🛠️ Usage Guide

This page explains how to use:

SmartConeTrace — the automatic scene component
ConeTraceByChannel() — the manual Blueprint function
All result fields and helper functions

No C++ required — everything is Blueprint-ready.

🧱 Using the Component

Add the SmartConeTrace component to any actor.

It will automatically perform a cone trace every few seconds and call the event OnConeTraceResult.

Actor Blueprint using the SmartConeTrace component with the OnConeTraceResult event.

🔧 Component Parameters

All settings can be adjusted in the Details panel.

Property	Description
`Interval`	How often to perform the trace (in seconds). Set to `0` to disable automatic tracing.
`Length`	How far the cone reaches.
`AngleDegrees`	Width of the cone in degrees (spread).
`TraceChannel`	What object types to trace (e.g. Visibility, Pawn).
`ActorsToIgnore`	Optional list of actors to skip during trace.
`RequiredClass`	Only include hits with this actor class (or child classes).
`RequiredTags`	Only include actors that have any of these tags.
`RequiredInterface`	Only include actors that implement this Blueprint interface.
`bMultiHit`	If `true`, collect all valid hits. If `false`, only use the closest hit per step.
`bIgnoreSelf`	Skip tracing against the owner actor. Usually `true`.
`DebugMode`	Draw the cone in the world (lines, boxes, hit points). Options: `None`, `Basic`, `Full`.
`DebugDuration`	How long to keep the debug visuals on screen (in seconds).
`StepSize`	Distance between each box trace. Smaller = smoother cone.
`BoxDepth`	Length of each individual box trace.
`ToleranceDegrees`	Extra angle margin to accept hits slightly outside the cone.
`bUseComponentTransform`	If `true`, the trace starts from the component's position and direction. If `false`, uses the actor’s transform.

Details panel showing all parameters of the SmartConeTrace component.

ℹ️ About `ActorsToIgnore`

The ActorsToIgnore array lets you exclude specific actors from being hit by the cone trace.

⚠️ Important: This array can only be filled with actors that are already placed in the scene.

If you're using the component or calling the ConeTraceByChannel() function in Blueprint:

You must select scene-placed actors (e.g. from the World Outliner).
You cannot add dynamically spawned actors or class references directly.
The actor that owns the trace component or the Blueprint node must also be in the level — otherwise, the editor won't let you assign values to ActorsToIgnore.

This is a limitation of how the Unreal Editor handles TArray<AActor*> in exposed Blueprint properties.

To ignore the owner actor automatically, simply enable bIgnoreSelf.

⚙️ Advanced Settings Tips

StepSize — Smaller values result in a smoother and more precise cone, but increase the number of traces and cost.
BoxDepth — Increase if some actors are being missed between trace steps.
ToleranceDegrees — Add a small margin (1–5°) to catch actors that appear visually inside the cone but technically fall just outside.

📘 Result Event: `OnConeTraceResult`

This event is triggered after each trace (if interval > 0). It gives you a SmartConeTraceResult struct.

📦 SmartConeTraceResult Fields

Field	Type	Description
`bDidHit`	`bool`	`true` if anything was hit.
`Hits`	`Array<HitResult>`	All filtered hits.
`HitActors`	`Array<Actor>`	All valid actors that were hit.
`ClosestHit`	`HitResult`	The closest valid hit among all steps.

Example of printing the name of the closest hit actor using the result.

⚙️ Using the Blueprint Function

If you want to trace manually, use ConeTraceByChannel() from SmartConeTraceLib.

It’s perfect for:

One-time checks (e.g. on key press)
Tracing from any point and direction
Custom cone logic

Calling the ConeTraceByChannel function with Start, Direction, and other parameters.

🔬 Debug Modes

Debug Mode	Description
`None`	No visuals
`Basic`	Lines + hit points
`Full`	Boxes, lines, hit points (most detailed)

In-game view showing a fully visualized cone and hit points in Full debug mode.

🧠 Helper Functions

You can use these helper functions from SmartConeTraceLib to work with the result:

Function	What it does
`GetClosestHitActor(Result)`	Returns the actor from `Result.ClosestHit`, or `null`.
`WasActorHit(Result, Actor)`	Returns `true` if the given actor is in the hit list.
`GetFirstValidHitActor(Result)`	Returns the first actor from the `HitActors` array.
`GetHitActorsByClass(Result, Class)`	Filters hit actors by class.
`IsValidHit(Result)`	Returns `true` if `Result.bDidHit` is `true`.

Helper functions available in Blueprint for working with Smart Cone Trace results.