Tuning
Every variable carries an in-editor tooltip, so this page covers only the handful of rules that actually matter. Get these right and the rest is fine on defaults.
Use a preset first
The system ships three tuning presets (DroneNavConfig data assets):
| Preset | Grid Spacing | Max Connection Distance | Use for |
|---|---|---|---|
DA_NavConfig_IndoorDense | 200 | 400 | Tight interiors, corridors |
DA_NavConfig_Balanced | 350 | 650 | Mixed levels |
DA_NavConfig_OutdoorSparse | 600 | 1100 | Large open spaces |
Assign one to the manager's NavConfig and either press Apply Nav Config on the manager, or tick Auto Apply Config on the BakeDroneNav widget so it stamps before every bake. Then bake.
The two rules that matter
1. Clearance = agent radius + margin
TraceRadius (manager) and NodeClearanceRadius (volume) decide how much empty space a node/edge needs. Set them to your drone's collision radius plus a corner-safety margin of ~25–30 units — not just the agent radius.
Why the margin: path smoothing pulls the route tight against this clearance boundary at convex corners. If clearance == agent radius, the drone scrapes corners. For a ~75-radius drone, ~105 works well.
Keep TraceRadius and NodeClearanceRadius equal, and re-bake after changing them. These are properties of the drone, not the level, so they're identical across all presets.
2. Connection distance vs grid spacing
MaxConnectionDistance must clear the connectivity floor:
MaxConnectionDistance ≥ GridSpacing × 1.732 (√3)
and ideally sit in the 1.7–2.0 × band. Too low and diagonal neighbours never link → a fragmented graph. Too high and the spatial grid collapses → slow bakes and, paradoxically, fragmentation. All three presets already respect this; if you hand-tune GridSpacing, adjust MaxConnectionDistance to match.
The bake will warn you loudly if either rule is violated — you don't have to memorise the numbers.
Other knobs worth knowing
AcceptanceRadius(follower) — how close counts as "arrived." Set it to roughly the drone's body bounds (~100). Smaller and the planner threads the drone through gaps narrower than its body, and it wedges.MoveSpeedChase/MoveSpeedPatrol— pursuit vs patrol cruise speeds.MaxAcceleration— lower = heavier, more inertial feel; higher = snappier.- Avoidance (
AvoidanceProbeDistance/AvoidanceStrength) — reactive steering around obstacles between waypoints; defaults are sane.
Everything else is documented in the tooltips on each variable — and the Blueprint Reference lists the key properties per blueprint at a glance.