How to switch character animations using a UMG Dropdown in UE 4.27 (Blueprints)?

[Imran_Ahmed]

I am trying to switch a character’s animations (Idle, Walk, Run, etc.) using a Dropdown Menu (ComboBox) created in UMG, fully through Blueprints.

I have searched YouTube and documentation but couldn’t find a clear, complete, step-by-step explanation of this workflow, especially how to properly connect:

• UMG Dropdown (ComboBox)

• Character Blueprint

• Animation Blueprint

Most tutorials either:

• Only show animation switching via input keys, or

• Skip important setup details (references, variables, best practices)

I’m specifically looking for a Blueprint-only, best-practice approach to:

• Populate the dropdown with animation names

• Detect dropdown selection changes

• Trigger the selected animation on the character via the Animation Blueprint

If anyone can explain the correct setup or share a reliable tutorial/resource, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[Imran_Ahmed]

No reply? Can anyone [lease provide any rough idea how to approach it. I tried different approach. Chatgpt has given tons of solution but not a single one of them is working

[BRGEzedeRocco]

Hello @Imran_Ahmed, Welcome to forums!
I don’t know much about animations, but here’s a possible solution for what you’re trying to achieve

First, create an enum with all the states you want to handle. In this example, I used: Idle, Run, Crouch, and NewAnimation

Then, in your ThirdPersonCharacter, create a variable of the enum type you defined earlier (in my example, E_Animation)

After that, in the Widget, create a ComboBox, and in Content → Default Options, add the animations you want to be able to select

In the Widget Graph, use the On Selection Changed event from the ComboBox. From there, call a Switch on String, cast to ThirdPersonCharacter, and based on the selected option, set the corresponding enum value

Finally, in your ThirdPersonAnimBP, create a variable called CurrentAnimation of type E_Animation (the same enum you created before). From As ThirdPersonCharacter, get the value of E_Animation and assign it to this variable.

Inside the Idle / Run state, do a Get of CurrentAnimation and connect it to a Blend Poses, where you can right-click and add the enum options you need

With this setup, you should be able to choose the animation you want directly from the ComboBox.

Hope it helps!

[Imran_Ahmed]

Thanks for the reply. I will try your solution. Thanks again