Getting Set Up

In this tutorial you will learn how to set up the plugin.

Tip: make sure to already implement basic firing logic in your project.

Step 1 - Recoil Animation Component

First, it is essential to add the Recoil Animation Component to the character.

UCLASS(config=Game)
class AYourCharacterClass : public ACharacter
{
    GENERATED_BODY()

public:
    AYourCharacterClass();

protected:
    UPROPERTY(EditDefaultsOnly, BlueprintReadOnly, Category = "Recoil")
    TObjectPtr<URecoilAnimationComponent> RecoilComponent;

    ...
};

Then, in your character class click on the RecoilAnimation component and specify the Helper UI:

The Helper UI is useful when you want to modify the recoil values in runtime in a very convenient way:

To enable this Helper UI in the game you can use the Blueprint-exposed methods:

Step 2 - Initialize and Play

Make sure to call the Init method of the Recoil Animation Component to initialize the recoil animation:

Data: Recoil Data asset.
Rate: fire rate or RPM (Rounds-per-minute).
Burst: length of the burst sequence.

Next, call Play and Stop methods when firing:

Note: Play must be called every shot!

Step 3 - Animation Blueprint Integration

Make sure to add a Recoil Animation node to the Anim Graph:

If you already have an IK system set up, select the IK or a VB (virtual bone) you want to animate with recoil in the node settings:

If you need help with IK

First, add Virtual Bones to the character head:

VB WeaponPivot targets ik_hand_gun.
VB hand_r targets hand_r.
VB hand_l targets hand_l.

Add CopyBone nodes before the Recoil Animation nodes:

If your animations do not keyframe the ik_hand_gun bone (it is used for baking gun movement into the character animation), you will have to use hand_r as a source bone in the first CopyBone node. You can additionally offset the VB WeaponPivot with a custom offset if you want more flexibility.

Finally, use Two Bone IK after the Recoil Animation node:

At this point, the setup is complete. If recoil is still not playing, double-check the steps above or: