# Roller Coaster: What is the best way to animate an actor on a spline path? **URL:** \ **Category:** Character & Animation\ **Tags:** unreal-engine\ **Created:** [April 28, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387 "2014-04-28T01:16:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![darkpivot](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@darkpivot](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/darkpivot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 1:16am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/1 "2014-04-28T01:16:41Z")
So I want to create a roller coaster (specifically for Oculus Rift). I already have a basic spline path + track laid out, but I don’t know how to go about animating a cart being attached to the spline. If anyone has an idea, it would be much appreciated. Also, if there is any coding involved, I’d prefer Blueprint because I do not know C++. ---
**Author:** ![iamgoret](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@iamgoret](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/iamgoret)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 5:39am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/2 "2014-04-28T05:39:32Z")
I’m also interested in doing something like this and have thought of the same question. Do you import your spline/track from your 3D modelling software or did you create it in UE4? ---
**Author:** ![darkpivot](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@darkpivot](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/darkpivot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/3 "2014-04-28T16:09:47Z")
> [@iamgoret;24270](#): > > I’m also interested in doing something like this and have thought of the same question. > > Do you import your spline/track from your 3D modelling software or did you create it in UE4? I made a single track piece in blender and imported into UE4 and added it as a model for the spline. This is what it looks like so far. [http://puu.sh/8qtMv](http://puu.sh/8qtMv) ---
**Author:** ![Lovecraft\_K](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Lovecraft\_K](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Lovecraft_K)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/4 "2014-04-28T20:48:57Z")
Hey darkpivot - Looks like a really good start you have. You might want to try going into Blender and modeling your cart in the same file as the reference spline you are using and then add a single bone weighted to the whole cart animate the bone along the reference spline then import the cart as a skeletal mesh and the animation will automatically come over with the cart model. If you are wanting this to be in first person you could also animate a camera along the spline, again in Blender, and then import the camera movement directly into Matinee (here is a link for that process: [https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/9061/request-fbx-camera-import.html](https://answers.unrealengine.com/questions/9061/request-fbx-camera-import.html)). One caveat, I have only tried this in 3dsMax and Maya, but there should be no reason for this not to work in Blender as well. Let us see what you get when everything’s together and as always if you are still having problems let us know, Eric Ketchum ---
**Author:** ![darkpivot](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@darkpivot](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/darkpivot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/5 "2014-04-28T23:28:57Z")
The spline was made in UE4 though, with the terrain tool. I’m not sure how I would go about doing a spline in Blender actually. ---
**Author:** ![darkpivot](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@darkpivot](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/darkpivot)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/6 "2014-05-01T19:26:26Z")
Anyone have any ideas? I’m still stuck on this. ---
**Author:** ![MrEdge](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@MrEdge](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/MrEdge)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/7 "2014-05-02T22:45:27Z")
Hi there, One thing you could try is to just create the spline in UE4 Matinee. Check out this tutorial for more details on doing that if you like. > **[A new, community-hosted Unreal Engine Wiki](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/a-new-community-hosted-unreal-engine-wiki/141494)** > > After over a year in maintenance mode, the official Unreal Engine Wiki is now permanently offline. These resources now live on a new community-run Unreal Engine Community Wiki — ue4community.wiki! You will be able to find content from the official... We often animate cart paths this way and then attach things like cameras or even other objects to the cart moving along the spline. Also - if you just need a moving Camera on that Spline Matinee is the sure fire way to go. Shout and let me Know if this helps at all. Thanks, Grayson ---
**Author:** ![TomShannon](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/tomshannon/32/1145428_2.png) [@TomShannon](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/TomShannon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/8 "2014-05-03T01:33:47Z")
Splines are certianly a feature I miss terribly from UE3/UDK. I’m struggling to develop a good AI traffic/race path system without them. 😕 Will we ever see them decoupled from the Landscape and given proper access in Blueprints, etc? ---
**Author:** ![Stephen\_Ellis](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/stephen_ellis/32/1210665_2.png) [@Stephen\_Ellis](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Stephen_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/9 "2014-05-07T21:31:02Z")
> [@;26692](#): > > Splines are certianly a feature I miss terribly from UE3/UDK. > I’m struggling to develop a good AI traffic/race path system without them. 😕 > Will we ever see them decoupled from the Landscape and given proper access in Blueprints, etc? Hey , Adding SplineComponents to Blueprints is definitely something that we want and is on our agenda, but it is far from being an immediate goal. Interestingly, one of our custom licensees has already modified the source code to create these for themselves. If we get a hold of that code and can integrate is, it may rapidly speed up the process. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![intoxicat3](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@intoxicat3](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/intoxicat3)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/10 "2014-05-08T21:48:34Z")
I’m waiting for splines as well just to let you know 😉 it’s really helpful when creating generated content where something need to move with a specific path. ---
**Author:** ![iamgoret](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@iamgoret](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/iamgoret)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/roller-coaster-what-is-the-best-way-to-animate-an-actor-on-a-spline-path/3387/11 "2014-05-08T21:57:59Z")
Got this plugin working last night, seems like a good place to start with creating a Rollercoaster [UE4 Tutorial: Rollercoaster Plugin - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bja1WkPrN40)