Static & skeletal meshes

Static meshes are rigid geometry rendered via UStaticMeshComponent. Skeletal meshes deform through a bone hierarchy driven by USkeletalMeshComponent. Choosing the right mesh/component type and the right collision, LOD, and instancing strategy drives both visual quality and runtime performance.

When to use this skill

• Assigning or swapping mesh assets on components in C++.
• Overriding material slots per-component or creating a UMaterialInstanceDynamic.
• Attaching actors/components to named sockets on static or skeletal meshes.
• Configuring collision complexity (UBodySetup, ECollisionTraceFlag).
• Deciding between UStaticMeshComponent, UInstancedStaticMeshComponent (ISM), and UHierarchicalInstancedStaticMeshComponent (HISM) for repeated meshes.
• Enabling Nanite on static or skeletal meshes at runtime or understanding its limits.
• Debugging "no material on slot", "animation won't play", or "silent socket miss".

Assets vs. components