🎆 SparkFXPreviewer

Version 1.8.1 | Unreal Engine 5.5 / 5.6 / 5.7

SparkFXPreviewer is an editor-only Unreal Engine plugin that allows artists to preview, time, and author VFX, sounds, projectiles, and camera shakes directly against skeletal mesh animations — without entering Play Mode.

✨ Key Features

🎯 Who Is This For?

⚡ Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with SparkFXPreviewer in minutes.

🎯 5-Minute Setup

1️⃣ Open the Tool

Tools → SparkFXPreviewer

2️⃣ Set Up Your Scene

Method 1: Place Mesh in Level

• Place a Skeletal Mesh Actor in your level
• Click Refresh in SparkFXPreviewer to detect it
• Select the mesh from the dropdown

Method 2: Search Project Assets

• Click the "Search project assets" checkbox in SparkFXPreviewer
• This creates a "Browse Skeletal Mesh" button
• Click the button to open a browse window
• Search for your skeletal mesh (e.g., type "manny" to find character meshes)
• This searches all skeletal meshes in your entire project

3️⃣ Select an Animation

• Choose an animation from the Animation dropdown
• The timeline will update to show the animation length

4️⃣ Add Your First Track

Click one of the Add Track buttons:

• 🎆 VFX Track — Niagara effects
• 🔊 Sound Track — Audio cues
• 🎯 Projectile Track — Projectile trajectories
• 📷 Camera Shake Track — Camera effects

5️⃣ Preview

• Press ▶ Play to preview with animation
• Use the timeline scrubber to adjust timing
• Enable Loop for continuous playback

🎆 Adding a VFX Track

1. Click Add VFX Track
2. Assign a Niagara System from your project
3. Set the Trigger Time on the timeline
4. (Optional) Attach to a Bone for skeletal attachment
5. (Optional) Add Sound — Drop an audio file in the sound field to play synchronized with the VFX
6. Press Play or press Spacebar to play the sound and the VFX

⌨️ Quick Reference

📦 Installation Guide

🚀 Installation

✅ Recommended: Install via Fab Marketplace

The easiest way to get SparkFXPreviewer is through the Fab Marketplace:

1. Open the Fab Marketplace in Unreal Engine
2. Search for "SparkFXPreviewer"
3. Click Install to add it directly to your engine
4. Restart Unreal Engine if prompted
5. Access via: Tools → SparkFXPreviewer

Alternative: Binary Installation (For Quick Testing)

If you want to test without Fab, download the binary package for your Unreal Engine version:

• SparkFXPreviewer_v1.8.1_UE5.5.zip
• SparkFXPreviewer_v1.8.1_UE5.6.zip
• SparkFXPreviewer_v1.8.1_UE5.7.zip

Step 2: Extract

Unzip the downloaded file to a temporary location.

Step 3: Run Installer

1. Open the extracted folder
2. Run Install.bat
3. Drag your .uproject file onto the installer window
4. Press Enter when prompted

The installer will copy SparkFXPreviewer into your project's Plugins/ folder.

Step 4: Launch

1. Open your project in Unreal Editor
2. The plugin loads automatically — no compilation required
3. Access via: Tools → SparkFXPreviewer

📂 Manual Installation

If you prefer manual installation:

1. Copy the SparkFXPreviewer folder to:
   YourProject/Plugins/SparkFXPreviewer/
2. Open your project in Unreal Editor
3. The plugin will load automatically

✅ Verifying Installation

After installation, verify the plugin is working:

1. Open Unreal Editor
2. Navigate to Tools → SparkFXPreviewer
3. The SparkFXPreviewer window should open

If the menu item doesn't appear:

• Check Edit → Plugins to ensure the plugin is enabled
• Restart the editor after enabling

✨ Core Features

🎆 VFX Track System

Preview Niagara effects directly in the editor viewport with full control over timing and attachment.

• Niagara System Support — Preview any Niagara system from your project
• Skeletal Attachment — Attach effects to specific bones
• Timeline Control — Precise timing adjustment
• One-Shot & Looping — Test both effect types

🔊 Sound Preview

Hear audio timing in sync with visual effects and animations.

• Sound Cues & Waves — Preview any audio asset
• Timing Synchronization — Align audio with VFX triggers
• Immediate Feedback — Fast iteration on audio timing
• Projectile Impact Sounds — Attach a sound to any Projectile track to play audio at the moment of impact, perfectly synced with VFX
• VFX Track Sounds — Add a sound directly to any VFX track to play audio in sync with your effect

🎯 Projectile Preview System

Visualize projectile trajectories directly in the editor viewport with three trajectory types.

Trajectory Types

Linear Projectiles

Straight-line projectiles with configurable speed.

• Perfect for laser beams, bullets, and direct-fire weapons
• Adjustable projectile speed
• Debug visualization shows straight path

Arc Projectiles

Curved trajectories with adjustable arc height.

• Ideal for grenades, arrows, and lobbed weapons
• Configurable arc height for different feels
• Visual trajectory preview

Ballistic Projectiles

Gravity-affected projectiles with realistic drop.

• Simulates gravity influence on trajectory
• Adjustable initial velocity
• Realistic drop and impact timing

🔥 Rapid Fire Testing

Test burst and automatic fire patterns with real-time visual feedback.

• Configurable Fire Rate — Set rounds per second
• Burst Count — Define shots per burst
• Muzzle Flash — Preview muzzle VFX on each shot
• Impact VFX — See impact effects for every projectile
• Audio Sync — Test sound timing with rapid fire

Setup Workflow

1. Click Add Projectile Track
2. Choose Projectile Type (Linear, Arc, or Ballistic)
3. Set Spawn and Target locations
4. Assign Muzzle Flash and Impact VFX
5. Enable Rapid Fire if testing burst patterns
6. Press Play to visualize trajectories

💾 Preset System

Save and load complete effect setups for repeatable iteration and team collaboration.

What Presets Store

• All Track Configurations — VFX, Sound, Projectile, and Camera Shake tracks
• Timing Data — Exact trigger times for each track
• Asset References — Links to Niagara systems, sounds, etc.
• Attachment Settings — Bone attachments and socket data
• Projectile Settings — Trajectory type, spawn/target locations
• Gizmo Positions — 3D spawn point positions and names for each VFX track gizmo

Saving a Preset

1. Set up your tracks and timing as desired
2. Click Save Preset
3. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "SwordSlash_v2_FastTiming")
4. The preset saves to your project

Loading a Preset

1. Click Load Preset
2. Select your saved preset from the list
3. All tracks and settings are restored instantly

💡 Best Practices

• Use Descriptive Names — Include weapon/character name, version, and key attributes
• Save at Milestones — Create presets during iteration to preserve working states
• Version Your Presets — Append v1, v2, etc. to track iterations
• Share with Team — Presets can be checked into version control
• Compare Approaches — Load different presets to quickly compare timing approaches

⏱️ Playback Speed Controls

Control playback speed without changing animation timing — perfect for iterating quickly or inspecting VFX details frame-by-frame.

Available Speed Options

How It Works

Playback speed multiplies the time delta for all systems:

• Animation Playback — Skeletal mesh plays faster or slower
• VFX Systems — Niagara particles update at adjusted speed (via CustomTimeDilation)
• Projectiles — Trajectory timing scales proportionally
• Sound — Audio plays at normal speed (timing preserved, not pitch-shifted)

💡 Key Features

• Doesn't Change Animation — Original animation asset is never modified
• Real-Time Sync — All active VFX and projectiles adjust immediately
• Persists Across Sessions — Speed setting remains after Stop/Play
• Works During Scrubbing — Speed affects scrub rate on timeline

🎬 Anim Notify Export

Transfer your timing work directly into production by exporting tracks as Animation Notifies.

What Gets Exported

• VFX Tracks → Exported as PlayNiagaraEffect notifies
• Sound Tracks → Exported as PlaySound notifies
• Timing Preserved → Exact trigger times maintained
• Attachment Settings → Bone/socket attachments preserved

Export Workflow

1. Set up your VFX and Sound tracks with desired timing
2. Select the target Animation Asset
3. Click Export to Anim Notifies
4. Notifies are created on the animation with your timing

Editor Refresh Behavior

Project Setup Requirements

Exported AnimNotifies may require additional project-side setup:

• Ensure your project has the necessary notify classes
• Verify Niagara systems are accessible from the animation
• Check that sound assets are properly configured

⚠️ Known Limitations

SparkFXPreviewer is designed to be fast, deterministic, and editor-safe. The following limitations are intentional design decisions that keep the tool focused and reliable.

🎯 Scope Limitations

🎯 Projectile Behavior

Supported Types

Projectile types (Linear, Arc, Ballistic) provide visual approximation only. They are designed for:

• ✅ Timing iteration
• ✅ Trajectory feel
• ✅ Impact readability

They are not intended to match:

• ❌ Runtime gameplay logic
• ❌ Physics accuracy

Moving Targets

Projectiles do not track targets that move mid-flight. The target position is captured at fire time.

📄 Timeline Behavior

Backward Scrubbing

Backward scrubbing (dragging the timeline backward) does not retrigger one-shot effects. This is by design:

• Prevents effect spam during iteration
• Matches expected timeline behavior
• Use Play to trigger effects normally

❓ FAQ

Q: Why don't newly exported Anim Notifies appear immediately?

A: When exporting while the animation is already open, the Animation Editor may need a refresh. The notifies are saved correctly — simply close and reopen the animation to see them.

Q: Why doesn't the projectile hit exactly where I expect?

A: Projectile preview is for visual iteration, not physics simulation. The trajectories are approximations to help with timing and feel. Runtime behavior depends on your game's projectile system.

Q: Does this work in packaged games?

A: No. SparkFXPreviewer is editor-only by design. It has no runtime component and is not included in packaged builds.

💡 Design Philosophy

These limitations exist because SparkFXPreviewer is designed to:

1. Show what exists — Not simulate or invent data
2. Be deterministic — Same input produces same output
3. Stay editor-safe — No impact on runtime behavior
4. Enable fast iteration — Focus on timing and visual context

🔁 Versioning & Engine Support

✅ Supported Engine Versions

📦 Version Matching

Mismatched versions will fail to load or may cause editor instability.

🏷️ Current Version

SparkFXPreviewer v1.8.1

What's New in v1.8.1

• ✨ Duplicate VFX Track — One-click copy of any VFX track with all settings preserved, inserted directly below the original.
• ✨ Duplicate Projectile Track — One-click copy of any Projectile track with all settings preserved.
• ✨ Reorder Tracks — Move any VFX or Projectile track up or down in the list using ↑ ↓ buttons in the track header.

What's Included

• ✅ VFX Track system with Niagara support
• ✅ Projectile preview (Linear, Arc, Ballistic)
• ✅ Rapid Fire testing mode
• ✅ Sound preview system
• ✅ Camera shake preview
• ✅ Preset save/load system
• ✅ Export to Anim Notifies
• ✅ Debug visualization tools

🎯 Development Focus

SparkFXPreviewer development prioritizes:

💡 Compatibility Notes

Binary Distribution

SparkFXPreviewer is distributed as pre-compiled binaries:

• No source compilation required
• Faster installation
• Requires exact engine version match

Plugin Dependencies

SparkFXPreviewer requires these engine plugins (typically enabled by default):

• Niagara (for VFX preview)
• Core engine modules

No third-party plugin dependencies.

📝 Credits

Created by Martin Romero

Feedback from VFX artists, technical artists, and designers is welcome.

SparkFXPreviewer v1.8.1