MetaHuman Animator

MetaHuman Animator is a suite of Unreal Engine tools for generating animation from various forms of performance capture data, such as audio, video, or depth data, either in real time or offline. Within MetaHuman Animator, you can create animation for your MetaHuman character using facial and body performances captured from a wide range of video and audio devices.

There are three ways to generate animation:

• In real time from any mono video camera (including webcam), mobile device (using the Live Link Face app), or audio source.

• Offline from depth data captured with a TrueDepth camera on an iOS device, or a stereo head-mounted camera (HMC).

• Offline from mono video or audio.

Realtime Animation Quickstart

To animate an assembled MetaHuman character that has been added to a level in real time from a webcam:

1. Enable the MetaHuman Live Link plugin.

2. Open the Live Link window and add a new MetaHuman Video Source and Subject.

3. Add the character blueprint for an assembled MetaHuman Character to a level.

4. In the Details panel for the character in the level, navigate to the Live Link section and select the Live Link Subject created in step 2.

5. Your character should begin to animate based on your facial performance.

Audio Driven Animation Quickstart

To generate animation offline from audio:

1. Enable the MetaHuman Animator plugin.

2. Create a new SoundWave asset using Take Recorder or by importing an existing audio file.

3. Create a new instance of the MetaHuman Performance asset.

4. Double click on the asset to open the MetaHuman Performance asset editor.

5. Select Audio as the Input Type, and pick the SoundWave asset in the Audio field.

6. Click Process.

Offline Animation from Mono Video Quickstart

The offline workflow to generate animation from mono video consists of the following steps:

1. Ingest captured footage using Capture Manager in Live Link Hub. You must use the Mono Video, Live Link Face, or Take Archive device.

2. Generate animation for each take using the MetaHuman Performance asset.

3. Export the animation curves as an Animation Sequence or Level Sequence asset.

Next Steps

The following pages  guided you through the different types of animation sources and workflows available with MetaHuman Animator to bring your creation to life. 

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  Getting Started in MetaHuman Animator

  Enable one or more plugins to use MetaHuman Animator in Unreal Engine.

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  Recommended Unreal Engine Project Settings

  These are the recommended project settings for using MetaHuman Animator.

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  Performance Capture Guidelines

  Learn best practices for capturing body and facial performance to use with MetaHuman Animator.

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  Real-Time Animation

  Animate your MetaHuman character in real time from any mono camera (including webcam), supported mobile device, or audio source.

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  Animation from Depth Data

  Animate your MetaHuman from depth data captured with a TrueDepth camera on an iPhone or iPad, or a stereo head-mounted camera (HMC).

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  Animation from Mono Video Capture

  Learn to import and process markerless footage to create animation sequences for MetaHumans.

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  Audio Driven Animation

  Learn how to process audio into realistic facial animations for your MetaHuman.

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  Python Scripting for MetaHuman Animator

  Use the Python API and example scripts to automate MetaHuman Animator.

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  Mesh to MetaHuman

  Create a MetaHuman Identity from a mesh or video footage.

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  Asset Reference

  A more detailed reference for the assets used by MetaHuman Animator.