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VA Mesh Component

A component that allows playback of a single instance of a VA Asset Collection. Perfect for hero characters or any situation where you need precise control over a single animated mesh, rather than managing multiple instances with the VA Instanced Mesh Component.

The VA Mesh Component inherits from UStaticMeshComponent and uses a modular architecture with separate sub-components for different functionalities.

Component Details

Core Properties

Section titled “Core Properties”
  • Vertex Animation Asset: Select your VA Asset Collection containing the mesh and animation data
  • Vertex Animation Mesh Index: Select which mesh to use from the asset collection (if it contains multiple meshes)
  • Custom Data Floats Hash: Read-only property showing the hash of custom data configurations

Sub-Components Architecture

Section titled “Sub-Components Architecture”

The VA Mesh Component uses a modular design with specialized sub-components:

  • Animation Lists Collection: Manages multiple animation lists
  • Animation Mode Manager: Controls how animations are played (single vs. list mode)
  • Instance Data Stores: Manage both persistent and runtime-only animation data

Animation Modes

Section titled “Animation Modes”

Single Animation Mode

Section titled “Single Animation Mode”

Play individual animations directly from the VA Asset Collection. Use this mode when you need precise control over specific animations.

Animation List Mode

Section titled “Animation List Mode”

Play animations through Animation Lists that define playback behavior. Animation Lists can be:

  • Sequential: Play animations in order
  • Random: Play animations randomly from the list
  • Custom Logic: Use custom animation list implementations

Animation Lists

Section titled “Animation Lists”

Animation Lists are now UVAAnimationList objects that contain:

  • Animation References: List of animations from the VA Asset Collection
  • Logic Data: Settings that control playback behavior
  • Playback Rules: How animations transition and repeat

Animation Control Functions

Section titled “Animation Control Functions”

Key Blueprint-callable functions for controlling animations:

  • PlaySingleAnimation: Play a specific animation from the asset collection
  • PlayAnimationList: Start playback using an animation list
  • SetAnimationAsset: Change the VA Asset Collection at runtime
  • SetAnimationMeshIndex: Switch between meshes in multi-mesh collections
  • SetAnimationMode: Toggle between single and list animation modes

These functions are provided by the Animation Mode Manager and Animation Lists systems.

See Also

Section titled “See Also”