Animation Blueprint¶
A subclass of UAnimInstance that drives a skeletal mesh's pose each frame via an AnimGraph.
Tabs¶
| Tab | Purpose |
|---|---|
| AnimGraph | The pose pipeline — state machines, blends, IK, output pose |
| Event Graph | Cosmetic logic, variable updates, blueprint events |
| Pose Snapshot | Save/restore poses |
| Anim Notify | Handler stubs for AnimNotify_* events |
AnimGraph anatomy¶
| Node type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Pose sources | Play Sequence, Apply Mesh Space Additive, Sequence Player |
| State machines | Locomotion, Combat, Hit Reactions |
| Blends | Blend by Bool/Int/Enum, Blend Per Bone, Layered Blend |
| Modify | Two Bone IK, Full Body IK, Control Rig |
| Output | The mandatory Output Pose |
State machines¶
Each state holds an AnimGraph subgraph (typically a Sequence Player). Transitions between states have:
- Bool / int / float conditions
- Duration (cross-blend time)
- Notifies (state enter/exit events)
Motion Matching¶
UE 5.4+ — replaces traditional state machines for locomotion with a pose-search approach. See Animation → Motion Matching.
Chooser¶
UE 5.4+ — data-driven asset selection. See Animation → Chooser.
Performance¶
| Lever | Effect |
|---|---|
| Update Rate Optimization (URO) | Skip evaluation when far from camera |
| LOD Threshold on AnimGraph nodes | Disable expensive nodes at distance |
| Animation Budget Allocator | Crowd-scale budgeting |
| Animation Sharing | Share evaluated pose across N actors |