To replicate the SkeletonUtility GroundConstraint feature in Unreal Engine, you can follow these steps:
Understand the Concept: The SkeletonUtilityGroundConstraint in Unity modifies the position of a bone, typically an IK target bone, to ensure it stays above the ground. This is achieved by performing raycasts to detect the ground and adjusting the bone's position accordingly.
Set Up IK in Spine: Ensure your character's skeleton in Spine has IK constraints set up for the feet. This will allow you to control the feet positions programmatically.
Implement Raycasting in Unreal:
- Perform raycasts from the feet towards the ground to detect the ground's position.
- Adjust the IK target bones' positions based on the raycast results to keep the feet above the ground.
Modify Bone Positions in Unreal:
- Use the
USpineSkeletonComponent to access and modify the skeleton's bones.
- You can get the
spine::Skeleton from the USpineSkeletonComponent via USpineSkeletonComponent::GetSkeleton().
- Find the IK constraints by name using
spine::Skeleton::findIkConstraint().
- Set the new positions for the IK target bones using
IkConstraint::setMix().
Here is a basic example of how you might implement this in C++:
#include "YourGameCharacter.h"
#include "SpineSkeletonComponent.h"
#include "Engine/World.h"
#include "DrawDebugHelpers.h"
void AYourGameCharacter::UpdateFootIK()
{
USpineSkeletonComponent* SpineComponent = FindComponentByClass<USpineSkeletonComponent>();
if (!SpineComponent) return;
spine::Skeleton* Skeleton = SpineComponent->GetSkeleton();
if (!Skeleton) return;
spine::IkConstraint* LeftFootIK = Skeleton->findIkConstraint("leftFootIK");
spine::IkConstraint* RightFootIK = Skeleton->findIkConstraint("rightFootIK");
FVector LeftFootPosition = GetBoneWorldPosition("leftFoot");
FVector RightFootPosition = GetBoneWorldPosition("rightFoot");
FVector LeftFootGroundPosition = PerformRaycast(LeftFootPosition);
FVector RightFootGroundPosition = PerformRaycast(RightFootPosition);
if (LeftFootIK)
{
LeftFootIK->getTarget()->setX(LeftFootGroundPosition.X);
LeftFootIK->getTarget()->setY(LeftFootGroundPosition.Y);
}
if (RightFootIK)
{
RightFootIK->getTarget()->setX(RightFootGroundPosition.X);
RightFootIK->getTarget()->setY(RightFootGroundPosition.Y);
}
}
FVector AYourGameCharacter::PerformRaycast(FVector StartPosition)
{
FVector EndPosition = StartPosition - FVector(0, 0, 1000); // Cast downwards
FHitResult HitResult;
GetWorld()->LineTraceSingleByChannel(HitResult, StartPosition, EndPosition, ECC_Visibility);
if (HitResult.bBlockingHit)
{
return HitResult.Location;
}
return StartPosition; // Return original position if no hit
}
FVector AYourGameCharacter::GetBoneWorldPosition(FName BoneName)
{
USpineSkeletonComponent* SpineComponent = FindComponentByClass<USpineSkeletonComponent>();
if (!SpineComponent) return FVector::ZeroVector;
FTransform BoneTransform = SpineComponent->GetBoneTransform(BoneName);
return BoneTransform.GetLocation();
}
This code performs raycasts from the feet to the ground and adjusts the IK target bones' positions accordingly. You will need to adapt it to your specific setup and ensure the bone names and IK constraint names match those in your Spine project.
