The Live Link Face source can be used to receive animation data generated by the Live Link Face iOS or Android application running on a mobile device connected to the same local network. Unlike other video or audio sources, animation is generated directly on the device and streamed to Unreal Engine in the form of solved animation data.
In order to use this Live Link source you will need to make sure that your PC is not connected to a VPN, as this will likely block any connection attempts to devices on your local network. In addition, in order to utilize automatic device discovery the mobile device and PC should be connected to the same network subnet.
Create a Live Link Face Source
Click Add Source and select the Live Link Face option.
Select the newly created source to show the Live Link source settings in the right hand panel.
Select an available Mobile Device from the Server section to automatically populate the Host and Port fields.
This requires the mobile device to be connected to the same local network as the PC running Unreal Engine and the Live Link Face application must be running on the mobile device.
(Optional) Specify a Subject Name. This is used to configure the MetaHuman for Live Link animation input. If not specified, for iOS devices the subject name configured on the mobile device will be used, and for Android devices the subject name will be “Android”. Both devices will store the previously specified subject name if it was set here in a previous session.
Click Connect. This will start streaming animation data and create a subject with the chosen subject name.
When using Live Link Face for iOS, the Capture ‘Mode’ option must be set to ‘MetaHuman Animator’ in order for animation data to be generated by the device and streamed to Unreal Engine.
When successfully connected, the new subject will appear in the list of available subjects with a green tick icon to show that it is operating normally. If you see an amber warning triangle, verify that the device camera has a clear view of the face.
Manually Setting the Mobile Device Network Details
If the mobile device is not automatically detected on the network, you may need to enter the network IP address of the device manually.
iOS
As of Live Link Face iOS v1.6.0, on-device cameras can be used so long as the recording of depth data is not necessary. To allow other on-device cameras to be selected, turn off Capture Depth within the video settings screen. This allows mono video footage to be captured. When capturing mono video, a much larger range of frame rate options become available.
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Android
As of Live Link Face Android v1.1.0, on-device cameras can be used with a range of supported frame rate options. Additionally, experimental USB camera support is now available on Android.
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For both iOS and Android, the achievable real-time processing frame rate depends on the capabilities of the device. As a result, the target frame rate you select may not be achievable. If this is the case, when consistent real-time performance is preferred, we recommend selecting a lower frame rate target.
Manually Setting the Mobile Device Network Details
If the mobile device is not automatically detected on the network, you may need to enter the network IP address of the device manually.
iOS
On an iOS device, you can find the current IP address of the device within the Live Link Face app by looking in the Device section of the Settings screen. Use these details to populate the Host field before clicking the Connect button. The default Port value of 14785 is the required value and does not need to be modified.
Android
On Android, the IP address is not currently shown within the application. Instead, you will need to navigate to your system settings app and find the IP address of the device within network settings.
Use these details to populate the Host field before clicking the Connect button. The default Port value of 14785 is the required value and does not need to be modified.
Configure the Live Link Face Subject
Selecting the new subject within the list will show the subject settings.
See the Configuring a MetaHuman Video Subject page for more details about how to configure this subject. Once configured, the new subject can be used to animate your MetaHuman character.
Next Up
Connecting a Live Link Subject to Your MetaHuman
This guide describes how to connect a Live Link subject to a MetaHuman to animate it in real time.