Next-Generation Aquatic AI for Unreal Engine

Populating digital oceans requires a perfect balance between visual fidelity and performance. Consequently, the Fish School System V2 has been rebuilt from the ground up to meet these demands. By moving away from older spline-based methods, it now fully utilizes the power of Unreal Engine’s Niagara particle system. This transition allows for a significant leap in efficiency and realism.

In fact, developers can expect up to a 10x performance increase compared to previous versions. Therefore, you can now render thousands of individual fish simultaneously without sacrificing your frame rate. This makes it an essential tool for creators building vast underwater worlds or cinematic maritime scenes.

Smart Avoidance and Behavioral Control

One of the standout features of this system is the advanced A.I. behavior. The Fish School System V2 includes smart object and player avoidance. Specifically, you can configure fish to swim away from the camera or specific actors in your level. This is particularly useful for creating dynamic interactions during gameplay or cinematics.

Furthermore, each fish school is paired with its own Swimming Area Box. This feature ensures that the fish stay within a designated zone. Moreover, you can customize a wide range of settings directly within the blueprint. You can easily adjust the size, speed, and color of the school to fit your environment’s aesthetic. Changes can even be made on the fly for dynamic environmental shifts.

Advanced Animation Options

The system provides two distinct methods for animating your aquatic creatures. Each method serves a different purpose depending on your project’s needs.

Auto-Animation Material Nodes

The developer has included Auto-Animation material nodes for maximum efficiency. These allow you to animate static meshes effortlessly. Consequently, you do not need to spend time manually animating fish in external software. This is a great solution for background fish and large schools.

Vertex Animation Support

However, if your project requires higher quality, the system also supports Vertex Animation. This is a must-have feature for non-traditional aquatic creatures. For example, creatures like stingrays or eels require more complex movement patterns. Vertex animation ensures these movements look fluid and natural.

Interactive Tools: Splines and Attractors

In addition to free-swimming A.I., the package offers tools for direct control. The included spline blueprint allows you to guide the school along a predetermined path. While following the spline, the fish still retain their avoidance behaviors. This creates a perfect blend of scripted movement and dynamic interaction.

Additionally, the latest updates introduced a basic blueprint magnet. This tool acts as an attractor for the fish. You can attach this blueprint to any actor, such as a treasure chest or a player character. The fish will then naturally swarm around that specific location. This adds a layer of interactivity that brings gameplay elements to life.

Optimization and Technical Details

Performance remains a top priority for this system. When the fish are not rendered on screen, their impact on performance is reduced to just 1% of their active state. This allows for massive levels without overloading the CPU or GPU. Meanwhile, the system utilizes the Destructible collision channel. This allows players to pass through the school while the fish still collide with the environment.

Finally, it is important to note that this system is optimized for large bodies of water. It performs best in oceans or large lakes. While it can work in shallow water, it is most effective in expansive environments where the Niagara particles have room to navigate. This resource is a powerful addition to any developer’s toolkit looking to master underwater simulation.