In Episode 02 of my UE5.6 building system series, I focus on the core “Buildable Manager Component” and get us to the point where we can trace into the world and show a build preview mesh (not actually place it yet). I start by adding a small Blueprint Function Library helper to pull all buildable row names/tags from the data table, store them once on Begin Play, and (optionally) print them out with my usual enable-debug toggle so you can verify your data is coming in correctly. From there, I implement activating, deactivating, and toggling build mode, plus initializing the preview mesh component on the character. The big idea is: create the preview Static Mesh Component once, set its mesh based on the current buildable index, and then drive its position using a looping timer “tick” (instead of Event Tick) so you have cleaner control over update rate. For the trace, I use the player’s location as the start, but the camera’s forward vector for direction—so you’re always placing in front of the player, not between the camera and the character. I also show a practical gotcha: if your trace isn’t hitting, it’s usually collision settings (like your foundation not blocking the channel). And if destroying the preview component from inside the component gives you issues, I use a simple character interface as a clean workaround. Next episode, we’ll swap buildables and change materials based on valid/invalid placement.