How-To: Showcase the Player's Character

Goal: display the player's actual character - equipped gear, materials, animation - on the loading screen. Your game provides the data (ICrimsonLoadingCharacterProvider), a director actor in a showcase scene applies it (ICrimsonLoadingCinematicInterface), and FCrimsonLoadingCharacterInfo carries it between them. The plugin knows nothing about your equipment system.

Prerequisites
Quick Start is done. To actually see the result on the loading screen you also need How-To: Live Render Target Preview - this page produces the data and the scene; that page pipes the picture into the widget.

1. Understand the data you will fill

FCrimsonLoadingCharacterInfo holds two arrays. MeshComponents describes the character itself as one entry per mesh slot; AdditionalActors describes separate showcase actors (mount, pet, prop). Exactly one mesh entry must be the leader: in Unreal, modular characters animate by having one skeletal mesh component drive the skeleton while every other piece calls SetLeaderPoseComponent to follow it - so only the leader entry needs an AnimInstanceClass.

FCrimsonLoadingMeshComponent fieldMeaning
SlotNameLogical slot (Body, Helm, Chest, Weapon_R, ...) - the director maps it to a component
MeshThe USkeletalMesh; null means the slot is empty and the director hides it
MaterialsPer-element overrides; empty = mesh defaults
AnimInstanceClassAnim Blueprint class - set on the leader only
bIsLeaderTrue on exactly one entry (the base body)
RelativeTransformOffset from the stand root; identity for normally aligned meshes

FCrimsonLoadingActorEntry adds ActorTypeTag (e.g. CrimsonShowcase.Actor.Mount - your own tag convention), an optional AttachSocketName (set it to parent the actor to the leader mesh, leave None for free placement), plus the same mesh/material/anim fields.

2. Implement the provider on your pawn or a component

The manager queries, in order: the local PlayerController, then the Pawn, then each Pawn component - first implementor whose result has a valid leader wins. An equipment/appearance component is usually the right home, because it already knows what is equipped. Only the first local player is queried (split-screen players are ignored).

Screenshot pendingImages/CrimsonLoadingScreen/howto-provider-bp.png
In your Pawn (or an ActorComponent Blueprint): Class Settings -> Details -> Interfaces -> Add -> Crimson Loading Character Provider. In My Blueprint -> Interfaces, double-click Get Loading Character Info. Build Out Info with Make Crimson Loading Character Info + an array of Make Crimson Loading Mesh Component nodes (Body entry: Is Leader = true, Anim Instance Class set), and return true.
All struct pins are writable
Every field of the three showcase structs is Blueprint-writable, so Make / Set Members in Struct nodes expose all pins. Build the array with one Make node per slot; leave Mesh unconnected (null) for empty slots.
Verify
Call Get Local Player Character Info (pure node / GetLocalPlayerCharacterInfo()) from a test key while playing: the returned MeshComponents array contains your entries with one leader.

3. Build the showcase director

The director is an actor in your showcase scene with pre-placed SkeletalMeshComponents, one per slot. It implements ICrimsonLoadingCinematicInterface: OnLoadingScreenStarted hands it the character info to apply; OnLoadingScreenEnded tells it to stop. The manager notifies every actor in the current world that implements the interface.

Screenshot pendingImages/CrimsonLoadingScreen/howto-director-bp.png
Blueprint actor BP_ShowcaseDirector: Class Settings -> Interfaces -> Add -> Crimson Loading Cinematic Interface. Implement Event On Loading Screen Started: For Each (Character Info -> Mesh Components) -> Break Crimson Loading Mesh Component -> find your component by Slot Name -> Set Skeletal Mesh Asset / Set Visibility; on the leader entry Set Anim Instance Class; second pass calls Set Leader Pose Component on every non-leader. Event On Loading Screen Ended stops the camera sequence.
Directors that load AFTER the screen shows miss the Started call
OnLoadingScreenStarted is sent to actors in the world that is current when the screen opens. A director in a seamless-travel transition map loads later - it never receives the call. Fix: in the director's BeginPlay, pull the snapshot yourself via the manager's Get Cached Character Info and apply it if the screen is showing (Get Loading Screen Display Status).
Verify
Place the director in your current test level first (it gets notified there) and travel: the stand dresses itself with your provider's meshes. Then move it to the showcase level with the BeginPlay fallback above.

See also

  • How-To: Live Render Target Preview - pipe the showcase scene into the loading screen widget.
  • Concept: The Cinematic Preview Pipeline - cached vs live info, query order, timing.
  • How-To: React to Loading Screen Events - the non-actor way to receive the character info.