How to give actor components velocity?

joyebexama · April 28, 2025, 1:31pm

Sure! Here’s the direct answer:

To give actor components velocity (for example, in Unreal Engine), you typically need to apply movement through a physics simulation. Actor components like a StaticMeshComponent or PrimitiveComponent have built-in functions to set velocity if physics is enabled.

Here’s how you can do it:

Step-by-Step:

Make sure physics simulation is enabled on the component:
```
YourComponent->SetSimulatePhysics(true);
```
Set the velocity directly:
```
YourComponent->SetPhysicsLinearVelocity(FVector(1000, 0, 0));
```
(This example gives it velocity in the X direction.)

Important:

If Simulate Physics is off, setting velocity won’t do anything.
You can also add forces or impulses for more natural movement:
```
YourComponent->AddImpulse(FVector(1000, 0, 0));
```

Summary:
Enable physics simulation ➔ then use SetPhysicsLinearVelocity or AddImpulse to give it velocity.

Would you like a quick example in Blueprints too?