MetaHuman Creator is a powerful toolset for creating high-fidelity, digital-humanoid characters that work for a variety of games and applications.
This tutorial provides an overview of the workflow used to create a stylized character using MetaHuman Creator, Maya (and the MetaHuman for Maya plugin), and your favorite texture editing software such as Substance or Photoshop.
This tutorial assumes that you are an experienced character artist and have knowledge of character creation workflows.
Prerequisites
The MetaHuman Stylized Character tutorial shows how to convert your stylized character into a MetaHuman using MetaHuman Creator, and how to make the necessary changes to the rig and geometry to match your original design. You can follow the tutorial using your own character asset with the following guidelines:
Your character is modeled in the A-pose rather than the T-pose. This does not need to perfectly match the MetaHuman A-pose.
Your character does not need to use standard MetaHuman topology.
Your character model and any clothing meshes should be on game-ready topology with baked textures.
Check out the end result of this tutorial by downloading the MetaHuman Vampire Character Asset available on the Fab Marketplace.
Software Requirements
Unreal Engine 5.8 or higher, with the MetaHuman Core Data installed and including the following plugin:
MetaHuman Creator
For more information on using MetaHuman Creator, and which MetaHuman plugins are required, see MetaHuman Creator.
Maya 2024, 2025, 2026 or 2027, or higher with the following plugins:
For more information on downloading and setting up the MetaHuman for Maya plugin, see Installing MetaHuman for Maya.
Important Concepts and Features
This tutorial uses the following concepts and features:
MetaHuman Creator Import tool
MetaHuman for Maya to assemble body and face rigs from DNA assets and edit them.
Foundational character rigging concepts such as joints, skinweights, blendshapes, helper joints, Radial Basis Functions, and how these are used to build the MetaHuman body and face deformation rigs.
MetaHuman A-pose
Basic understanding of Animation Blueprints
Foundational modeling skills. Using the Expression Editor requires an understanding of correct edge loop placement and its effect on facial deformation results.
What this tutorial does not cover:
Hair card authoring techniques. For more information on creating and styling hair grooms for MetaHumans, see the following:
Cape rigging and simulation using Chaos physics. For more information, see Cloth Simulation and Creating Parametric Clothing for Fab.
Workflow Overview
Below is an overview of the workflow used to create a stylized character:
File Reference
Over the course of this tutorial, you will create the following files:
| File Name | Description |
|---|---|
| A special pose DNA file that stores the combined body and head mesh and body rig (joints and RBF). Used as part of advanced MetaHuman Creator workflows where round-tripping of mesh data between your 3D application and MetaHuman Creator is required. This file contains exported data in the current MetaHuman Creator pose state. If you built the MetaHuman rig, this will be the standard MetaHuman A-pose. The Pose Editor in the MetaHuman for Maya toolset is the only tool that can open this DNA file. You cannot assemble using the Character Assembler since this file does not contain the full representation of the MetaHuman character. |
| FBX files that contain the character’s head, body, and teeth meshes. Used to bring the MetaHuman-compatible modified meshes back into MetaHuman Creator for auto-rigging. |
Vampire DCC package export folder | Folder containing the complete character representation that is compatible with the Character Assembler. Will be assembled in Maya to update clothing meshes, facial expressions, and to modify body deformations. |
| Stores a temporary static (unskinned) version of the clothing meshes in the standard MetaHuman A-pose. |
| Clothing meshes in the standard MetaHuman A-pose and skinned to the MetaHuman skeleton. Will be imported into Unreal Engine as skeletal meshes to clothe your character. |
| DNA file containing the edited expression shapes for import back into MetaHuman Creator. |
| DNA file containing the edited body rig for import back into MetaHuman Creator. |
This tutorial is designed to do each step below in sequence.
Character Geometry and Rig Creation
The first step is to generate your character using MetaHuman mesh topology and a first-pass body rig (without clothes), using the import From Custom Mesh in MetaHuman Creator in Unreal Engine 5.8 or later.
Facial Rig Editing
For heavily stylized characters that greatly differ from standard human anatomy, you may find that the initial import From Custom Mesh result doesn’t perfectly match your input. This step covers how to make adjustments to the neutral face mesh in Maya that you then use to regenerate the face rig in MetaHuman Creator.
Body Rig Editing
You then transfer the resulting body rig onto your clothing meshes in Maya, using the DNA file format and the MetaHuman For Maya plugin to roundtrip the data. As part of this process, you will need to manage pose differences between the model A-pose and the standard MetaHuman A-pose to ensure mesh and rig alignment as you continue to iterate on the character.
Texture and Material Editing
MetaHuman Creator’s materials and textures provide a great starting point for realistic humans. However, for achieving a more stylised likeness some additional work is required to achieve the desired look.
Final Assembly
The final step is to assemble your stylized character in Unreal Engine and with clothing and facial meshes.
