grouping static meshes

[sueds]

I'm doing a level game and I want to create a sort of prebuild. For example It I have a wall and I duplicate it several time to create a box ( sort of house for example) can I group the piece and create a object which I could reuse on demand?
Could I Store it and transform it like when you group in maya for example?

[ffejnosliw]

There is no real grouping exactly like Maya or Max, but I think what you want is to create a Prefab. Select the meshes in the viewport and then right-click and choose Create Prefab. Then you can treat the whole thing as one actor and they can be added to the map like that.

[fallingbrickwork]

There is no real grouping exactly like Maya or Max, but I think what you want is to create a Prefab. Select the meshes in the viewport and then right-click and choose Create Prefab. Then you can treat the whole thing as one actor and they can be added to the map like that.

Sorry to jump onto your thread, but it is a related question...

Does making a prefab create a parent/child link so any transformations done to the parent also happen to the child? ie, i have a model of a desk lamp with a point light positioned where the bulb would be.. Is there a way of combining these in the editor so that a Kismet rotation on the model would automatically move the point light too?

Regards,
Matt.

[sueds]

Cool, sound exactly what I wanted.

[ffejnosliw]

Sorry to jump onto your thread, but it is a related question...

Does making a prefab create a parent/child link so any transformations done to the parent also happen to the child? ie, i have a model of a desk lamp with a point light positioned where the bulb would be.. Is there a way of combining these in the editor so that a Kismet rotation on the model would automatically move the point light too?

Regards,
Matt.
Not really. I would think of a prefab as a single actor that just happens to contain other actors. A real world example might be like when you buy a desk and it comes in a bunch of separate parts. Imagine each of those parts is an individual static mesh actor in a map. Now you put together all those parts to make the desk in your map. Let's say you wanted to have an entire office in your map with a lot of desks. You could just select all the parts making up the desk and duplicate them, but that would be a pain every time you wanted to make a little modification. Instead, you can select all the parts and create a prefab. Now you have an asset in your package you can add to your map and it will add an entire desk. But even better, when you select any part of the desk it selects the entire desk and you can move it around very easily. And with a toggle button in the toolbar (Assuming it is still there) you can make it so you can select the individual parts of the prefab.

If you just want a simple parent/child relationship, just attach the light to the mesh by setting the Base property under the Attachment category. That will cause the light to follow the mesh (assuming the mesh is an InterpActor and the light is a Moveable type) when you animate the mesh in Matinee.

[fallingbrickwork]

Brilliant, that is just what I wanted.

Sorry again for jumping on this thread.

Regards,
Matt.

[hatchetman45]

Hi i have the same problem i have created a lift with 5 separate static meshes i want them to be a mover so i can have the lift move to the bottom floor but when i sequence them in matinee they end up all over the place. I have tried doing the same thing as a prefab and with the same results.

sorry for hijacking your thread