The MetaHumans sample for Unreal Engine 5 showcases some of the best practices of how to use the latest MetaHumans in your Unreal Engine projects.
The sample contains:
An updated version of the Sequencer cinematic that was originally included in the original UE4 MetaHumans Sample.
Two new Levels that demonstrate how to use ragdoll physics with MetaHumans.
Before You Begin
Running the MetaHuman sample requires a high-end system with a powerful graphics card. This ensures that you have a stable frame rate and are able to view the latest ray-tracing, hair, and motion capture features of Unreal Engine.
We recommend the following system specifications:
Windows 10 (build 1902 or later).
DirectX 12.
A ray-tracing-capable NVIDIA graphics card.
Unreal Engine 5.0 or later.
While it is possible to open and run this project on machines that don’t meet the recommended specifications above, the lighting and features of the project are designed with these in mind. The project will not look as intended, but you can still explore how the content is set up.
Note that this version of the sample is not compatible with Unreal Engine 4.
Downloading the Sample
Download the MetaHumans sample project from the Epic Games Launcher, under the Learn tab.
Make sure to choose the download for Unreal Engine 5 version in the Launcher.
Running the Sample
When you open the project, you will be able to immediately press Play in the Main Toolbar and watch a MetaHumans cinematic play in the Level Viewport in real time.
Press the Play button in the Main Toolbar to play the cinematic.
The Sequencer Asset that controls this cinematic is called MetaHumanSample_Sequence and is located in the Content/Sequencer folder. This Asset shows how camera cuts, audio, and animation were used to create a real-time cinematic.
In this sample project, all animation runs in real time. Doing this in-game can have a performance impact due to running Sequencer and Control Rig live. When creating animation for your target platform, bake your animations to increase performance.
To learn more about animating with Sequencer, refer to the Sequencer section in the Unreal Engine 5 documentation.
MetaHuman Character Assets
The project contains two MetaHumans, Ada and Taro. Their Assets are located in the MetaHumans folder and follow the same structure and conventions as any other MetaHumans you would download through Quixel Bridge.
Each MetaHuman has a folder named after them, which contains:
Visual Assets specific to that MetaHuman, such as Textures, hair grooms, and Materials.
Preview meshes for the MetaHuman’s face, body, torso, legs and feet, stored in the
Previewsfolder.The MetaHuman Blueprint, named
BP_(MetaHumanName). For the two MetaHumans included in this sample, the Blueprint names areBP_AdaandBP_Taro.
In addition, the MetaHumans folder contains a Common subfolder which stores Assets shared between MetaHumans, including:
Shared Textures and Materials.
MetaHuman IK Rig and Control Rig Assets, as well as an IK Retargeter Asset. You can use these Assets to [retarget animations] to MetaHumans in your own projects.
MetaHuman Skeletal Meshes and the base MetaHuman Skeleton.
The Facial Pose Library, which contains a number of premade Control Rig poses for the MetaHumanfacial rig.
Ragdoll Levels
Ragdoll physics is an advanced functionality that implements multiple Unreal Engine 5 features. This section of the sample documentation assumes that you have good knowledge of the following areas of Unreal Engine:
Physics
Blueprints and Blueprint Libraries
Animation Blueprints
Actor Components
The MetaHumans sample contains two Levels that demonstrate how to set up art-directible ragdolls, as well as some of the best practices when working with ragdoll physics. Both of these Levels, as well as the Assets they contain, are located in the Levels/MH_Ragdoll folder.
The MH_Ragdoll Level contains a single playable MetaHuman. In addition to WASD movement, the following keyboard controls are available:
R to ragdoll.
F to roll down a slope.
R to recover (stand up).
The MH_Ragdoll_AI Level also contains a playable MetaHuman with the controls described above. The Level also contains eight MetaHuman AI characters that move around the terrain and ragdoll when they fall.
Ragdoll is implemented using the following Blueprints and Blueprint Components in the MH_Ragdoll folder:
Physical_Behavior_ActorComponentandRollDownSlope_ActorComponent, which are added to the MetaHuman Blueprints.PhysicalBehavior_BlueprintLibrary.
Refer to the developer comments in these Blueprints to learn more about the implementation.