Standard method for importing animated objects?

Development Character & Animation
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1

I am animating a chest to import into my game. The animation will be it opening and closing.

The simplest method that I already know is to animate it with a skeletal mesh and import it into UE4. I know that I can’t use the basic animation to import it because it UE4 requires that it has a skeletal mesh.

But using bones to animate an object which doesn’t bend or have any complex parts seems inappropriate.

So how should I do it?

2

It is.

Make 2 meshes one for the box, one for the lid.
Also make a single closed mesh.

Import all 3.

Create a blueprint.

Add the 3 meshes. Set the visibility on the solid one to invisible.

Develop the “closing” feature with a timeline setup or similar (I mean, it can also be physical, but why? the engine screws stuff up all the time, using a timeline is ideal here).
After the timeline gets it closed you swap the meshes around so it cannot be re-opened and it’s a solid mesh.

That’s your basic blueprint.

3

Thank you. This helps.