UE5 Wolves AI - SmartObjects & Behavior Tree

Wolves rest and howl at sunset using SmartObjects. Details below. Circles with arrows represent available SmartObjects (SO). The arrow indicates orientation, which I chose not to strictly follow because turn-in-place animations were not included in the asset pack. Instead, I use movement-based turn animations when the wolf’s orientation significantly differs from the arrow, implementing 90-degree rotations using Anim Montages and Motion Warping. For the wolves, I created a simple Animation Blueprint with random idle animations and locomotion including turns. Foot placement is handled via Control Rig. I also set a random chance for some of them to run while others just walk. The wolves’ Behavior Tree has two branches: wandering or searching for a free SmartObject (SO) to occupy. I also added selection modes: random, nearest, or farthest.