Complete Guide to MetaHuman Animator: Capturing and Animating Facial Expressions

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through the steps to capture and animate facial expressions for your MetaHuman character using Unreal Engine 5.2 and an iPhone. Here’s the process in a simplified, easy-to-follow format:

Step 1: Download the Live Link Face App

• Head to the App Store and download the Live Link Face app for iPhone.
• Set the capture mode to MetaHuman Animator.

Step 2: Set Up Your Takes

• Before recording, name your takes for easy organization.
• For calibration, capture a static shot of you looking straight, then move left, right, and open your mouth wide.

Step 3: Record Main Animations

• After calibration, change the name of the take and record as many main animations as needed.

Step 4: Install MetaHumans in Unreal Engine

• Open Epic Launcher and ensure you’ve installed Unreal Engine 5.2 or above.
• Download MetaHumans and the MetaHuman Animator plugin from the Marketplace. If already installed, access them from your Vault and install them into your engine.

Step 5: Create Your MetaHuman Project

• Start a new project from Quicksilver Bridge.
• Add a MetaHuman to your project and set up the scene with proper lighting.
• Configure your project settings for better performance, especially if you’re working with a high-performance PC.

Step 6: Import iPhone Footage into Unreal Engine

• Create a new folder in your Content Browser.
• Right-click to create a MetaHuman Animator folder.
• Import your recorded takes using Live Link Face Archives or Live Link Face Connection to transfer footage.

Step 7: Calibrate the MetaHuman Face

• To calibrate the MetaHuman face, create a MetaHuman Identity from your calibration footage.
• Mark key frames for front, left, and right poses, promoting the frames to fit the MetaHuman’s landmarks.
• Add teeth poses using the calibration video and fit the landmarks to define your teeth.

Step 8: Solve and Finalize MetaHuman Face

• Click on MetaHuman Identity Solve, select the body type, and click Mesh to MetaHuman to map your animation to the MetaHuman face.
• Prepare for performance and let Unreal Engine process your animation.

Step 9: Add Facial Animation to MetaHuman

• After solving, export the level sequence for the MetaHuman animation.
• Import it into your scene, and switch the MetaHuman head to match the main character.

Step 10: Animate the Body and Retarget Movements

• Use default animations (e.g., idle, walk) from the Third-Person Mode in Unreal Engine.
• Retarget animations from the Manny mannequin to your MetaHuman skeleton.
• Add both head and body animations to the sequence for a complete performance.

Step 11: Final Touches

• Bake the final animation sequence, ensuring both the head and body are animated.
• If you encounter animation issues, restarting Unreal Engine usually resolves them.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to create professional-level facial and body animations for your MetaHuman characters using Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman Animator. Happy animating!