Preface
Technology and art have always gone hand in hand. In recent years, we have seen technology evolve rapidly, and for many of us, the advancements are hard to keep track of. The technology behind movies is no different.
I grew up in the 1980s when all film technology was analog. An incredibly inspiring film for me was Clash of the Titans (1981). Learning that the visual effects animation was created by just one person, Ray Harryhausen, amazed me. Fast-forward to the 2000s, and there are now teams consisting of hundreds of visual effects artists and animators, with several companies working on one single film title.
With Unreal Engine and MetaHuman Creator, things have seemingly gone full circle. Gone are the days when cinema-quality animation and VFX tools were exclusive to large and wealthy studios. With a reasonably powered computer, even a laptop, people can now make their own films. There are no boundaries and no excuses. We are at the exciting dawn of a new era, where we will see new Ray Harryhausens emerge.
Who this book is for
This book is written by a filmmaker for filmmakers. To understand some of the more difficult concepts introduced in the book, you should have a reasonable understanding of the filmmaking process, particularly 3D animation. If you’ve dabbled with 3D character animation and have read at least one book on the subject, you should have no problem understanding anything written in the book. If you don’t have any prior learning, don’t worry – you can still progress to the end without getting stuck.
Ultimately, this is a step-by-step guide on how to create an animated MetaHuman with Unreal. It covers various techniques that you can apply to your own ideas and designs.
What this book covers
In Chapter 1, Getting Started with Unreal, you will learn what Unreal is, what a MetaHuman is, and how to set up Unreal Engine on your computer.
In Chapter 2, Creating Characters in the MetaHuman Interface, we will examine all the major features of the Metahuman Creator Interface, how to edit a MetaHuman, and also how to download and export your own MetaHuman.
In Chapter 3, Diving into the MetaHuman Blueprint, we will learn what a Blueprint is and how to use them in relation to MetaHumans.
In Chapter 4, Retargeting Animations, we will learn all about IK Rigs, IK Chains, and the IK Retargeter.
In Chapter 5, Retargeting Animations with Mixamo, we learn how to retarget animation with Mixamo animation assets.
In Chapter 6, Adding Motion Capture with DeepMotion, similar to the previous chapter, we will learn about markerless motion capture using DeepMotion and how we can retarget DeepMotion-acquired motion capture data onto a MetaHuman.
In Chapter 7, Using the Level Sequencer, we will learn about the Level Sequencer and how we can use it to control our MetaHuman character.
In Chapter 8, Using an iPhone for Facial Motion Capture, we will learn how to install the Live Link app and use an iPhone to capture facial capture live and directly into Unreal Engine.
In Chapter 9, Using Faceware for Facial Motion Capture, as an alternative to the last chapter, we will look at how we can use a simple webcam to get an equally high standard of facial motion capture utilizing the Faceware software.
In Chapter 10, Blending Animations and Advanced Rendering with the Level Sequencer, we will look at how we can use multiple motion capture clips inside a Level Sequencer. This chapter will also introduce some advanced rendering concepts using the Level Sequencer, such as Post Process Volumes.
In Chapter 11, Using the Mesh to MetaHuman Plugin, as a bonus, you will learn about a new plugin that allows users to adapt their own 3D scans for their MetaHumans to be based on.
To get the most out of this book
To get the most out of this book, a basic understanding of concepts from the 3D animation industry such as meshes, video timelines, motion capture, and keyframes is required. Some experience with 3D applications such as Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini, Blender, Cinema 4D, or Modo would be an advantage.
It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the results of motion capture and 3D animation by watching behind-the-scenes clips from VFX movies such as Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Avengers.
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Software/hardware covered in the book |
Operating system requirements |
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Unreal Engine version 5.01 or above |
Windows or macOS |
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iPhone X or above |
iOS |
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Faceware software | |
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Live Link | |
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Kiri Engine |
You will need a fast internet connection and a lot of hard drive space. A MetaHuman character when downloaded will easily take up about 4 GB of hard drive space, and an Unreal Engine project with a simple MetaHuman scene could take up to around 50 GB of hard drive space. Additionally, a high-spec graphics card such as an NVIDIA RTX 3000 series is recommended.
Also, take a look at the writer’s YouTube channel for tips and tricks regarding all aspects of Unreal Engine and MetaHumans relating to this book as soon as they become available: https://bit.ly/3Fv9u18.
Download the color images
We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/5RXwo.
Conventions used
Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see on screen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Select System info from the Administration panel.”
Tips or important notes
Appear like this.
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