Interactive Vines using Niagara and Position-Based Dynamics

Learn to create interactive hanging foliage systems like vines using Unreal Engine's Niagara visual effects system and position-based dynamics physics in this 37-minute conference talk from Unreal Fest Stockholm 2025. Discover how Rare's Quentin Warnant implements a position-based dynamics physics solver within Niagara and applies the simulation results to Nanite meshes for realistic vine behavior. Explore techniques for integrating external forces such as dynamic wind and collision detection into your foliage simulations. Master the synergistic use of various Unreal Engine features including simulation stages, Grid2D collections, and custom HLSL nodes to implement position-based dynamics algorithms in Niagara. Understand how to utilize custom data interfaces for reading specialized mesh vertex data and controlling instanced material parameters directly from Niagara without relying on traditional Niagara renderers. Gain practical solutions for overcoming Niagara's limitation with Nanite mesh rendering, enabling you to deform Nanite meshes based on Niagara-driven simulation results. Access key insights from Rare's development process and explore potential future developments in interactive foliage technology for game environments.