Set Blocking
CinematographyPosition actors and props for cinematic or interactive purposes: stage marks, spatial relationships, sight lines, and Z-blocking.
/skill set-blocking What This Skill Does
Set Blocking brings the art of theatrical and cinematic staging into Unreal Engine. Just as a film director positions actors on set before calling "action," this skill teaches you how to arrange characters, props, and background elements in 3D space for maximum visual impact. You will learn stage-marking techniques, spatial relationship management, sight-line analysis for ensuring key elements remain visible to camera, and Z-blocking to create compelling foreground-midground-background layering.
Covers
- Positioning actors in world space with precise transforms
- Stage marks for repeatable actor placement
- Spatial relationships between actors (distance, facing, eyeline)
- Sight line analysis for camera visibility
- Z-blocking (foreground, midground, background layering)
- Actor grouping and hierarchy in the World Outliner
- Prop placement and set dressing
- Crowd and background actor placement
Does Not Cover
- Camera position and framing → Camera Placement
- Character animation playback → Animation Playback
- Lighting the scene → Lighting Fundamentals
- MetaHuman import and configuration → MetaHuman Setup
How to Use
Invoke this skill in Claude Code:
/skill set-blockingThis skill is also auto-detected when your prompt mentions blocking, staging, actor positioning, scene layout, or marks intent. AgentUX will automatically activate Set Blocking when it recognizes relevant staging context in your request.
Key Unreal Engine Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
AActor (SetActorLocation/Rotation/Transform) | The base class for all placeable objects in a level, with methods for setting world-space position and orientation. |
AttachToActor / AttachToComponent | Methods for parenting one actor or component to another, maintaining relative transforms for grouped movement. |
USceneComponent | The base component for anything with a transform, forming the backbone of actor attachment hierarchies and spatial relationships. |
USkeletalMeshComponent (sockets) | A mesh component with bone-based sockets that provide named attachment points for props, weapons, and accessories. |
SetFolderPath | The World Outliner folder system for organizing actors into logical groups, keeping complex scenes manageable. |
Related Skills
camera-placement
Place cameras within scenes for cinematic and gameplay purposes
lighting-fundamentals
Light scenes for cinematic and real-time rendering
sequencer-basics
Use Sequencer for cinematics: keyframing, camera cuts, and timelines
metahuman-setup
Import and configure MetaHuman characters
What You'll Learn
- How to block scenes like a film director using stage marks and spatial relationships
- Best practices for sight line analysis to ensure key elements are visible to camera
- How to use Z-blocking for visual depth and dramatic layering
- When to use actor grouping and hierarchy for organized scene management
- How to dress sets with props and background actors for cinematic realism