Enhanced AI Movement v1.7.2 (5.7) is a comprehensive plugin designed to improve the realism and naturalness of AI movement in Unreal Engine. It introduces customizable spline-based trajectories that replace straight-line paths, allowing for smoother and more dynamic AI motion. The plugin includes specialized control rigs for quadruped and biped characters, ensuring stable ground contact on slopes through advanced IK systems. A spine and tail control rig enables fluid turning animations by procedurally bending the AI’s spine and tail, reducing the need for complex animation blueprints.
Key features include:
– Spline path-following with adjustable turn radius, zig-zags, and dynamic shape control, while maintaining compatibility with the default navmesh.
– AI Push System (introduced in v1.4.0) that enables AIs to push each other, preventing crowding and improving crowd realism. A Sphere AI Push Component allows players (in standalone mode) to push AIs during movement.
– Real-time avoidance of dynamic obstacles (e.g., moving platforms, vehicles, or physics objects) using simulated sensors, without relying on navmesh updates.
– Custom Pawn avoidance system that uses the same sensor framework as the AI Push System, with random priority assignment to allow slower AIs to yield to others.
– Navmesh validation ensures generated splines remain connected and properly aligned with the navmesh before finalization.
– Quadruped and biped IK control rigs that maintain natural posture on slopes, with dynamic spine bending for balance simulation.
– Dynamic speed and rotation rate adjustments based on terrain slope, movement speed, and turning, enhancing realism.
– Support for both 1D and 2D root motion, where animation-driven forward movement is combined with plugin-controlled rotation and path following.
– Predefined presets for humanoids, small, medium, and large quadrupeds (e.g., rabbits, dogs, bears), simplifying setup.
– Smart Spline Regeneration: Splines are only regenerated when necessary, improving tracking of moving targets.
– Performance optimizations such as reduced sensor and IK trace frequency, dynamic switching to default path following when not in view, and sensor deactivation when not needed (standalone only).
– Compatible with ALS, EQS, and the Game Animation Sample Project (tested with versions 5.4 and 5.5).
– Developed in C++ (with control rigs accessible via Blueprints), enabling full functionality without requiring deep coding knowledge.
– Non-destructive integration by replacing the AI Controller, preserving existing AI logic and code.
Enhanced AI Movement v1.7.2 (5.7)