Physical Object Actor

A Physical Object is the default class for all physics components in a simulation. It is the skeleton for all reaction wheels, sensors, computers and other components present in the Editor. Furthermore the object will have mass and the mass properties can be configured here.

If you are building a group of static components that don’t involve any complex physics or mathematical models (ex: Chassis, bolts, frames) - you can use PhysicalComponent to achieve that. Otherwise, you should use the sub-classes for any other complex models (ex: Earth Horizon Sensor, Thrusters, Reaction Wheels).

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Building a Chassis Model

There are only a few key areas in our Physical Object blueprint to build a chassis.

1. The Components panel in the top left allows us to add any meshes with a StaticMesh or sub-components using a ChildActorComponent. For building a chassis, you only need a StaticMesh component and assign the 3D model using the details panel.
2. The Viewport panels allow you to visualize the component with all the meshes attached to it. Make sure your component is placed at the centre of the blueprint.
3. The final step is to edit the blueprint’s initial values in the Details panel. This involves any mass, centre of mass and packaging information for your component. This will ensure your component will behave as expected in the simulation.

If the details panel is blank, make sure to have class defaults selected in the top middle section of the window. If the details panel is missing, try dragging it inwards from the right side or bring the panel up again by going to Window > Details.