Interactive AI NPC

Conversational AI / Real-Time Character / 2026

1.Overview

A playable UE5 MetaHuman encounter: a spatial trigger starts the greeting, “Follow me” becomes navigation, and one F input seats both the player and AINPC.

Role: Real-Time Artist / Blueprint Prototyper
Engine: Unreal Engine 5.8.2
Character: MetaHuman
Conversation: Convai

2.Playable Sequence

The steps follow the final build's interaction from start to finish.

1
Replace the Mannequin
Retarget Quinn’s movement to a playable MetaHuman.
2
Enter the Trigger Box
Entering the trigger starts the greeting once.
3
Approach + Greet
The AINPC waves, speaks and approaches the player.
4
Say “Follow Me”
The spoken cue activates the AINPC’s follow state.
5
Follow Through the Cabin
AI MoveTo follows the player across the NavMesh.
6
Press F at the Seat
F aligns the player and triggers shared seating.
7
Sit Together
The AINPC stops, aligns and enters a seated idle.

3.Build Evidence

The overview images show the complete build, and the tree locates each function in its Blueprint route.

Unreal Engine aerial view showing green NavMesh coverage around the lakeside cabin, entrance, terrace and surrounding exterior route — （ Fig. 1 · Whole-house NavMesh / UE5 ）

1Navigation

The green NavMesh covers the exterior, doorway and terrace so the AINPC can reach each playable area.

Full Unreal Engine Event Graph overview for BP MetaHumanCharacter Official showing third-person controls and the complete sit interaction — （ Fig. 2 · Player Blueprint / MetaHuman ）

2Player Logic

This view shows the playable MetaHuman controls and F-to-seat logic in one Blueprint.

Third-person Unreal Engine prototype showing the playable MetaHuman facing the AI NPC outside the lakeside cabin during dialogue — （ Fig. 3 · Third-person playable test ）

3Camera Choice

I tested a third-person MetaHuman view, then chose first person for a closer conversation.

Unreal Engine BP MetaHumanCharacter Official viewport with a MetaHuman and the Body and Face component hierarchy — （ Fig. 4 · Playable MetaHuman / Character BP ）

4Character Foundation

BP_MetaHumanCharacter_Official replaces the Mannequin while retaining movement and input.

Level Blueprint checking On Actor Begin Overlap on TriggerBox2 before calling Start Cabin Greeting on BP AINPC — （ Fig. 5 · Greeting trigger / Level Blueprint ）

5Spatial Trigger

On Actor Begin Overlap checks the player and calls StartCabinGreeting once.

BP AINPC StartCabinGreeting sequence playing a montage, invoking a spoken greeting and moving toward the player — （ Fig. 6 · Wave, speech and MoveTo / BP_AINPC ）

6Approach + Greeting

StartCabinGreeting plays a wave and line, then moves the AINPC toward the player.

ABP AINPC Locomotion AnimGraph using LocomotionCache as the base pose and an UpperBody slot through Layered Blend per Bone from spine 01 — （ Fig. 7 · Upper-body blend / AINPC AnimGraph ）

7Animation Layer

An UpperBody layer adds dialogue gestures without replacing the walk cycle.

BP AINPC Follow event starting the follow state and repeatedly running AI MoveTo toward the player — （ Fig. 8 · Follow and AI MoveTo / BP_AINPC ）

8Follow Me

“Follow me” starts IsFollowing and UpdateFollow moves the AINPC toward the player.

Unreal Engine input mapping context showing IA Sit mapped to the F keyboard key — （ Fig. 9 · IA_Sit mapped to F / IMC_Sit ）

9Shared Input

IA_Sit maps the seat interaction to F and validates the seat before either actor changes state.

BP MetaHumanCharacter Official IA Sit logic validating the seat, disabling movement and aligning the player to PlayerSeatPoint — （ Fig. 10 · Player seat alignment / Character BP ）

10Player Branch

The player graph checks the seat, aligns to PlayerSeatPoint and calls SitWithPlayer.

BP AINPC SitWithPlayer event stopping follow and movement, aligning to NPCSeatPoint and setting IsSitting — （ Fig. 11 · NPC seat alignment / BP_AINPC ）

11AINPC Branch

SitWithPlayer stops following, aligns the AINPC to NPCSeatPoint and sets its seated state.

ABP AINPC Locomotion state machine transitioning from Locomotion through SitDown to SittingIdle — （ Fig. 12 · SitDown to SittingIdle / AINPC AnimGraph ）

12Final State

The animation state machine moves from SitDown into a seated idle loop.

Next projectThe Dragon and the Tiger →

1.Overview

Replace the Mannequin

Enter the Trigger Box

Approach + Greet

Say “Follow Me”

Follow Through the Cabin

Press F at the Seat

Sit Together