Lodain - Improved Widget Component (Widget3DComponent)

Widget3DComponent – Advanced 3D Widget for UE4/UE5

Overview:
Widget3DComponent is a fully C++ Unreal Engine 4.27.2 Source build plugin designed to replace the default WidgetComponent. This is not a subclass — it’s a full alternative that includes all the functionality of the original WidgetComponent plus additional features. Use it as a drop-in replacement in your projects.

Features:

  • World Space Real-Time Orientation: Widgets automatically face the camera (if enabled), just like a billboard or screen-space widget, without requiring tick-based rotation or manual scripting.

  • Engine-Level Alignment: Proper orientation requires view matrix alignment, which is impossible to implement reliably outside the component. Widget3DComponent handles it internally at the render level, with zero performance overhead.

  • Custom Scaling: Easily scale widgets using a custom scale vector.

Why it’s Unique:

  • The default WidgetComponent does not support real-time world-space orientation.

  • Implementing this manually would require complex per-frame calculations and still may not work correctly.

  • Widget3DComponent solves this elegantly, letting you focus on your project rather than reinventing the wheel.

Compatibility:

  • Made in Unreal Engine 4.27.2 Source build

  • Not officially tested in Unreal Engine 5; it should work, but contact me if you encounter issues.

Usage:

  • Enable orientation towards the camera for World Space widgets.

  • Scale the widget with a custom scale vector.

Support & Updates:
For future enhancements or feature requests, contact me and we’ll discuss it.

Hi there,

I recently purchased Widget3DComponent from Fab and installed it into my project. I’m using a source-built version of Unreal Engine 5.5, and unfortunately the plugin fails to compile with several build errors.

I noticed on the UE forums that you mentioned the plugin was tested with UE 4.27.2 and UE 5.6 source builds, and that users should contact you if they run into version compatibility issues. Since I’m on 5.5, I’d really appreciate any guidance you could offer—whether that’s a patch, a workaround, or an estimated timeline for official 5.5 support.

Also, I couldn’t find any direct contact information on your Fab store page. Would it be possible to get an email address or preferred method of contact for future support-related communication?

Thank you for your time, and thanks again for creating this plugin—it’s exactly what I need for my project once the compatibility is sorted.

Best,
[SteveZhou]