> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.warpathstudios.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How It Works

> When the player interacts with foliage:

## **FoliageInstance Detection**

When the player interacts with foliage:

1. UMI triggers an interact event based on its trace
2. The plugin checks whether the hit component is a `UFoliageInstancedStaticMeshComponent`
3. The instance index is retrieved
4. The system looks up that foliage type in the **Foliage Manager Data Asset**

This avoids per-instance actors and keeps performance high.

***

## **Simple vs Complex Foliage**

### **Simple Foliage**

Examples:

* Stones
* Sticks
* Herbs
* Berries
* Mushrooms

Behavior:

* Harvested instantly
* Instance removed
* Optional loot rolled immediately
* Respawn Manager schedules regrowth

### **Complex Foliage**

Examples:

* Trees
* Large ore nodes
* Bushes with multiple harvest stages

Behavior:

* Foliage instance is removed
* A custom Actor class is spawned in its place
* Actor handles health, break events, and loot
* Respawn Manager handles regrowth logic

***

## **Actor Conversion Pipeline**

For Complex foliage types:

1. Instance is removed
2. Assigned Actor class is spawned
3. Actor receives optional metadata:

   * Instance transform
   * Foliage type ID
   * Loot definition
   * Health/durability values

The Actor now behaves as any other interactable gameplay object.