As of Unreal Engine 4.24, we recommend using Take Recorder instead of Sequence Recorder.
The Sequence Recorder allows you to capture specified Actors during level editing or gameplay that can be saved as a new Level Sequence, and can be edited inside of Sequencer. This is useful for quickly capturing content for scenes, as you can take a playable character, perform some actions during gameplay while recording with the Sequence Recorder, then take that data into Sequencer, creating a cinematic around it.
In this example, we will use the Sequence Recorder to record our playable character's movement, which we can then edit.
Steps
For this How-to, we are using the Blueprint Third Person Template project with Starter Content Enabled.
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From the Menu Bar under Window, select Sequence Recorder.
The Sequence Recorder window will automatically open. There are some options under Sequence Recording which will determine how (and where) the new Level Sequence asset will be saved. You can choose to record Actors that are spawned (such as particle effects, other characters, etc.), determine the naming convention and save location, and change other settings like the duration to record or delay before starting to record.
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From the Main Editor Toolbar, click the Play button to start a Play in Editor (PIE) session.
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Press Shift+F1 to gain mouse control once inside the game.
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On the Sequence Recorder window, click the Add button.
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Click on the new recording (which will say None), then for Actor to Record click the drop-down and select ThirdPersonCharacter.
This is where we specify which Actor to target before starting the recording process, updating the UI as shown above.
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Optionally, you can choose to record audio and set the audio gain levels along with your recorded clip.
Audio recording requires an attached microphone and will start recording when the sequence starts recording.
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Click the Record button. After 4 seconds (which is the Record Delay option under the Sequence Recording section), the recording process will start.
When clicking the Record button, all Actors in the list that are set to be tracked will also be recorded.
- Use the WASD and Spacebar keys to move the character around and jump, then press ESC when done.
Inside the Content Browser, a new folder will be created containing assets related to the recorded sequence.
End Result
You can open the RecordedSequence asset and begin editing it as you would a normal Level Sequence. Below is our recorded sequence, to which we could add cameras, and a Camera Cuts track to provide multiple angles, music, effects, or anything else we'd like to add. We could even take this sequence and embed it in other sequences as part of a Shots Track.
In addition to recording gameplay, you can record your actions during level editing by assigning an Actor to Record.
Above, we have placed a cube in our level and instructed the Sequence Recorder to record the cube. We then moved the cube around and the Sequence Recorder captured the movements we entered through keyframes in a newly created Level Sequence. When we play back our Level Sequence, a new Cube Actor is created (as a spawnable) in the Level Sequence, which is why a second Cube appears when the sequence is active.
Only properties that can be keyframed, can be captured and recorded when Level Editing recording.