Navigation

Any character, group, or object can navigate throughout a scene. Navigation allows them to follow players, wander around an area, approach specific objects, follow the motion of a body animation, and for characters, even tumble over in ragdoll mode!

Here are several essential tips to create a good navigation setup.

The Navmesh

Understanding navigation requires knowledge of the "map" that is created so the navigable objects know where and where not to travel. For example, you probably don't want your navigable objects or characters walking across a canyon or up a wall!

By enabling Allow Navigation in the Builder's Scene settings, you are asking it to create such a "map". Each time you Play the Viewer, a new "map" or navigation mesh (navmesh) is "baked" while the scene is loading.

During the baking process, the computer calculates where the navigable object can move in the scene, and where it can't. The larger/more complex the scene is, the longer it takes to bake the navmesh. If you have a very large and complex scene, then your computer would need to calculate a massive navmesh which could majorly slow down the loading time. Make sure scenes with "Allow Navigation" are not huge or very complex! Or, you can decrease the precision quality of the navmesh to be Medium or Fast, so it bakes faster.

Navigable Groups

Navigation can be applied to any object or group, by adding a Navigation component to it.

Important: hovering over a rotation arrow will show the "forward" direction of any object/group. This is the direction they will walk when navigating. If it is "backward" you can ungroup, rotate everything 180 degrees, and then regroup the model to have the navigable object move in the other direction.

Events to change navigation on a Group

A group with a navigation component can have its navigation settings changed by selecting the Navigation component as the target in the event, and then choosing an action.

Navigable Characters

Navigation is special and works differently for Characters. Unlike any other object, Characters are designed to be navigable from the start. Furthermore, they will walk/run when navigating without any animations applied to them. Lastly, they can enter "Ragdoll" mode which is not possible for navigable groups.

Events to change navigation on a Character

Changing navigation with events is much easier on Characters! You simply have to choose the navigation setting you want to change the Character's event list.

Navigation and Animations

Navigation does not work well with Animations. If you have an animation on a group or character with navigation, then the two movement types will conflict with each other and will cause strange effects. If it is a group with a navigation component on it, then you can animate the subgroups or children, just not the main group itself.

Walkable Surfaces

You can choose which surfaces you want navigable groups and characters to be able to travel across in the object's Advanced Options. For example, if you want a character to walk only on a specific path, you can disable "Walkable" on all other objects in the scene so they can only "walk" on the path itself.