Python Scripting in Sequencer in Unreal Engine | Unreal Engine 5.5 Documentation

Python scripting can be used to automate and control various parts of Sequencer. This document provides an overview of the main ways to use Python with Sequencer, and examples of general Sequencer scripting.

Prerequisites

You have some experience with Python scripting in Unreal Engine.
You have an understanding of how to use Sequencer.

Sequencer Python Terms

Sequencer uses the following terminology:

Sequencer Python Terms	Description
World	An object that represents a map in which actors and components can exist and be rendered (also referred to as a Level).
LevelSequence	An asset that is a container for cinematics scenes (also referred to as a Sequence). Level Sequences contain data and tracks that can be bound to different objects to animate them.
MovieSceneBindingProxy	A struct defining the actor or component that is bound by a Level Sequence (also referred to as a Binding).
Possessable	A type of binding describing an actor or component that exists in a Level, in which the Level Sequence can own any animatable properties.
Spawnable	A type of binding describing an actor or component that exists only while the Sequence is playing.
MovieSceneTrack	An object located under a Binding (MovieSceneBindingProxy), which contains all sections of edits for a specific typed property. For example, MovieScene3DTransformTrack > Actor / Component Transform.
MovieSceneSection	An object located under a Track (MovieSceneTrack), which contains all channels, length, and parameters for a specific typed property. For example, MovieScene3DTransformSection > Pre / Post Roll, When Finished State, Active/Muted, Additive.
MovieSceneScriptingChannel	An object located under a Section (MovieSceneSection) which contains all keyframes that animate a specific typed property or sub-property. For example, MovieSceneScriptingFloatChannel > Location.X.
MovieSceneScriptingKey	An object that represents a keyframe in the specifically typed channel. For example, MovieSceneScriptingFloatKey.
FrameNumber	A struct that represents a frame.
FrameRate	A struct that represents a fraction of 2 integers defining frames and seconds. For example, 30 frames per second is written as: 30/1.

Accessing a Level Sequence

The first step when Python scripting in Sequencer is to access the LevelSequence, which is the main object you'll be interacting with. There are several ways to do that depending on your situation.

Simple Access

To access a Level Sequence that exists in the Content Browser, you can use the following example script. The sequence does not have to be currently opened or exist in your current Level. This script assumes the Level Sequence Asset is located in the root content folder.

		import unreal

		# Get a level sequence asset

		level_sequence = unreal.load_asset("/Game/LevelSequenceName")

		# Then open it in Sequencer

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.open_level_sequence(level_sequence)

Access Current Level Sequence

You can also access a currently-opened Level Sequence using the following script:

		import unreal

		# Get the currently opened Level Sequence

		level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

Create and Open Level Sequence

You can use the following script to create a new Level Sequence Asset and open it:

		import unreal

		# Get asset tools

		asset_tools = unreal.AssetToolsHelpers.get_asset_tools()

		# Create a Level Sequence with name LevelSequenceName in root content folder

		level_sequence = unreal.AssetTools.create_asset(asset_tools, asset_name = "LevelSequenceName", package_path = "/Game/", asset_class = unreal.LevelSequence, factory = unreal.LevelSequenceFactoryNew())

Get and Set the Currently Viewed Level Sequences

You can use the following scripts to get or set the level sequence of focus in Sequencer:

		# Get the current level sequence of focus

		focused_level_seqeunce = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_focused_level_sequence()

You can also focus on a specific sub sequence by providing the sub sequence section to focus on:

		# Get the first sub sequence track and get the first section from the level sequence

		sub_sequence_track = level_sequence.find_tracks_by_type(unreal.MovieSceneSubTrack)[0]

		sub_sequence_section = sub_sequence_track.get_sections()[0]

		# Set the current level sequence of focus

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.focus_level_sequence(sub_sequence_section)

To focus back on a parent sequence, all you would need to do is run this command:

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.focus_parent_sequence()

Querying and Editing a Level Sequence

Once you have access to a Level Sequence in Python, you can perform changes to it. There are a variety of ways to affect your sequence, and some examples will be provided below.

Change Frame Rate

By default, Level Sequences play at a rate of 30 frames per second (fps). To change this playback rate, you can use the following commands:

		# Create a frame rate object and set to the desired fps number

		frame_rate = unreal.FrameRate(numerator = 60, denominator = 1)

		# Set the display rate

		level_sequence.set_display_rate(frame_rate)

Change Start and End Times

By default, A sequence's playback range is set to start at frame 0 and end at frame 150 (Assuming the frame rate is 30fps). You can adjust both the start and end frames with the following commands:

		# Set the playback range to 20-200

		level_sequence.set_playback_start(20)

		level_sequence.set_playback_end(200)

Adding Actors

To add an actor from your current Level for Sequencer to possess, use the following commands:

		# Get the Actor and Level Sequence Editor subsystems

		actor_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.EditorActorSubsystem)

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		# Add selected actors to current level sequence as possessables

		actors = actor_system.get_selected_level_actors()

		bindings = ls_system.add_actors(actors)

To add a Camera object through python scripting, mimicking the process through the Sequencer UI, use the following command :

		# Get the Level Sequence Editor subsystem

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		# Add a spawnable camera actor binding, with a camera cut track

		camera = ls_system.create_camera(spawnable = True)

Instead of possessing an actor present in your Level, you can spawn actors using python you can use for the duration of the sequence. Using the previously mentioned add_actors in the LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem, you can first use a command to make the actor possessables and then convert it to a spawnable object. Use the following commands to add a spawnable to your sequence:

		# Get the Actor and Level Sequence Editor subsystems

		actor_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.EditorActorSubsystem)

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		# Add selected actors to current level sequence as possessables

		actors = actor_system.get_selected_level_actors()

		bindings = ls_system.add_actors(actors)

		# Loop through all the added bindings

For binding in bindings:

		# Convert to spawnable

		ls_system.convert_to_spawnable(binding)

If necessary, you can additionally convert spawnables back to possesables with the following command using the LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem:

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		selected_bindings = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_bindings()

For binding in selected_bindings:

		ls_system.convert_to_possessable(binding)

Creating Tracks and Sections

You can also add Tracks and Sections through Python scripting, with each track type informing the section type. For example:

Transform Tracks are defined as unreal.MovieScene3DTransformTrack and their sections use unreal.MovieScene3DTransformSection.
Skeletal Mesh Animation Tracks are defined as unreal.MovieSceneSkeletalAnimationTrack and their sections use unreal.MovieSceneSkeletalAnimationSection.

To add Tracks and Sections, use the following commands:

		# Use the binding to add tracks into sequencer - specified by track type

		transform_track = actor_binding.add_track(unreal.MovieScene3DTransformTrack)

		anim_track = actor_binding.add_track(unreal.MovieSceneSkeletalAnimationTrack)

		# Add section to track to be able to manipulate range, parameters, or properties

		transform_section = transform_track.add_section()

		anim_section = anim_track.add_section()

		# Get level sequence start and end frame

		start_frame = level_sequence.get_playback_start()

		end_frame = level_sequence.get_playback_end()

		# Set section range to level sequence start and end frame

		transform_section.set_range(start_frame, end_frame)

		anim_section.set_range(start_frame, end_frame)

		# Refresh to visually see the new tracks and sections added

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.refresh_current_level_sequence()

Some sections may require properties to be defined in order to be used. In the case of an Animation Track section, an animation asset must be defined. To do this, use the following commands:

		# Get the animation sequence asset

		anim_seq = unreal.load_asset("/Game/Mannequin/Animations/ThirdPersonWalk")

		# Get the section, get the parameters, set animation to anim sequence asset

		anim_section.params.animation = anim_seq

Copy and Paste Commands

Additionally, Objects, Tracks, sections and folders can all be organized and managed using python scripting, using the following copy and paste functions:

Folders

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		selected_folders = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_folders()

		level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

		# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputted to paste

		ls_system.copy_folders(selected_folders)

		# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

		# In this case, this will paste to the same level sequence where it was copied from

		paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteFoldersParams()

		paste_params.sequence = level_sequence

		paste_params.parent_folder = None

		# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

		ls_system.paste_folders("", paste_params)

Bindings

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		selected_bindings = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_bindings()

		# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputted to paste

		ls_system.copy_bindings(selected_bindings)

		# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

		# In this case, this will paste to the same level sequence where it was copied from

		# Since the properties require arrays of specific type, we will have to pass an empty array

		paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteBindingsParams()

		paste_params.bindings = []

		paste_params.folders = []

		paste_params.parent_folder = []

		# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

		ls_system.paste_bindings("", paste_params)

Tracks

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

		tracks_to_copy_from = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()

		# The first selected binding will be the one from the selected track

		bindings_to_paste_to = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_bindings()[1:]

		# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputed to paste

		ls_system.copy_tracks(tracks_to_copy_from)

		# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

		# In this case, this will paste to selected tracks to the selected bindings

		# Since the properties require arrays of specific type, we will have to pass an empty array

		paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteTracksParams()

		paste_params.bindings = bindings_to_paste_to

		paste_params.folders = []

		paste_params.parent_folder = None

		paste_params.sequence = level_sequence

		# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

		ls_system.paste_tracks("", paste_params)

ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

tracks_to_copy_from = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()

# The first selected binding will be the one from the selected track

bindings_to_paste_to = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_bindings()[1:]

# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputed to paste

ls_system.copy_tracks(tracks_to_copy_from)

# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

# In this case, this will paste to selected tracks to the selected bindings

# Since the properties require arrays of specific type, we will have to pass an empty array

paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteTracksParams()

paste_params.bindings = bindings_to_paste_to

paste_params.folders = []

paste_params.parent_folder = None

paste_params.sequence = level_sequence

# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

ls_system.paste_tracks("", paste_params)

Sections

		ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

		level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

		# Get the sections from the first selected track

		sections_to_copy_from = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()[0].get_sections()

		# Get any tracks after the first selected track.

		tracks_to_paste_to = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()[1:]

		# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputed to paste

		ls_system.copy_sections(sections_to_copy_from)

		# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

		# In this case, this will paste to selected section in same level sequence where it was copied from at the sequence's start time

		# Since the properties require arrays of specific type, we will have to pass an empty array

		paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteSectionsParams()

		paste_params.time = unreal.FrameTime()

		paste_params.track_row_indices = []

		paste_params.tracks = tracks_to_paste_to

		# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

		ls_system.paste_sections("", paste_params)

ls_system = unreal.get_editor_subsystem(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorSubsystem)

level_sequence = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_current_level_sequence()

# Get the sections from the first selected track

sections_to_copy_from = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()[0].get_sections()

# Get any tracks after the first selected track.

tracks_to_paste_to = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_selected_tracks()[1:]

# Gets added to clipboard, returns text that can be inputed to paste

ls_system.copy_sections(sections_to_copy_from)

# Create parameters to determine where this will paste to

# In this case, this will paste to selected section in same level sequence where it was copied from at the sequence's start time

# Since the properties require arrays of specific type, we will have to pass an empty array

paste_params = unreal.MovieScenePasteSectionsParams()

paste_params.time = unreal.FrameTime()

paste_params.track_row_indices = []

paste_params.tracks = tracks_to_paste_to

# Will look at clipboard if string is empty, however you can input the return text from copy_bindings

ls_system.paste_sections("", paste_params)

Track Filtering

Track filtering commands can also be used:

		# Get track filter names and print them

		track_filter_names = unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.get_track_filter_names()

		for track_filter_name in track_filter_names:

		print(track_filter_name)

		# Set the track filter for Skeletal Mesh and Selected Control Rig Controls

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.set_track_filter_enabled("Skeletal Mesh", True)

		unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.set_track_filter_enabled("Selected Control Rig Controls", True)

		# See the filter enabled status per track

		print(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.is_track_filter_enabled("Event"))

		print(unreal.LevelSequenceEditorBlueprintLibrary.is_track_filter_enabled("Skeletal Mesh"))

Additional Sequencer Scripting Resources

For more resources on general Sequencer Python scripting, refer to the Sequencer scripting examples located in your local engine path:

…\Engine\Plugins\MovieScene\SequencerScripting\Content\Python