.. _asset_skeletal_mesh:

Skeletal Mesh asset
===================

This asset type represents a skeletal 3D mesh that can be animated. You can modify it by using `Skeletal Mesh Editor`.

.. figure:: ../imgs/editor/assets/skeletalmesh/skeletalmesh.png
   :align: center 

   Skeletal Mesh Editor

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- **Materials**. Allows you to specify default materials that will be used when rendering a mesh. You can still assigned other materials to a mesh when using a Static Mesh component.

- **Preview Animation**. The editor allows you to specify an animation that will be used for the preview.

- **Skeletal Tree**. Bone transforms are displayed in local space (offsets from the origin).
  You can't move bones of a mesh, but you can create your own `Virtual` bones by right-clicking a bone in the tree. You can modify their transforms and use them in C# to attach any other game-objects.
  
- **Ragdoll Tree**. It allows you to setup ragdoll of the mesh. You can change the transformation, mass, linear & angular damping, physics material, and shape of a ragdoll collider (Capsule, Box, or Sphere).
  Transforms of ragdoll bones are displayed relative to originally computed transforms. You can also change the way a ragdoll is generated. By increasing `Min ragdoll bone size`, you can optimize the simulation, since more bones will be merged into a single ragdoll collider.
  So, for performance reasons, it's recommended to set it as high as possible. You can also control `Max Twist` and `Max Swing` angles (in degrees).
  `Skeletal Mesh Editor` also allows you to simulate the ragdoll you've set up.

.. figure:: ../imgs/editor/assets/skeletalmesh/ragdoll.png
   :align: center 

   Ragdoll