Objective Waypoint System (Blueprints)

Objective Waypoint System (Blueprints) is a migrate-in asset package that draws the shortest navigable path from your player to a target actor or world location. Add BP_WaypointComponent to your pawn, call Find Path to Actor or Find Path to Location, and choose between spawned arrow markers or a spline mesh trail.

The FAB project ships a third-person demo (Overview map) with minimap, objective marker, and keyboard-driven pathfinding examples under Content/ObjectiveWaypointSystem/.

Architecture

flowchart TB
  subgraph pawn [Player pawn]
    WC[BP_WaypointComponent]
    Spline[SplineComponent on pawn]
  end
  subgraph targets [World]
    OA[BP_ObjectiveActor]
    Nav[Nav Mesh]
  end
  subgraph visuals [Path visuals]
    WA[BP_WaypointActor spawned markers]
    SM[SplineMesh segments]
  end
  WC -->|Find Path to Actor| OA
  WC -->|Find Path to Location| Nav
  Nav --> WC
  WC -->|ENavMode Spawn| WA
  WC -->|ENavMode SplineMesh| SM
  Spline --> WC
  HUD[WBP_PlayerHUD] --> OA
  Mini[WBP_MinimapWidget] --> WC

What is included

Area	Path	Purpose
Demo map	`Map/Overview`	Playable third-person level with sample objectives
Waypoint component	`Blueprints/BP_WaypointComponent`	Nav path query + spawn/spline rendering — migrate this asset
Waypoint actor	`Blueprints/BP_WaypointActor`	Arrow mesh placed along the path (Spawn mode)
Objective actor	`Blueprints/BP_ObjectiveActor`	Billboard objective marker in the level
Interface	`Blueprints/BPI_Waypoint`	Spline mesh hooks for pawns that implement the interface
Navigation mode enum	`Blueprints/Misc/ENavMode`	Spawn vs SplineMesh
Example character	`ThirdPersonBP/Blueprints/ThirdPersonCharacter`	Reference integration with input and HUD
Player HUD	`Blueprints/Misc/WBP_PlayerHUD`	Objective visibility toggle + minimap host
Minimap widget	`Blueprints/Minimap/WBP_MinimapWidget`	Click-to-set location pathfinding
Arrow mesh / material	`Meshes/SM_Waypoint_Arrow`, `Materials/M_Waypoint`	Default waypoint visuals
Guided tutorial	`ObjectiveWaypointTutorial`	In-editor walkthrough asset

Pathfinding flow

sequenceDiagram
  participant Game as Your game logic
  participant WC as BP_WaypointComponent
  participant Nav as NavigationSystem
  participant Vis as Waypoint visuals
  Game->>WC: Find Path to Actor / Location
  WC->>WC: Internal_StartPathFinding
  alt Goal actor set
    WC->>WC: Internal_StartFindingPathToActor
  else Location only
    WC->>WC: Internal_StartFindingPathToLocation
  end
  WC->>Nav: Project path to nav mesh
  alt NavMode Spawn
    WC->>Vis: Internal_PathFinding_SpawnMode
    Vis-->>WC: BP_WaypointActor chain
  else NavMode SplineMesh
    WC->>Vis: Internal_PathFinding_SplineMode
    Vis-->>WC: SplineMesh components
  end
  WC->>Vis: RefreshCachedActors / UpdateLocation

Add component — attach BP_WaypointComponent to your player character or pawn.
Configure — set Nav Mode, mesh spacing, and optional Tick Time for auto-refresh.
Set target — pass an Actor or Vector location plus an optional Spline Component (used for spline mesh mode on the pawn).
Render — the component queries the nav mesh and spawns markers or builds spline segments along the path.
Update — when Tick Time > 0, pathfinding re-runs on a timer; otherwise call again when the target moves.

Shipped defaults (quick reference)

Values read from BP_WaypointComponent class defaults in the open FAB project (v1.8).

Setting	Default	Notes
Nav Filter Class	None	Restrict pathfinding to a specific nav area class
Tick Time	`0`	Auto re-path every N seconds when > 0
Nav Mode	Spawn	Alternative: SplineMesh
Max Number Of Meshes	`60`	Cap for Spawn mode (`0` = unlimited, not recommended)
Mesh Distance	`250`	World units between spawned markers
Draw Debug Strings	`false`	Label spawned actors when enabled
Enable Waypoint	`true`	Master toggle via Set Enable Waypoint

Guides

Page	Description
Getting started	Migrate the component, add it to your pawn, first path call
Overview	Step-by-step integration and customization with examples
Blueprint reference	Components, enums, functions, and interface
Video tutorial	YouTube walkthrough for migration and setup