Shape your character's body with the Body Params tool. Use parametric modeling to set overall proportions with broad controls and then refine local regions, or enable a fixed (compatibility) mode to start from one of a predefined set of body types.
The Body Params tool is available from the Head and Body tool category in MetaHuman Creator.
Using the Tool
Choose how you want to shape your character's body. Parametric modeling provides statistically driven sliders for specific body parts that you can pin and refine, while fixed compatibility bodies provide predefined starting points that you can convert to a parametric model.
Learn more about individual properties in the Tool Settings section of this page.
Enable Fixed Compatibility Body Mode
To use the Fixed Body mode, you must first enable Show Compatibility Mode Bodies in the Project Settings.
Once enabled, the mode becomes available. If you have the MetaHuman Creator editor open before enabling the project setting, close and reopen the editor for the change to take effect.
Adjust Parametric Parameters
You can use the Global parameter category to make large, global changes to your character's body, and the remaining measurement inputs are grouped by region. You can adjust a parameter by:
Dragging the slider to the desired setting.
Clicking to enter a value.
Adjusting a value automatically pins that parameter, preventing it from changing as you modify other parameters.
Click the pin icon to lock a parameter at its current value or to unlock it. Pinned parameters display their measurement locations in the viewport. You can pin an entire group of parameters to retain the current shape while you continue to edit other parts of the body.
Convert a Fixed Body to Parametric
You can convert a fixed body back to parametric to make further refinements. To convert, click Perform Parametric Fit under the Parametric section.
Converting from a fixed to a parametric body is an approximation and can result in some visual differences.
Workflow Tips
As you change a measurement, you move through a statistical space defined by real-life data, and some features in that data correlate. For example, changing the Muscularity slider also changes the Fat property unless you pin the parameter first, because there is an observable correlation between the two variables.
The order in which you modify and pin parameters strongly affects how you achieve your desired result. Start with broad adjustments, for example, the global parameters, and then refine the result with the localized controls in order of granularity.
Avoid pinning many parameters, especially early on. It is better to set larger parameters first and let the model freely fit the others based on those changes, locking parameters as you go while following a workflow order from large to small granularity.
The behavior of some controls is co-dependent: locking the value of one can change the behavior of another as the model fits to your measurement inputs.
The Waist and Underbust parameters are a good example. To see this, try the following:
Use the Global parameters to quickly create a character.
Lock the Height parameter.
Modify the Waist parameter and observe the result.
Reset the Waist parameter back to the previous value by unpinning it.
Pin Underbust at the current value.
Modify the Waist parameter and observe the result.
Tool Settings
Use the settings below to shape your character parametrically or to start from a fixed compatibility body.
Parametric
The Parametric global parameters define the overall proportions and then use lower-level controls to refine local regions.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
Global | Provides broad, global controls for making large changes to your character's body. This includes:
|
Region Parameters | Group measurement inputs by body region for localized refinement. This includes:
|
Pin | Locks a parameter at its current value so it does not change as you modify other parameters. Pinned parameters display their measurement locations in the viewport. |
Perform Parametric Fit | Converts a fixed (compatibility) body back to a parametric body for further refinement. |
The Diagnostics parameter group includes read-only values that display the model's global diameter.
| Diagnostics Property | Description |
|---|---|
Shoulder Height | Floor to shoulder height. |
Rise | Crotch height; the vertical distance from the crotch to the floor. |
You can use the Body Parameters group to adjust viewport visuals and set measurement ranges. It also includes the button to reset your model.
| Body Parameters | Description |
|---|---|
Show Measurement | Shows debug lines of active measurements in the viewport. |
Scale Ranges by Height | Scales the measurement ranges by height to help stay within realistic model proportions. |
Unlock Body Ranges | Unlocks the measurement ranges to provide more flexible body proportions. |
Parameters Range Multipler | Applies a multiplier to the measurement ranges defined in the body model to expand or contract the range of the sliders for each constraint. This does not affect the actual constraints in the model, just the user interface (UI) representation of them. |
Body Delta | Controls the application of the vertex difference (delta) to the body mesh when fitting to a parametric input. |
Reset Body | Resets the character model to the initial shape when opening the tool. |
Fixed (Compatibility) Body
Fixed body types provide predefined starting points, similar to presets, for body adjustments.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
Body Type | Selects one of the predefined set of body types as a starting point. |
Height | Adjusts the height of the selected preset. After adjusting the height, select the preset again to apply it to the model. |
