Virtual Pointer in Fortnite | Fortnite Documentation

This feature is in an Experimental state so you can try it out, provide feedback, and see what we are planning. You cannot publish a project that uses Virtual Pointer at this time. Please keep in mind that we do not guarantee backward compatibility for assets created at the experimental stage. The APIs for these features are subject to change, and we may remove entire Experimental features or specific functionality at our discretion.

What is Virtual Pointer?

The Virtual Pointer provides a way for players to interact with on-screen elements in a way that works on all supported input devices. The pointer is defined differently depending on the device the player is using:

On touch, this is driven by finger contact.
On mouse and keyboard, this is the existing mouse pointer.
On the controller, this is a virtual on-screen pointer driven by the left stick.

You can use the Virtual Pointer to provide players with a clear, consistent method to point at and interact with things on screen, whether on console, PC, or mobile. This includes interacting with world objects via screen-space deprojection.

Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) reads the Virtual Pointer as a normal pointer.

This approach keeps gesture-driven input predictable and consistent across platforms, making swipe, and future interactions exist everywhere without designers worrying about device-specific edge cases.

Virtual Pointer does not work when the Fortnite game menus are open.

Enabling Virtual Pointer

For Virtual Pointer to be enabled for use in-game, you must first enable touch mapping with the AddInputMapping method.

You must add your custom input maps to players for any custom input to apply in game.

Enable the Virtual Pointer Mode for a Player

Verse

AddTouchMapping(Player:player):void=
        if:
            PlayerInput := GetPlayerInput[Player]
        then:
            PlayerInput.AddInputMapping(TouchMapping)

AddTouchMapping(Player:player):void=
        if:
            PlayerInput := GetPlayerInput[Player]
        then:
            PlayerInput.AddInputMapping(TouchMapping)

This will add the TouchMapping input mapping to the player, causing the player to enter virtual pointer mode. At this point, players using a gamepad will see the virtual pointer.

Players are immobilized when in Virtual Pointer mode.

Get Screen Space Coordinates

This snippet allows you to capture the screen space coordinates:

Verse

var MaybeInputCancelableBegin : ?cancelable = false

StartSubscription(Player:player):void=
        if:
            PlayerInput := GetPlayerInput[Player]
        then:
            PlayerInput.AddInputMapping(TouchMapping)
            InputCancelableDetectBegin := PlayerInput.GetInputEvents(PointerSelect).BeginDetectEvent.Subscribe(PlayerClicked)
            set MaybeInputCancelableBegin = option{InputCancelableDetectBegin}
PlayerClicked(Arg:tuple(player, vector3)):void=

Detect World Objects That Intersect With the Virtual Pointer

World objects that intersect with the Virtual Pointer trace can be detected with Verse:

Verse

PlayerClicked(Arg:tuple(player, vector3)):void=
        Player := Arg(0)
        ClickPos := Arg(1)

        Ray := TraceFromClick(Player, ClickPos.Left, ClickPos.Up)
        RayOrigin := Ray.Origin
        RayDir := Ray.Direction

        # Sweep: ray direction * max distance
        Displacement := RayDir * 50000.0

Detect Player Swipes

You can use this system to detect when the player swipes their finger in a certain direction on the screen, or takes the equivalent action via gamepad or mouse.

Verse

using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /Verse.org/Input }
using { /Verse.org/Input/UI }
using { /Verse.org/SpatialMath }
using { /UnrealEngine.com/Temporary/Diagnostics }

# ============================================================================
# Swipe direction classification
# ============================================================================

Disable Virtual Pointer

Unsubscribing from the PointerSelect input action will stop the system from getting screen-space coordinates. Additionally, removing the TouchMapping mapping will exit Virtual Pointer mode.

You do not have to unsubscribe from Pointer Select in order to remove TouchMapping .

Verse

RemoveTouchInput(Player:player) : void =
        if:
            PlayerInput := GetPlayerInput[Player]
        then:
            # Remove touch/pointer input mapping
            PlayerInput.RemoveInputMapping(TouchMapping)

RemoveTouchInput(Player:player) : void =
        if:
            PlayerInput := GetPlayerInput[Player]
        then:
            # Remove touch/pointer input mapping
            PlayerInput.RemoveInputMapping(TouchMapping)

Example Verse Code

Here is a complete example of a Verse device that turns on Virtual Pointer mode, subscribes to Pointer Select, and returns world objects that intersect with the Virtual Pointer trace to the world.

Verse

using { /Fortnite.com/Devices }
using { /Verse.org/Simulation }
using { /Verse.org/Input }
using { /Verse.org/SpatialMath }

screenspace_trace_device := class(creative_device):

    var MaybeInputCancelableBegin : ?cancelable = false

    # Runs when the device is started in a running game

For more details about how to add and customize Player input, see How to Add Player Input.