Embedded Files
Sometimes you can line up the perfect framing, block out the action and characters, and right before you hit record... you notice there's a tree in the background that ruins the composition. Or perhaps you have a great idea for a shot, but certain NPCs or environment details (like signs) aren't positioned quite how you'd like them to be.
Enter the Manipulate Object & Actors functionality directly into the marketing camera. Now you can move, rotate, and scale any skeletal mesh asset, down to the individual bones or up to the object group level.
Let's find out how we can integrate this into our workflow to produce some powerful - yet simple results.
Target Mode
Target Mode
Player Mode lets you select playable characters over local or online multiplayer.
Actor Mode lets you select anything that Unreal would consider an actor. This effectively means any Static Mesh with collision, so this can range from trees that your character can interact with, to NPCs, buildings, bridges, tiny props for set dressing - and everything in between.
Bone Mode lets you select individual bones within a Static Mesh for even greater control over what part of the actor you'd like to track.
Location Mode is an extension of the other modes and should be used as a troubleshooting step. If you're having trouble selecting specific objects in the world, it could be due to how the Developer has integrated them in the Editor. If a single object is part of a larger group of objects, Location Mode will let you select them.
Manipulating Your Target
Manipulating Your Target
Target Position allows you to move the object in 3D space in all three axes. In Unreal Engine, both Scale and Position are measured in cm.
Target Rotation allows you to rotate the object in 3D space in all three axes. Rotational units are, of course, radians, so 180° would turn the object around.
Target Scale allows you to scale the object in 3D space in all three axes. In Unreal Engine, both Scale and Position are measured in cm.
Unreal Engine is "Z Up", meaning the Z axis is Vertical.
The X axis is forward/backward movement.
The Y axis is lateral movement.
Requirements
Requirements
To target any element in your scene using a raycast (line trace), that element must have collision enabled.
Make sure the object’s collision settings are configured so that the Visibility trace channel is set to Block.
If the Visibility channel is not set to Block, the raycast will pass through the object and it won’t be detected.
Best Practices
Best Practices
As previously mentioned, when you are raycasting at an object, always try to raycast into the centre of its mass, or its centre. Also - keep in mind that the raycast extends out from the centre of your screen, so if you're having difficulty capturing a target, try using a screen overlay to improve how accurate you are.
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