🎯 Object Pool Plugin for Unreal Engine

Boost runtime performance by recycling Actors, Pawns, Characters, and Projectiles with this highly optimized Object Pool system for Unreal Engine.

📦 Installation

Make sure the plugin is downloaded and enabled through the Epic Games Launcher.

🧱 Pooled Classes

You must reparent your Blueprint classes to one of the specialized base classes provided by the plugin:

• APooledActor
• APooledPawn
• APooledCharacter

These inherit Unreal’s default types and are fully compatible with the pooling system.

🔁 Pool Lifecycle Events

Use these custom Blueprint events instead of the default BeginPlay and EndPlay:

• OnPoolBeginPlay – triggered when the instance is activated.
• OnPoolEndPlay – triggered when the instance is returned to the pool.

These allow clean resets without destroying the object.

🧩 Pool Components

Four component types are included:

⚠️ Do NOT add a Pool Component to a class it spawns. This causes infinite recursion!

⚙️ Component Properties

Each Pool Component offers the following properties:

• Template Class: The Actor class to pool.
• Pool Size: Number of instances to preallocate.
• Auto Initialize: Automatically build pool on BeginPlay.

Advanced flags:

• ReinitializeInstances
• InstantiateOnDemand
• NeverFailDeferredSpawn
• KeepOrphanActorsAlive

🧠 Spawn Nodes (Blueprint)

Use the following Blueprint nodes to spawn actors from pool:

• Spawn Actor from Pool
• Spawn Pawn from Pool
• Spawn Character from Pool

⚠️ As of v1.9.0, you must select the same class on both the Pool Component and the Spawn node.

🔫 Projectile Support

🚫 Default UE5 ProjectileMovement is NOT compatible with pooling.

Use the plugin's PooledProjectileComponent for pooled movement. For visual projectiles without simulation, use the PooledSplineProjectileComponent.

🌀 Spline Projectiles

The PooledSplineProjectileComponent uses splines and sphere traces to simulate bullet travel without physics.

• Disable physics simulation
• Provide a spline to define the path
• Use CPU-based sphere traces for collisions

To apply spline logic to your pooled projectiles:

1. Add a Spline Component to your level.
2. Assign it to the PooledSplineProjectileComponent instance.

Once active, the bullet will automatically follow the assigned spline path.

✨ Niagara Systems

To use Niagara effects with pooled actors:

• Set the Niagara Component → Force Solo to true
• This ensures GPU pooling is bypassed in favor of CPU-based pooling

🧪 C++ Developer API

Core Functions:

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
void InitializeObjectPool();

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
void EmptyObjectPool();

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
void GetObjectsFromPool(TArray<APooledActor*>& Spawned, TArray<APooledActor*>& Inactive);

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
APooledActor* GetInactiveObject();

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
static APooledActor* BeginDeferredSpawnFromPool(...);

UFUNCTION(BlueprintCallable)
static APooledActor* FinishDeferredSpawnFromPool(...);

Also includes templated utility methods:

template <typename T>
TArray<T*> GetObjectsFromPool() const;

All pool components follow the same API interface (UObjectPool, UPawnPool, UCharacterPool, USharedObjectPool).

🧠 Best Practices

• Use pooling for high-frequency spawning (bullets, enemies, FX).
• Avoid pooling for unique or persistent actors.
• Always return pooled actors using ReturnActor() instead of DestroyActor().