and ragdolls

Set up physics assets, ragdolls, and vehicle wheels and suspension.

What it’s for

This area sets up physics on the assets and actors already in your project. Your assistant can create a physics asset for a skeletal mesh, turn ragdoll on for a placed actor, and set up a vehicle’s wheels, engine and transmission, so you do not have to edit physics assets by hand.

Ask for it when a skeletal mesh needs collision bodies and constraints, when a character should go limp on death or impact, or when you are setting up a Chaos vehicle.

For bones, sockets, constraints and retargeting, see Skeletons and skinning.

Things you can ask

Give a skeletal mesh a physics asset

You get a new physics asset, already assigned to the mesh.

You: Create a physics asset for SK_Mannequin and assign it to the mesh.

Created /Game/Physics/PHYS_Mannequin and assigned it to SK_Mannequin.

Make a character go ragdoll

The actor switches to ragdoll and falls under physics.

You: Turn EnemyGuard into a ragdoll and activate it.

EnemyGuard is now a ragdoll and simulating physics.

Set up a Chaos vehicle

The car gets its vehicle type, wheels and drivetrain.

You: Set up BP_SportsCar as a 4-wheel car with a 7000 RPM engine.

BP_SportsCar is set up as a 4-wheel car with a 7000 RPM engine, 6 gears and a 3.5 final drive ratio.