Sequencer and Control Rig

In Sequencer, you can animate almost anything. It’s even possible to do a full cinematic with camera animations! For more information, check out Sequencer Basics in Unreal Engine.

Creating a Level Sequence

To create a level sequence and add a skeletal mesh to the sequence, do the following:

1. In the project folder, create a new folder called "Cinematics".

2. In the Cinematics folder, right-click and select Cinematics > Level Sequence.

   

   1. Name the level sequence "LS_Cine".

   2. Double-click the level sequence to open Sequencer.

      

3. Open the MeleeMinions folder and drag the skeletal mesh into your viewport.

4. From the Outliner, drag the skeletal mesh actor into Sequencer, or press + Track and choose Actor To Sequencer to find the mesh.

The next section covers the basics of creating an animated scene using Sequencer.

Using Sequencer

This section of the tutorial walks you through some of the basic operations you can perform with Sequencer.

Before starting, it's a good idea to open the Sequencer Editor Reference and place it next to this page. The reference explains the Sequencer UI elements, and shows how to effectively navigate the editor.

For a more detailed explanation of animation sequences, check out Animation Sequences in Unreal Engine.

Animate Using Translation and Rotation

The simplest kind of animation is changing the state of an asset by translating or rotating it. Try it out:

1. Open Sequencer by double-clicking your level sequence "LS_Cine". This sequence should already be linked to a skeletal mesh in your level.

2. In your timeline, make sure the playhead is at 0000, then press Enter or click the small + (depicted below) in the Transform row to set the first keyframe.

   

3. In the viewport, place your skeletal mesh where you want the animation to start.

4. Enable Auto Key so that keyframes are automatically created whenever a property or transform changes.

   

5. Move the playhead forward a few frames.

6. Back in the viewport, move your skeletal mesh to the next location.

7. Playing the animation or moving the playhead between the two keyframes now shows your mesh moving from point A to point B.

8. Using the same method, try adding rotation to the mesh.

9. Add and link the Cinematic Sequence and Trigger devices, as shown in the previous section, to activate the animation in-game.

Add Imported Animations

To make use of the animations that you imported earlier:

1. In Sequencer, click + Animation and choose from the list of imported animations.

   

2. To perform more than one animation, add the rest of the animations in succession.

3. For more seamless transitions, make the beginning of the second animation overlap with the ending of the first one. Sequencer automatically blends the two animations together.

Add a Camera

You can use a camera to create cutscenes, which can then be triggered inside your level. For a deeper dive, check out the Unreal Engine Cine Camera Actor page.

To add a camera:

1. Click the Create Camera button to add a camera track. This adds a Camera Cuts track as well as CineCameraActor, which also appears in the Outliner.

   

2. Creating a camera switches your view to Pilot Active, which allows you to position the camera and frame your shot.

3. Key a camera just like you would a skeletal mesh by selecting the Transform row and adding keyframes as you move the camera.

4. Add a second camera and frame a close-up of your character.

   1. When working with multiple instances of an actor, it’s always a good idea to rename each one in the Outliner.

      

   2. Once the framing is done, drag the playhead to the location of the camera switch, and right-click > Edit > Split.

   3. Right-click the newly split section and choose the camera at the bottom of the menu.

Toggle between your camera actors and your regular viewport by clicking the video camera icon in the Camera Cuts row of Sequencer.

You can also select the camera actor by toggling the CineCameraActor in the Perspective dropdown menu:

Return to the regular viewport by pressing the eject key.

Animate a Skeletal Mesh with FK Control Rig

Sequencer lets you animate your skeletal mesh using a procedurally-generated control rig called FK Control Rig. For a complete workflow, check out FK Control Rig in Unreal Engine.

Skeletal Meshes with few bones can be easily animated with FK Control Rig. Select the bone you want to animate and keyframe it by either pressing S (if your focus is in the viewport), or Enter (if your focus is in Sequencer).

Make a small change to your minion’s jogging animation:

1. Click + Track on the minion's track and select Control Rig > FK Control Rig.

   

2. Since you are modifying an existing animation, right-click on the newly created FKControlRig track and check Additive.

   

3. Expand the FK Control Rig track to reveal the list of bones. Select the spine.

4. Make a keyframe by pressing S or Enter, move the playhead further, then rotate the spine by a few degrees. Do this to any body part!

Set Up the Cinematic Sequence Device

Now that you have your sequence, you can add it to the Cinematic Sequence Device and use a trigger to play the cinematic. See Cinematic Sequence Device for more information specifically on the device.

To add a level sequence to the device:

1. Add a Trigger device. Hold Alt and translate the existing trigger to make a copy.

   

2. Find the Cinematic Sequence device and drag it into the viewport.

   1. Select "LS_Cine" in the Sequence field, or drag it in from the Content Browser.

   2. For Play Function, add an array element by clicking +, then select Trigger3 and On Triggered in the two respective fields.

      

3. When you trigger the Cinematic Sequence device, it will play the sequence that has been recorded in "LS_Cine".