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Table of Contents
Creating a Vehicle in Blender (Rigging)
In this chapter, we will focus on Rigging — the process of connecting the mesh components of the vehicle to a bone structure so that parts of the vehicle can move independently in Unreal Engine.
Rigging is a fundamental step to enable dynamic movement for vehicle parts like doors, pantographs, bogies, and any other movable elements.
Important Note: This section assumes that you already have basic knowledge of Blender. If you're unfamiliar with Blender's interface, tools, or general 3D modeling principles, please take the time to familiarize yourself with these concepts before continuing with this guide.
Why Rigging is Important
Rigging allows us to create animated vehicles in Unreal Engine. By adding bones to the mesh and setting up a proper skeleton, we enable each part of the vehicle to move independently. This is crucial for:
- Animated parts like doors opening/closing
- Movable components like wheels and suspension
- Fine-grained control of physics-based interactions (e.g., suspension movement, door animations, etc.)
Once the vehicle is rigged correctly in Blender, we can export it to Unreal Engine with all bones and weights intact, allowing the parts to be manipulated via Blueprints and Control Rigs.