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Blueprint Control

Use the sky actor from Blueprint without touching code

Common Blueprint Setup

  1. Place SkyBox Time of Day Actor in the level.
  2. In your Level Blueprint, Game Mode, or manager Blueprint, create a variable that references the placed sky actor.
  3. Use the Blueprint functions below to change time, query sun/moon direction, or force visual updates.
  4. If you drive time yourself, call Set Time Of Day instead of directly setting the variable.

Blueprint Functions

FunctionUse It For
Set Time Of DaySet the current time directly. Useful for clocks, sleep systems, menu sliders, or scripted scenes.
Get Sun DirectionRead the sun direction vector for gameplay, material effects, AI, or VFX.
Get Sun ElevationRead how high the sun is above or below the horizon.
Get Sun AzimuthRead the horizontal direction of the sun around the level.
Get Moon DirectionRead the moon direction vector.
Get Moon ElevationRead how high the moon is above or below the horizon.
Is Moon VisibleCheck whether the moon should currently be visible in the sky.
Update SkyForce all sky, lighting, fog, post process, and material values to refresh.
Recapture Sky LightManually refresh the sky light capture.
Apply Planet PresetSwitch to a planet preset from Blueprint.
Get Active Planet ConfigRead the currently active planet settings.
Set Aggressive OptimizationTurn reduced material updating on or off at runtime.
Set Update FrequencyChange how often visual updates are applied.

Example: Time Slider In A Widget

  1. Create a Widget Blueprint with a slider.
  2. Set the slider range to match your day length. For the default setup, use 0 to 24.
  3. On slider value changed, call Set Time Of Day on your sky actor reference.
  4. After big changes, call Update Sky if you need an immediate refresh.

Example: Different Planet At Runtime

  1. Enable Generic Celestial System on the sky actor.
  2. Call Apply Planet Preset and choose the preset you want.
  3. Set Time Of Day to a valid hour for that planet day length.
  4. Call Update Sky to refresh the scene.
Procedural Skybox - Blueprint Control | Athian Games