# Animation Retargeting Source and Target Meshes empty **URL:** \ **Category:** Character & Animation\ **Tags:** target, source, unreal-engine, skeletalmesh, question\ **Created:** [December 3, 2018, 7:29am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/animation-retargeting-source-and-target-meshes-empty/438749 "2018-12-03T07:29:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TorQueMoD](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/torquemod/32/710746_2.png) [@TorQueMoD](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/TorQueMoD)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 7:29am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/animation-retargeting-source-and-target-meshes-empty/438749/1 "2018-12-03T07:29:04Z")
Using 4.20 I’m trying to retarget the animations from one mesh onto another. The two meshes are in the same base pose (A-Pose) and they both have their preview mesh set, but when I try to retarget, neither of the meshes show up in the retargetting window and I can’t re-target the animations. ![](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/9/2/2/92253d3ef32903900b9f9610529c602d65f67e80.jpeg) If I just ignore the fact that neither of the meshes is displaying, I get the error: “…need to have preview mesh setup to convert animation” but the preview mesh is set and applied. I don’t know what I’m missing. ---
**Author:** ![TorQueMoD](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/torquemod/32/710746_2.png) [@TorQueMoD](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/TorQueMoD)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2018, 8:56am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/animation-retargeting-source-and-target-meshes-empty/438749/2 "2018-12-03T08:56:31Z")
Okay, so apparently when you choose the preview mesh, hitting the apply button once doesn’t work. You literally have to keep hitting it at random intervals until you see the asterix \* appear in the mesh. Then it will actually apply the stupid preview mesh. Why this isn’t automatic is beyond me. Stupid UE4!