The Physics Asset Editor is an integrated editor that is part of the Animation Editors in Unreal Engine. It is specifically designed to manipulate Physics Assets for Skeletal Meshes.
A Physics Asset is used to define the physics and collision used by a Skeletal Mesh. These contain a set of rigid bodies and constraints that make up a single ragdoll, which is not limited to humanoid ragdolls. They can be used for any physical simulation using bodies and constraints. Because only a single Physics Asset is allowed for a Skeletal Mesh, they can be turned on or off for many Skeletal Mesh components.
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| Character Physics Asset | Vehicle Physics Asset |
A Physics Asset can be set up for any Skeletal Mesh for simulation. These are two examples of their usage; a humanoid character and the Buggy from Epic's demo Vehicle Game.
Creating Physics Assets
There are two ways that Physics Assets can be created for your Skeletal Meshes:
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On import by having Create Physics Asset enabled.
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By creating a Physics Asset using the Content Drawer and selecting a Skeletal Mesh to use.
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The first time the Physics Asset is selected, a window to set how bodies and constraints should be generated will open:
Opening the Physics Asset Editor
The Physics Asset Editor can be opened in several different ways:
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By double-clicking the Physics Asset in the Content Drawer.
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By using the right-click context menu and selecting Edit....
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By selecting the Physics tab in the Animation Editors selection tabs.
The dropdown menu next to the Physics tab can be used to select any Physics Asset located in the Content Drawer that is using the currently opened Skeletal Mesh.
