Chaos Destruction Wizard

Chaos Destruction Wizard

Module: Design · Category: Destruction · Tool ID: ChaosDestructionWizard

A four-tab end-to-end destruction setup wizard. Setup & Convert turns a Static Mesh into a UGeometryCollection asset and spawns a AGeometryCollectionActor, with optional initial Voronoi fracture. Damage & Clustering configures damage thresholds and cluster levels. Field Systems spawns anchor / disable / strain field actors around the GC. VFX & LOD attaches Niagara dust/debris, configures LOD distances, and toggles audio. Quick presets cover common scenarios (glass, concrete, wood).

ℹ️ What this is and isn’t: This wizard handles all the infrastructure around a Chaos GeometryCollection — actor spawning, fields, VFX, audio, LODs. The actual fracturing patterns (Voronoi / Radial / Slab / etc.) should be done via UE’s built-in Fracture Mode after the GC asset is created. This tool spawns an initial Voronoi fracture during Convert as a starting point, but full fracture authoring lives in Fracture Mode.

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When to use it

• Setting up a destructible mesh from scratch — handles everything except the fracture patterns themselves
• Auditing an existing GC’s damage / cluster / field setup
• Applying a tested preset (glass / concrete / wood) and tweaking from there
• Pre-cinematic destruction setup — VFX + LOD + audio in one pass

When not to use it

• Don’t use this for fracture pattern authoring — Fracture Mode is the right tool for Voronoi / Radial / Slab work
• Don’t expect runtime physics tuning — this configures asset-side parameters

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Opening the tool

1. Open the EQLabs Hub and search for Chaos or Destruction (or browse to Design → Destruction)
2. Click the tool card
3. Use the tab bar: Setup, Damage, Field Systems, VFX & LOD, plus the Quick Presets section

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Tab 1 — Setup & Convert

Convert a Static Mesh to a GeometryCollection.

Field	What it does	Default
Source Mesh picker	Static mesh to convert	(empty)
Fracture on Convert	Apply initial Voronoi during conversion	true
Voronoi Site Count	Cells for the initial fracture	20
Fracture Seed	Random seed	0
Convert to GC	Creates the UGeometryCollection asset
Spawn GC Actor	Spawns AGeometryCollectionActor in the level

After convert, refine the fracture in Fracture Mode.

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Tab 2 — Damage & Clustering

Configure damage propagation.

Field	What it does	Default
Cluster Levels	Hierarchy levels (chunks → debris)	2
Cluster Radius	Spatial cluster grouping radius	100.0
Damage Threshold L1	First level damage threshold	100.0
Damage Threshold L2	Second level threshold	500.0
Apply Damage Settings	Writes the values back to the GC asset

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Tab 3 — Field Systems

Spawn field actors that drive the destruction.

Field	What it does	Default
Anchor Type combo	Which type of anchor field
Anchor Strength	Anchor field strength	10000
Disable Distance	Distance at which field disables	5000
Strain Magnitude	Strain field magnitude	1000
Spawn Anchor / Disable / Strain	Toggles per field type
Spawn Field Systems	Spawns the configured field actors around the GC

Field types

Field	What it does
Anchor	Holds chunks in place until forced
Disable	Stops simulating chunks beyond a distance from the field
Strain	Drives directional damage / forces

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Tab 4 — VFX & LOD

Attach VFX, configure LODs and audio.

Field	What it does	Default
Auto Spawn Dust	Spawn dust Niagara on impact	true
Auto Spawn Debris	Spawn debris Niagara on break	true
VFX Scale	Niagara VFX scale	1.0
LOD Near Distance	Near LOD switch	1000
LOD Far Distance	Far LOD switch	5000
Auto Spawn Impact Sound	Attach impact audio	true
Apply VFX Settings	Configures the GC actor with the chosen VFX/LOD/audio

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Quick Presets

Common destruction setups in one click. Tuned for typical materials:

Preset	Tuned for
Glass	High Voronoi count, low damage thresholds, tight cluster, dust + debris
Concrete	Medium Voronoi, high damage thresholds, large cluster, heavy debris
Wood	Low Voronoi (planks), high strain, splinter debris
(More)	Custom presets per project

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Workflow

Setup from scratch

1. Drop a static mesh into the picker
2. Apply a preset (e.g., Concrete)
3. Click Convert to GC
4. Click Spawn GC Actor
5. Switch to Fracture Mode in UE’s main toolbar — refine fracture patterns
6. Return to this wizard, walk through Damage / Field Systems / VFX & LOD tabs

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Settings reference

Per-tab parameters persist to [Project]/Saved/EQLabs/Settings/ChaosDestructionWizard.json.

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Output

• UGeometryCollection asset — created via Convert to GC
• AGeometryCollectionActor — spawned in level
• AFieldSystemActor — spawned for each enabled field
• Niagara VFX components — attached during VFX & LOD apply
• Audio components — attached during VFX & LOD apply
• Undo — operations wrapped in ScopedTransaction

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Tips & gotchas

• Quick presets only set parameters; they don’t replace human judgment — apply, then tune to your specific source mesh
• Fracture Mode is where real pattern authoring happens — this wizard’s initial Voronoi is just a starting point
• Disable Distance is a perf knob — too small and you’ll see chunks stop simulating mid-air; too large and physics cost is permanent
• Field actors must be near the GC actor — auto-spawn places them around the GC’s bounds; if you move the GC later, move the fields too

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Related tools

• Niagara FX Library — for finding the dust / debris VFX this wizard attaches
• Physics & Collision Studio (Modeling module) — for the underlying physics asset

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