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

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Step 1 - Recoil Animation Component

First, it is essential to add the Recoil Animation Component to the character.
Then, in your character class click on the RecoilAnimation component and specify the Helper UI:

Select this blueprint.

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:

How to use helper UI.

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Step 2 - Initialize and Play

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

Init function.

  • 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:

Firing logic.

Note: Play must be called every shot!

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Step 3 - Animation Blueprint Integration

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

This node will apply recoil.

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:

Node settings.

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If you need help with IK

First, add Virtual Bones to the character head:

VB stands for Virtual Bone.

  • 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:

These will copy animation from FK bones to VBs.

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:

IK pass.

Preferred IK settings.

At this point, the setup is complete. If recoil is still not playing, double-check the steps above or:
  • Check if Recoil Data has any values.
  • The correct bone is animated by the RecoilAnimation.
  • Play method is called every shot.
  • The Fire Rate is in rounds-per-minute and greater than zero.
If the problem persists, feel free to post a ticket on our Discord.