Building Data Assets¶

A Building Data Asset defines a buildable object's UI information, rendering mode, preview configuration, placement rules, costs, effects, and initial Entity data.

Each building type usually corresponds to a separate asset, for example:

BDA_Foundation_Wood
BDA_Wall_Wood
BDA_Workbench

Before continuing, complete the Asset Manager Configuration.

Creating an Asset¶

Quick Creation¶

Right-click a Static Mesh and select the plugin-provided Create Asset option to quickly create:

Building Module Info
Building Data Asset

After creation, move the assets into a directory configured for scanning by Asset Manager.

Quick Creation

Thumbnail Issues

Generated asset thumbnails may occasionally appear incomplete, partially black, or without the correct material rendering. This usually occurs because UE has not yet finished compiling the required materials, shaders, or lighting resources.

Open the corresponding Static Mesh in the `Static Mesh Editor`, 
wait for compilation to finish, and then generate the thumbnail again.

Manual Creation¶

In the Content Browser, select:

Add → Miscellaneous → Data Asset → Building Data Asset

The following sections describe each setting in the order shown in the asset's Details panel.

building-data-assets

UI¶

Controls how the building is displayed in the building menu.

Setting	Default	Description
`Sort Index`	`0`	The building's sorting value in the list.
`Display Name`	Empty	The localized building name displayed in the UI.
`Icon`	`None`	The building icon displayed in the UI.

Buildings with a lower Sort Index are generally displayed earlier. The final sorting behavior can also be defined by the project's UI.

Rendering¶

Render Mode¶

Determines how the building is rendered after placement is confirmed.

Mode	Description
`HISM`	Uses an HISM Instance for rendering. Suitable for large numbers of repeated buildings such as foundations, walls, and roofs.
`Actor`	Spawns an independent Actor. Suitable for doors, containers, workbenches, and other buildings that require independent logic.

The default value is:

HISM

Module¶

Displayed only when:

Render Mode = HISM

Setting	Description
`Module Definition`	The `Building Module Info` asset used by the HISM building.

Module Definition provides the final rendering Mesh, collision settings, snap points, and other module-level configuration.

After an HISM building is confirmed, the system uses the Mesh from this asset to create the corresponding HISM Instance.

Creating a Module Definition¶

In the Content Browser, select:

Add → Miscellaneous → Data Asset → Building Module Info

After creating the asset, assign it to Module Definition.

The main Building Module Info settings include:

Setting	Description
`Mesh`	The Static Mesh displayed by the building in HISM mode.
`Build Collision Profile`	The collision configuration used by the generated HISM Component.
`Additional Component Tags`	Custom component tags added to the HISM Component.
`Exclude From World Support`	Determines whether the module is prevented from acting as a world support source for other buildings, such as decorative objects.

Interaction¶

Displayed only when:

Render Mode = Actor

Setting	Description
`Actor Class`	The Actor class spawned after the building is confirmed.

Actor Class should inherit from the plugin-provided:

Building Entity Actor

Buildings suitable for Actor mode include:

Doors and containers
Workbenches
Interactive devices
Buildings that require independent components or runtime logic

Ghost¶

Configures the preview used during building placement.

Setting	Default	Description
`Preview Mesh`	`None`	The Static Mesh used by the building preview.

Preview Mesh is primarily used to:

Display the building preview
Calculate building bounds
Perform placement collision checks
Read Static Mesh Sockets
Search for nearby snap targets

If an HISM building does not have a Preview Mesh, the system can fall back to the Mesh in Module Definition.

Actor buildings do not use Module Definition, so it is recommended to always configure a valid Preview Mesh.

Collision¶

Controls whether the current building overrides the project's default preview collision configuration.

Setting	Default	Description
`Override Ghost Collision Profile`	Disabled	Determines whether the current building uses an independent Ghost Collision Profile.
`Ghost Collision Profile Override`	Not configured	The preview collision Profile used by the current building.

After enabling:

Override Ghost Collision Profile

the following setting is displayed and used:

Ghost Collision Profile Override

When the override is disabled, the building preview uses the default Ghost Collision Profile from the project settings.

For more information, see Collision Configuration.

Placement¶

Controls the building's UI categories and basic placement rules.

Setting	Default	Description
`Categories`	Empty array	One or more UI categories to which the building belongs.
`Grid Size`	`5.0 cm`	The distance step used for grid movement and position adjustments.
`Requires Planar Supported`	Disabled	Determines whether the bottom of the building requires valid planar support.

Categories¶

Categories is used to group buildings in the building menu.

A building can belong to multiple categories, for example:

Foundation
Wall
Roof
Decoration
Functional

This setting is used only for building lists and UI organization. It is not part of the snapping group system.

Grid Size¶

Grid Size specifies the distance step used when moving a building on a grid or adjusting its position.

Unreal Engine uses centimeters by default, so the default value:

5.0

represents:

5 cm

A smaller value allows finer position adjustments, while a larger value increases the distance moved with each adjustment.

This parameter only provides the movement step for the building. Whether grid movement is enabled and when this value is used depends on the project's input and placement logic.

Requires Planar Supported¶

When enabled, the building must have valid planar support during placement, requiring its Mesh Box to rest on a plane.

This setting is suitable for:

Furniture
Workbenches
Containers
Functional buildings that require stable placement

Walls, hanging objects, and special buildings that do not require planar support can leave this setting disabled.

Cost¶

Configures the resources required to construct the building.

Setting	Default	Description
`Cost Set`	`None`	The cost configuration used by the current building.

Cost Set can use different Cost Evaluators to integrate with:

Inventory items
Currency
Character attributes
Base storage
Project-specific resource systems

When Cost Set is not configured, the building has no construction cost defined by the plugin's cost system.

For more information, see Building Cost System.

Effect¶

Controls how the current building uses project-default effects and building-specific effects.

Setting	Default	Description
`Effect Resolve Mode`	`Use Project Default`	Determines how the effect configuration is resolved.
`Effect Set Override`	`None`	The building-specific Effect Set used by the current building.

Effect Resolve Mode¶

Mode	Description
`Use Project Default`	Uses only the default Effect Set configured in the project settings.
`Override Project Default`	Replaces the project-default configuration with the building-specific Effect Set.
`Play Default Then Override`	Plays the project-default effects first, followed by the building-specific effects.
`Disabled`	Disables building effects for the current building.

Effect Set Override is displayed only in the following modes:

Override Project Default
Play Default Then Override

For more information, see Building Effects.

Entity¶

Initial Entity Data configures the initial data written to the Entity when the building is created.

Field	Description
`Tags`	Gameplay Tags assigned when the building is created.
`Attributes`	Numeric attributes assigned when the building is created.

Tags¶

Tags are restricted to the Building Gameplay Tag category and can be used to identify a building's type, material, or gameplay characteristics.

For example:

Building.Type.Foundation
Building.Type.Wall
Building.Material.Wood
Building.Function.Storage

Attributes¶

Each Attribute contains:

Field	Default	Description
`Attribute Tag`	Empty	The attribute identifier, restricted to the `Building.Attr` category.
`Value`	`0.0`	The initial value of the attribute.

For example:

Building.Attr.Health = 100
Building.Attr.Durability = 50

This data is written to Initial Entity Data when the Building Entity is created.

Configuration Checklist¶

If a building does not work correctly, check the following first:

Issue	What to Check
The building does not appear in the building list	Check `Categories`, Asset Manager, and the UI data source.
The HISM building cannot be created	Check `Render Mode` and `Module Definition`.
The Actor building cannot be created	Check whether `Actor Class` is valid.
No building preview is displayed	Check `Preview Mesh` or the Module Mesh.
Preview collision behaves incorrectly	Check the Ghost Collision Profile.
The cost cannot be paid	Check `Cost Set` and the corresponding Evaluator.
Building effects do not play	Check `Effect Resolve Mode` and the Effect Set.
Initial data is missing	Check `Initial Entity Data`.