Two questions:
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What is the technical difference between FortStaticMeshActor and StaticMeshActor?
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What does the Add Fortnite UserData button actually do when clicked when previewing a static mesh?
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Thank you for your report! We would like to look into this further, would you be able to submit a bug report using the form available here: Fortnite Creative
In theory they are pretty much the same thing. They act the same in live edit/ gameplay. They are a UN-interact-able object (not a prop). When you change it to a FSMA, Fortnite will make it a “concrete” asset that changes it to a blueprint that says it is a static mesh… For example : you upload a map full of static meshes, it is like a screenshot. It’s there, you can collide/climb on it etc. But it is just a copy of your own. But if your map is full of FSMA. Fortnite will get a full scan of the object and can call upon that object easier, cause it is now stored as an actual Fort asset. Either way you go, it doesn’t change its function in your map. Just a very minuscule optimization not worth worrying about at the moment. Maybe in the near future it will be worth using. If you look through Fortnite assets folders, You can find some FSMA… although they are mostly common geometry… Most of their assets, are prop blueprints that can toggle between a prop or static mesh(FSMA). I don’t use it myself. Don’t know if it may be buggy or not as the UEFN is still early in development.
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Here’s a cheat sheet:
StaticMeshActor = Unbreakable, Unbuildable collision
FortStaticMeshActor = Unbreakable, buildable collision
Build-able collision means you are able to build within the FortStaticMeshActor, where as if you had a StaticMeshActor it will block you from building.
They are many other differences as they have different purposes/functionalities
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I can’t find any info on how to make a static mesh into a FortStaticMeshActor. Is it necessary to do this in order for players to be able to build on a static mesh? I see that one of my recently imported custom meshes is a FSMA but none of the ones I migrated in from UE5 are. Maybe importing them in does it? I confirmed I can build on the FSMA’s but not on a regular static mesh.
FIXED: I discovered that items copied in from another level are not converted to FSMA’s. However, just selecting them all by name and then right clicking and replacing them converts them. So fairly quick fix.