Download the latest Game Animation Sample Project—now updated for UE 5.8!
Since its first release with Unreal Engine 5.4, the Game Animation Sample Project has become one of our most highly rated downloads. And now we’re happy to announce it’s back, with a brand-new update for full compatibility with Unreal Engine 5.8, as well as some tasty new tech!
Designed to showcase fully functional animation systems for use in games, it’s a great way to learn about the latest and greatest functionality at your fingertips in Unreal Engine for getting things moving. And because it’s built using current best practices, you can also use it to kickstart your own creations.
Let’s explore what’s new in this release.
Designed to showcase fully functional animation systems for use in games, it’s a great way to learn about the latest and greatest functionality at your fingertips in Unreal Engine for getting things moving. And because it’s built using current best practices, you can also use it to kickstart your own creations.
Let’s explore what’s new in this release.
New functionality
Physics Control Component & Physics Control Asset
The Physics Control Component can control a physics asset through the use of linear and angular motors, as well as having the ability to modify the state of physics bodies, while the Physics Control Asset allows for convenient storage and editing of profiles that can be applied onto a physics asset. Together, these two pieces mean you can easily create robust physically animated characters—and if that doesn’t sound like fun, we don’t know what does.
Multi-character motion matching & Pose Search Interaction Assets
Motion matching just got a whole lot more handy with new tools for performing pose searches across multiple Skeletal Meshes. Alongside that, Pose Search Interaction Assets allow for the simple setup of multi-character animations, complete with tooling for easy motion warp handling. You can place these assets in Pose Search Databases, and then search for them via Motion Match Multi functions.
Ragdoll Pawn
To demonstrate these powerful new tools, we’ve added a new Pawn: SandboxCharacter_Mover_Ragdoll. This new Character can go into a powered ragdoll state, complete with a variety of animation states for fall protection, injury, flailing, and rolling, all of which drive joint motors via the Physics Control Component, bringing an otherwise boring ragdoll to life. After ragdolling, the Character can perform motion-matched getup animations, which blend seamlessly from the ragdoll’s pose back into an animated one.
We’ve also given this Character the ability to interact with other Characters of its type via a plethora of multi-character motion-matched interactions. These include simple shoves, which send the other character into ragdoll; tackles, which send both characters into ragdoll; and takedowns…which do the same as shoves but in a much more exciting way! Each interaction type includes coverage for all approach angles, and the takedowns include variations for standing, walking, and running.
Ragdoll Map
And with all that action going on, our Characters are going to need somewhere to throw their weight around. So we’ve added a new level—RagdollLevel—for you to try out all these new features, complete with an obstacle course filled with moving obstacles, a platform that highlights the ragdoll’s auto-roll behavior, and more.
Additive Look-At Control Rig
This release also includes an Experimental additive Look-At Point-Of-Interest solver, built entirely in Control Rig, which you can modify to your needs. The powerful nondestructive solver layers on top of your existing animation without overwriting it, and gives you fine-grained control over how each body part reacts to a target.
To show the solver in action, we’ve included test samples demonstrating Look-At applied over locomotion loops, using it to expand the working range of acting gestures, and a patrol setup where Look-At drives scanning direction for an NPC-style patrolling animations.
All of this can be found in a dedicated test level that walks you through the setup, with an on-screen tooltip panel that explains how to use the level, live-tweak solver parameters, and get the most out of the example.
Enhancements
Locomotion improvements
It wouldn’t be a proper update without also including some improvements to Locomotion. This time, we’ve reworked the Mover Pawn’s State Machine-driven blendstack setup with a new Chooser that integrates an improved Pose Match Column. This column performs a motion match on any valid animation that uses it, outputting the best one.
The Chooser now contains any number of internal Pose Search Databases, and each asset using a Pose Match Column is able to define the database it belongs in. This effectively gives you designer-friendly selection and the power of motion matching in one unified package.
We’ve also demonstrated how Blend Spaces can be used within the Chooser and Blend Stack by including some new slope animations. With this combination of Choosers, motion matching, and now Blend Spaces, you have a wide range of control options at your disposal.
Enhanced Smart Objects
Player characters can now interact with the benches in the Smart Object level, thanks to the addition of a new State Tree and State Tree Tasks. Although not a fully fledged interaction system, it effectively demonstrates how motion matching can be utilized for seamless interactions with objects in the world.
We hope you enjoy these updates to the Game Animation Sample Project. Download it today and kick your animations up a notch.