How To Use The V1 Spline Actor

This page covers how to use the features of the plugin in blueprints. The logic in C++ should be the same.

Making a spline blueprint

The Ultimate Spline Class can be turned into a blueprint and it contains the ability to make different types of splines. We will go over each type of spline below.

Creating the blueprint:

1. Find the c++ class called Ultimate_Spline in your engine plugins folder.

1. Now right-click the actor and click "Create Child Blueprint Class".

1. Save the blueprint in your preferred project content directory and name it "BP_SplineMesh" or any name you prefer.

2. Open the blueprint, and we need to set some details in it, depending on the spline type we want to use. I will go over all of those below.

Setting up the necessary settings for all spline types:

1. Open the new blueprint you created above and find the "Spline" section in the details panel under Class Defaults at the top toolbar.

2. Fill in the details, I have attached a screenshot of an example for a Spline Mesh used as a road.

1. You can adjust these settings in the level as well by clicking on your spline actor in the level outliner and changing the settings.

2. Ensure you have also setup the General section of the spline to your desired settings. this section handles culling, rotation, seperation, etc.

1. Next, we will set up the spline mesh type, then we will go over each other type

Making a Spline Mesh with point scaling:

1. Creating a spline mesh is straightforward with this plugin. Simply add a mesh from the dropdown, set a forward-facing vector for the mesh, and optionally override its materials.

   

2. To expand the mesh, hold the Left Alt key and drag the transform gizmo for each spline point.

3. To scale the mesh, click a spline point to scale it individually, or scale the entire mesh at once without selecting any spline points.

4. That's it; you should now have spline meshes

Note: To ensure spline meshes appear smooth and well-defined, your mesh should include additional geometry. For instance, I added several loop cuts to the SM_SplineCube

Making a Spline Decal:

1. With this plugin, just set some variables, and it will work. Here are the variables I used in the demo content.

1. Ensure that the spawn seperation and other Spline and General Settings have been adjusted.

Making Spline Point Lights:

1. For quick lighting without many setting changes, use the spline point light type. If advanced settings are needed, I recommend using spline blueprints with a point light component in the blueprint

1. Here are the settings I used for this in the demo content.

Making Spline Blueprints:

1. These are great if you need multiple objects spawned along a spline, each potentially capable of running code

2. It's very simple; just set the blueprint you want to use.

3. Ensure you adjust the spline and general settings to optimize and guarantee the proper placement of blueprints as they spawn along the spline.

Making Spline Sounds:

1. This allows you to spawn sounds along a spline, making it ideal for rivers, forests, and other environmental sound design

2. You will control this via sound cues, sound attenuation, and sound concurrency assets. It will not be controlled directly on the spline except for spawn separation in the Spline Settings.

Making Spline Particles:

1. This is similar to spline sounds. It will spawn particles along a spline based on the settings you configure.

2. You will control the direction, velocity, and other aspects of the particle simulation within the particle system itself, not the spline.

Disclaimer: If you buy particle assets, they may require modification of their velocity or other modules to achieve the desired result. I do not provide support for modifying third-party assets. You will need to contact the maker of the particle system for guidance on how to modify it if needed.

Making Spline Instanced Static Meshes:

1. If using traditional rendering (non-Nanite), it is recommended to use this over spline static mesh. If you use Nanite, it does not matter which one you use

2. To use, simply add the mesh you want instanced, configure the General and Spline settings, select a scale for each mesh, and optionally set a material override.

3. That's it; you will now have instanced static meshes for

Making Spline Static Mesh:

1. Similar to Instance Static Meshes, this allows you to assign a mesh to spawn, set a scale, and optionally provide a material override. Ensure that the Spline and General settings are configured as desired.

2. That's it — you should now have static meshes spawning along your spline

Use this only if you have nanite enabled or you need LOD support per instance.

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