Unreal Engine 5 Tutorial - Physics Pinball Part 6: Flippers Continued
Why It Matters
Implementing physics‑based flippers with constraints gives developers realistic, interactive pinball mechanics in UE5, reducing reliance on scripted animations and enhancing gameplay fidelity.
Key Takeaways
- •Switch flipper mesh to simple collision for physics simulation.
- •Add physical constraint component to limit flipper rotation and swing.
- •Use radial impulse from scene component to mimic flipper kick.
- •Adjust angular motor strength and offset to prevent drooping and reset.
- •Duplicate setup for right flipper, swapping button inputs and rotation offsets.
Summary
The video walks through completing a pinball flipper in Unreal Engine 5 by replacing the default complex collision with simple, auto‑convex collision so the mesh can interact with physics. After enabling Simulate Physics, the creator locks the flipper’s linear axes and adds a Physical Constraint component to define angular limits, allowing a realistic swing motion. Key steps include configuring the constraint’s swing limits, applying a radial impulse from a scene component to simulate the magnetic kick, and fine‑tuning the angular motor’s strength and target orientation to keep the flipper from drooping after release. The presenter demonstrates how to adjust the angular rotation offset and motor drive mode to achieve a quick reset to the resting position. Throughout the tutorial, the instructor highlights practical issues—such as the flipper falling through the table when physics runs too fast—and shows how to resolve them by tweaking motor parameters and impulse strength. He also duplicates the entire setup for the opposite flipper, swapping input bindings and inverting rotation offsets to mirror behavior. The walkthrough underscores the flexibility of UE5’s physics constraints for creating rule‑based, physics‑driven gameplay elements, and encourages developers to experiment with values to match their specific pinball table dimensions and performance needs.
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