Examples

We include one drivable car, a static mesh example and an example map on which the deformation can be tested.

Chaos Vehicles is optional

The core deformation component does not require Chaos Vehicles. To load or play the Chaos vehicle examples, enable the Chaos Vehicles plugin yourself and restart the editor first. If vehicle Blueprint parent classes are missing, do not save those incorrectly loaded Blueprints; enable the dependency and reload them.

Vehicle (Chaos)

Left: Vehicle while in editor (only skeletal mesh is visible)

Right: Vehicle while playing (Deformable Mesh is visible)

Location: /Plugins/DeformableStaticMesh/Content/Example/ChaosVehicleExample/

The example car is a ChaosVehicle (AWheeledVehiclePawn) that uses a placeholder skeletal mesh. This is NOT necessary, but because the skeletal mesh is only used for collision it (most of the time) does not matter how it looks. For more information see: Chaos Vehicle.

There is a special material override that overrides the default material of the mesh with a deformation material (/DeformableStaticMesh/Content/Materials/Example/M_Deformable_TestVehicle). This makes dents even more visible and enables hazard lights. In addition to that there's also a protection box that prevents the driver side (left) from deforming too much.

Other than that it's really just a simple ChaosVehicle with basic movement and three special shortcuts:

• R: Reset Vehicle (position)
• E: Reset Deformation
• Z: Toggle Scratchmask (= deformation material)

Here are some useful links for ChaosVehicles in general:

• How to Set up Vehicles (UE Documentation)
• Setting up the Chaos Vehicles Plugin in Unreal Engine 5.4

Static Mesh (Vehicle)

Location: /Plugins/DeformableStaticMesh/Content/Example/StaticMeshExample/BP_DeformationExampleStaticMesh

This actor is an example of how to use our component with pure static meshes. We're not limited to vehicles, but we already include the vehicle asset so we're just gonna reuse it for this purpose. One of the actor's static meshes is simulating physics and the other is not. We support both cases.

Version 2.2: The StaticMeshExample-Actor is now replicated and can switch between the vehicle deformable mesh and a sphere deformable mesh using ChangeDeformableMesh. The key binding for this is "F".

Map

Location: /Plugins/DeformableStaticMesh/Content/Map/

• Swings (left)
• Balls falling from the sky (between the two big ramps)
• Two vehicle spawners, that launch an accelerating vehicle towards the player (in the back)
• Ramps, Obstacles, ...

C++

AExampleDeformableActor demonstrates how the deformable mesh component can be used with C++. It shows you how to properly add the component to your actor.