HKH Pillars Generator Plugin Documentation

The HKH Pillars Generator is a professional procedural pillar generation plugin for Unreal Engine 5. This powerful editor tool enables artists and designers to create customizable architectural pillars with real-time preview, material baking, and export capabilities.

Pillar Generator Interface

Features

🎯 Core Generation

🏗️ Structural Controls

🎨 Material & Texturing

⚙️ Technical Features

Installation

Requirements

Installation Steps

  1. Download the Plugin

  2. Plugin Installation

    • Navigate to your project's Plugins folder
    • Create HKHPillarGEN directory if it doesn't exist
    • Extract plugin files to YourProject/Plugins/HKHPillarGEN/

  3. Enable the Plugin

    • Open your Unreal Engine project
    • Go to Edit → Plugins
    • Search for "HKH Pillars Generator"
    • Check the "Enabled" checkbox
    • Restart the editor when prompted

  4. Verify Installation

    • After restart, check the main menu for "HKH Tools" menu entry
    • The Pillar Builder tab should be available in the editor

Getting Started

Accessing the Tool

Method 1: Content Browser

Method 2: Editor Menu

Method 3: Toolbar

Creating Your First Pillar

  1. Open the Pillar Builder

    • The interface opens with a default pillar in the viewport

  2. Generate Initial Model

    • Click "Generate Model" to create your first pillar
    • The viewport will display the generated mesh

  3. Apply a Preset

    • Browse the Presets panel on the left
    • Click any preset (e.g., "Stylised Corinthian") to apply
    • Regenerate the model to see changes

  4. Customize Parameters

    • Use the Generator panel on the right to adjust:
      • Ring Count
      • Surface Map Size
      • Visual Style
      • Architecture Type

Interface Overview

Main Toolbar

Button Function Description
Generate Model GenerateDynaMesh() Creates/updates the pillar mesh
Bake Surface BakeSurfaceMaps() Generates surface textures (AO, Normal, Curvature)
Export Mesh ExportDynaMesh() Exports to Static Mesh asset
Export Physics ExportMeshLOD() Generates collision mesh
Help GetHelp() Opens documentation

Panels

Presets Panel (Left)

Viewport (Center)

Generator Panel (Right)

Parameters Reference

Generator Settings

Parameter Type Range Description
Ring Count Integer 3-64 Number of vertical segments
Surface Map Size Enum 512-2048 Texture resolution for baking
Visual Style Enum Blockie, Stylised, Realistic Rendering quality level
Architecture Enum Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, etc. Architectural style

Damage Settings

Parameter Type Range Description
Age Float 1-100 Overall weathering amount
Moss Amount Float 0-100 Moss accumulation level
Crack Intensity Float 0-1 Surface cracking severity
Surface Erosion Float 0-1 Material wear and tear

Material Assignment

The plugin automatically assigns materials based on architectural style:

Architecture Material Type Characteristics
Doric/Tuscan Concrete Heavy, weathered stone appearance
Ionic/Corinthian Marble Polished, refined classical look
Baroque Wood Gilded or painted wood finishes
Gothic Concrete Dark stone, iron-reinforced
Modern Concrete Brutalist, raw concrete
Cyberpunk Steel Future alloy, brushed metal

Workflow Guide

Basic Pillar Creation

  1. Start with Preset: Choose a base style from presets
  2. Generate Model: Create the initial mesh
  3. Adjust Parameters: Fine-tune in Generator panel
  4. Bake Surfaces: Generate textures for materials
  5. Export: Save as Static Mesh for use in levels

Advanced Material Workflow

  1. Generate Model with desired geometry
  2. Click Bake Surface to create:
    • Curvature Map (CV)
    • Ambient Occlusion (AO)
    • Normal Map (NM)
  3. Texture Graph Processing automatically:
    • Applies appropriate material graph
    • Creates Material Instances
    • Assigns baked textures
    • Adjusts parameters based on damage settings

Export Options

Tutorials

Quick Start: Classical Column

  1. Open Pillar Builder from Content Browser
  2. Click "Stylised Corinthian" preset
  3. Click Generate Model
  4. Adjust Ring Count to 24 for smoother curves
  5. Click Bake Surface to generate textures
  6. Click Export Mesh to save as asset

Creating Custom Style

  1. Start with "Stylised Modern" preset
  2. In Generator panel:
    • Set Architecture: Corinthian
    • Set Visual Style: Realistic
    • Adjust Damage → Age: 75
    • Set Moss Amount: 30
  3. Generate Model and Bake Surface
  4. Save as new preset for future use

Performance Optimization

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Plugin Not Appearing

Generate Model Fails

Bake Surface Errors

Export Problems

Performance Tips

Technical Details

Supported Platforms

File Structure

Plugins/
└── HKHPillarGEN/
    ├── Content/
    │   ├── PillarPresets.json
    │   └── MaterialGraphs/
    ├── Source/
    │   └── HKHPillarGEN/
    └── Resources/

API Reference

The plugin exposes several key functions for integration:

// Core generation
GenerateDynaMesh()
BakeSurfaceMaps()
ExportDynaMesh()

// Utility functions
GetPreviewComponent()
PlacePreviewOnGround()
CaptureViewportThumbnail()

Support

Documentation

Technical Support

For technical issues, please include:

  1. Unreal Engine version
  2. Plugin version
  3. Error log from Output Log
  4. Steps to reproduce the issue
  5. System specifications

Changelog

Version 1.0.0