Unreal Fest 2024 - LiveLab Animating MetaHumans with Game Animation Sample Project

WIP Coming soon to the Unreal dev learning platform! Introduction This proposal outlines a comprehensive plan for a new game animation sample project utilizing Unreal Engine, aimed at enhancing the educational resources and practical tools available through Epic Games Lab. This project will provide hands-on experience with Unreal Engine's robust animation features, assets, and tools. Objectives To demonstrate the setup and utilization of a game animation project in Unreal Engine. To provide detailed guidance on importing and manipulating character animations. To showcase the creation and adjustment of camera sequences. To integrate MetaHuman mesh2metahuman & animations and provide tutorials on their use. To extend the course content with advanced animation pipelines and realistic environment creation. To see easy clever ways to play with our takes in play mode To get hand on experience on how to build cinematic shots in realtime Project Components Unreal Engine Game Animation Sample Project This project includes a comprehensive 500 (now 800! in 5.5) -animation pack for integration into Unreal Engine projects. The primary focus will be on demonstrating various animation features, with step-by-step guidance on project setup, character importation, and animation adjustments. Emphasis will be placed on animation systems rather than gameplay mechanics, providing a clear understanding of the animation workflow. Game Engine Overview and Sequence Manipulation An overview of game engine features, including upcoming functionalities and character customization options, will be presented. This section will highlight the manipulation of sequences within the software, emphasizing the use of a master sequence for dynamic camera motion adaptation and subject capture. Creating Camera Sequences and Adjustments This component will demonstrate the process of creating and adjusting camera sequences. It will cover the addition and placement of cameras, animation of camera movements, and adjustment of camera settings to achieve various cinematic effects. The versatility of the tool will be emphasized, showcasing its capability to capture a range of shots from static wide-angles to dynamic close-ups. MetaHuman Sandbox Animation Tutorial This tutorial will guide users through using MetaHuman sandbox characters to bake animation sequences. It will cover transforming animations, baking them into the MetaHuman control rig, and making necessary tweaks. The tutorial will also explain switching between IK and FK controls, adding keyframes for switches, and utilizing the weight system for animation corrections. MetaHuman Animation Integration Demonstration This demonstration will show the integration of MetaHuman animations into a project. It will include baking animations into sequences, replacing placeholders with MetaHumans, and retargeting animations to the MetaHuman skeleton. The process will illustrate creating realistic animations, such as a MetaHuman running and giving a fist bump, with potential future enhancements using AR kit face animations. Course Extension and Class Planning The course content will be extended to include the Medium and animator pipeline, providing a complete understanding of advanced animation workflows. The extension will also cover asset pulling from platforms like Quixel, Fab, and the Unreal Engine marketplace. Plans will include incorporating urban sample buildings for realistic environment creation and organizing these assets to build a cohesive scene. Additionally, a music track and HDRI cityscape integration will be included to unify the environment. Summary of 3D Animation Process and MetaHuman Render Settings This summary will detail the process of creating and rendering 3D animations using the MetaHuman and Apple ProRes pipeline. It will address common issues, such as rendering MetaHuman hair, and provide workarounds. A proposed talk will cover world building, metahuman integration to record takes using motion setup, potentially extending to more aspects of the workflow for a comprehensive educational experience.