Please be aware there are TWO versions of this tool, this is the PRODUCTION version providing FULL functionality.

Link to Base version will be available soon. Base version provides the same spawn behavior but limits many extra functions used in development.

Video link, quick feature overview
Please look at the website for a detailed overview https://www.foliagetools.com/simulation.php

FT Simulation

Use physical simulation as a placement tool, paint and brush instances into your scene and let them settle naturally.
It is aimed at increasing environmental quality through controlled layering and bringing attention to detail.
A tool focused on hand crafted scenes, a fun and easy way of adding that little extra to elevate the art that is game development.

Built as a hybrid between C++ and Editor Utility Widget, it provides Blueprint flexibility while C++ handles performance critical operations natively.

How it works

Instance transforms are stored as int16 positions and int8 rotations, lowering the memory cost of standard transforms. At runtime these compressed offsets reconstruct into Hierarchical Instanced Static Mesh Components, giving you density with minimal memory footprint. Additionally, other Per instance custom data can be stored for different ranges of behavior.

Key Features

• Physics based placement, push, pull and whirl instances at runtime with mass normalized forces

• Sleep and disable timers, actors manage their own physics lifecycle automatically

• int16/int8 transform compression, significantly reduced memory footprint versus standard HISM

• Per instance custom data, Array driven material variation, lighting, paint channels and custom floats

• Re Simulate, adjust parameters and run again without losing your data

• Re Instance, re uses position data from other simulations to reconstruct, storing only the actor as additional cost for thousands of instances

• Re Compress, re bake instance data into compressed format after edits

• Per instance Cast Shadow calculation, automatically disable shadows on occluded instances

• Merge Runtime Actors, combine multiple simulation actors into one

• Magnet, used to draw instances to a location

• Distance to Center, per instance distance value driving material falloff and variation

• Culling Radius, remove instances after specified distance

• Convert to Static Mesh and back, full flexibility to move your instances between workflows

• Convert to Niagara, feed instance data directly into Niagara systems for runtime interaction

• Packed Level Actor support, convert to static mesh, pack as level actor

• Component Settings, full control to optimize hism components

• Sample Scene Lighting, capture ambient light intensity per instance

• Sample Scene Color, capture environment color per instance and drive material tint
  

The focus now is on "interaction nodes", providing out of the box presets to explode and perform abilities that manipulate instances by moving data between the hism components and niagara. The paint tool will be a powerful contribution to this, painting instances with masks and values that can be used for blending any sort of behavior in materials or Niagara.

Roadmap

• Paint Tool, brush gradients and masks directly onto instances, stored in custom data channels, used for blending and gameplay

• Interaction nodes, Blueprint presets that can be used for gameplay interaction

• Tiling Simulation, create tiling textures and matching instance data

• Area Manager, zone based instance management to reduce uobject,component count

• Height calculations for Re Instance, follow new terrain surface

• Runtime LOD generation, automatic low poly replacement mesh at distance or for shadow proxy

• Starter content

Demo level Plugin Content > FT_Simulation_Examples > Maps > FT_Simulation_Overview

Documentation https://www.foliagetools.com/simulation.php

Support [email protected] https://foliagetools.com https://x.com/artbyrens

Disclaimer/Additional Notes: This product is currently in BETA with reduced price.
Once complete the price will go up, Q4 2026, to 125USD for personal and 600USD for Professional use.

AI was used to locate engine variables and source references, clean up and validate code, peer review implementations and catch vulnerabilities.
All architecture, functionality, structure and design decisions are my own.