I’m looking for a way to create a 2D flowchart that I can overlay on top of a 3D scene.
I’ve attached an mockup to make it clearer what I like.
The idea is to be able to generate the flowchart from a script (blueprint or C++) but also to edit it during runtime, like dragging flowchart nodes around and create new arrows that connect nodes.
I couldn’t find anything on the Unreal Marketplace.
Does this already exist or should I look to develop it from scratch?
If you wish to stick to blueprints, you could create it in UMG; the canvas allows for dragging around widgets that can represent nodes and onPaint can draw lines and / or brushes. But that’s working from scratch and you’ll run into limitations every now and then, and will need to tinker with workarounds often. Drawing curved splines is a royal pain in the neck unless you’re willing to sacrifice sanity and performance. As odd as it may seem in a UI system, the support for drawing shapes / geometry / lines is almost non-existent.
edit: technically, you could efficiently draw pretty lines in material but that’s even more work
If you’re versed in c++, you could look at how Slate handles this - the very nodes and splines the blueprints are using. There’s a ton of functionality there already. It would be a matter of exposing what you need.
I couldn’t find anything on the Unreal
Marketplace.
Consider looking at skill trees / abilities trees RPG game utilise - they’re glorified flowcharts after all and you might be able to modify one to behave the way you need.
Thanks so much Everynone! The coding pointers help for a future endeavour, but I didn’t think of searching for ‘skill tree’ in the Marketplace. There are 2 great products there, so that’s perfect!
