# Ask Epic Anything: Animation & Cinematics | June 21st, 2023 at 10AM EST **URL:** \ **Category:** Announcements\ **Tags:** fortnite-creative, unreal-editor-for-fortnite, AskEpicAnything, STAFF-PICK-FN, fortnite\ **Created:** [June 14, 2023, 6:51pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295 "2023-06-14T18:51:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![chasecooper](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/chasecooper/32/997466_2.png) [@chasecooper](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/chasecooper)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/42 "2023-06-21T15:11:49Z")
> [@DimensionDragon](#): > > What do you think are the best resources/videos/etc. to use in order to become an advanced animator in UEFN? The road to becoming an advanced animator is all about learning the mechanics and basics of animation. Learning how to animate a bouncing ball, ball with legs to practice walk cycles, and pendulum exercises. Some wonderful resources that a lot of us have used - The Illusion of Life (book) Richard Williams : The Animators Survival Kit (book) There are several really good online animation schools which could also give you a really really good understanding of learning animation. AnimationMentor AnimSchool IAnimate [gameanim.com](http://gameanim.com) For more advanced techniques, I would take a look at talks from Richard Lico. He has workflows that he uses to speed up his process. For unreal specific animation techniques, we offer a sample project with prebuilt animation Control Rigs that can be used to learn the UE animation tools, with a tutorial video from Unreal Fest 2022 by Epic’s own Fredrik Nilsson. > **[Free Control Rig and Mannequin asset packs now available for real-time animators](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/free-control-rig-and-mannequin-asset-packs-now-available-for-real-time-animators)** > > Download our free Control Rig Samples and Mannequins asset packs and start exploring the world of real-time animation one step ahead. [![](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/b/8/b/b8ba4db837d9547f1747c9f9853d40fb45c23737.jpeg "Animating in Unreal Engine 5.1 | Unreal Fest 2022") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgJ1stTScxI) ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/43 "2023-06-21T15:12:42Z")
> [@pto2k](#): > > For creating a smooth camera movement track in Sequencer, what is the suggested workflow be like? > > current flow: > > 1. take process of the camera > 2. move to new timestamp in sequencer timeline > 3. navigate in level to move the camera to generate a keyframe > 4. go to 2 and repeat > > I find that generated camera movement is often not smooth and not sure what is the best way to adjust it. You would want to edit your curves in the Curve Editor to smooth it out. There are some tools in there that I would check out - [https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.2/en-US/animation-curve-editor-in-unreal-engine/](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.2/en-US/animation-curve-editor-in-unreal-engine/)You can try apply a Curve Editor filter to smooth out across your selected curves as well. ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/44 "2023-06-21T15:13:25Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > What kind of tricks could we use to control UI elements (like progress bars) with Verse? UI Animation within UEFN is not within this team’s expertise, however this will be addressed in the future ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/45 "2023-06-21T15:13:59Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > How would one implement a “skip cinematic” functionality? This isn’t possible at this time, however we are looking at easier ways to implement in the future ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/46 "2023-06-21T15:14:51Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > Is it possible to blend between two animations if I start one sequence while another is running? At the moment, if you have one sequence playing on top of another and if the base tracks are absolute, blending between them is not possible. However, with subsequences, you can blend those in one root sequence. You could also have your second sequence’s tracks to set to Additive from Base to have it played at the end of your first sequence. ---
**Author:** ![chasecooper](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/chasecooper/32/997466_2.png) [@chasecooper](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/chasecooper)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/47 "2023-06-21T15:15:01Z")
> [@wxyz](#): > > I was wondering if you could run over some of the more useful control rig nodes and how you put them to use The **Spawn Control** , **Spawn Bones** , and **Spawn Null** nodes will let you build the rig procedurally (automatically). These are incredibly powerful and can be used in a variety of ways in the [construction event](https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.2/en-US/control-rig-forwards-solve-and-backwards-solve-in-unreal-engine/#constructionevent) to create reusable rigs. I get a lot of questions about the node **Project to New Parent** which is one of my favorite nodes. It basically lets you reparent transforms under rig elements, similar to the Parent Constraint or parenting a control to a bone. For the inputs, the Child input will be what you are parenting, and the Old Parent & New Parent inputs should be the parent and the same item. One of my favorite special nodes is the **Chain Harmonics** , you can apply this to the root of a chain and it will drive those bones with a chain based harmonics system, in laymens terms adding automatic movement to the bones. The **Sphere Trace** node will let you trace against level geometry, creating interesting setups such as tires colliding against the ground or foot sloping for characters to attach them to the ground. ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/48 "2023-06-21T15:15:14Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > Will there be a way to change the actor being affected by a sequence dynamically at runtime? This isn’t possible at this time, however we are looking into this for the future ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/49 "2023-06-21T15:15:35Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > What are some common techniques to avoid duplicating sequences to do the same thing, but slightly different? Unfortunately there isn’t any common techniques I can share. However, we do have plans on simplifying this in the future ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:16pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/50 "2023-06-21T15:16:18Z")
> [@iamintehmafia](#): > > - Is there any support or planned support for virtual tracked cameras in UEFN? (i.e., holding and controlling a tracked object to represent a virtual camera for organic camera shake, etc) This is something we are looking into for the future ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/51 "2023-06-21T15:17:46Z")
> [@PixelandPoly](#): > > I would love to be able to move about my map especially in a cinematic viewport and have all my auto-playing sequences play. This would be especially useful for creating fly-throughs for map submissions, but also to just get a good sense of the map while in UEFN. > > Is this currently possible? Thx! At this time, it is not possible to record the camera flying through while in the editor. However we are aware of the demand and will be looking at this for the future. ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/52 "2023-06-21T15:18:26Z")
> [@Stephan\_Rub](#): > > Cinematic Sequences do not seem to work the same way as they do in the Unreal Engine. There is no way to keep the animated objects in their final position after the sequence is finished. Is there a fix for that? Check out my answer to a previous question! [Ask Epic Anything: Animation & Cinematics | June 21st, 2023 at 10AM EST - #31 by GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/31)" ---
**Author:** ![Jekyll\_H\_Y\_D\_E](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/jekyll_h_y_d_e/32/712621_2.png) [@Jekyll\_H\_Y\_D\_E](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Jekyll_H_Y_D_E)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:19pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/53 "2023-06-21T15:19:26Z")
The rotation of objects still doiing some crazy things in cinematics and the Camara itself as well… when i tur it to one direction over a certain point it makes a 360 to the other side… And when i animate a prop it does the same… How i can avoid that? ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/54 "2023-06-21T15:23:57Z")
> [@PixelandPoly](#): > > I would love to have the ability to duplicate an object along with its relative animation to a different part of a map. > > **For example:** _you have a door with a complicated opening animation. You want to use that door and the animation on various parts of your map. It would be great to be able to select the door and duplicate it in a way that it duplicates the animation as well, so you don’t need to reanimate the door each time you use it. This way you could easily populate your map with the door, along with the animation._ > > Is there a current way to accomplish this? Thanks for doing the AMA! You can copy and paste keys across your duplicated doors. However since those are absolute, you would need your duplicated doors transform track to be set to Relative, this would need to be done before you copy/pasted keys across. ---
**Author:** ![chasecooper](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/chasecooper/32/997466_2.png) [@chasecooper](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/chasecooper)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:25pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/55 "2023-06-21T15:25:02Z")
> [@Mineblo](#): > > What tips do you have for any person who doesn’t have any background in animating or doing cinematics? What would you recommend to start with I would suggest first finding something that inspires you, whether that is games, animated content, or film and start creating animation in a similar style. Animation takes practice, and practicing on something that you really enjoy animating will make the process much more enjoyable. Its important to learn the technical process and understand it such as rigs and changing curves, but learning the basics such as timing, weight, & posing is key to success regardless of the type of animation you want to make. There is also a variety of animation to create, you can animate characters, or animate FX such as explosions, and even animate cloth and hair. All animation fundamentals will apply to these areas, so no matter what you decide to focus on it might be fun to play around with what really inspires you. I’ve added some resources earlier in this thread if you’d like to check them out [here](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/3). ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/56 "2023-06-21T15:26:16Z")
> [@kalishane\_eg](#): > > From MartinieGames > > How do you move things relative from something?" and what i mean by that is that when something moves on the X axis for 100, and the cinematic ends, it does not reset the moving prop and the cinematic will restart and will continue adding 100 on that axis. You would want to have your first sequence’s affected track to be set to Keep State (right mouse click on the track/section in the timeline, then going to properties and changing the When Finished property), then on your second sequence you would set your affected track type to be Additive from Base (right mouse click on the track/section in the timeline, then going to properties, and change the Blend Type) and also set the When Finished property to Keep State. ---
**Author:** ![GregoryRich19](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/gregoryrich19/32/924128_2.png) [@GregoryRich19](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/GregoryRich19)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/57 "2023-06-21T15:30:12Z")
> [@Jekyll\_H\_Y\_D\_E](#): > > The rotation of objects still doiing some crazy things in cinematics and the Camara itself as well… when i tur it to one direction over a certain point it makes a 360 to the other side… And when i animate a prop it does the same… How i can avoid that? This is a known problem and we are currently working a lot on this to make the process much simpler ---
**Author:** ![kalishane\_eg](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/kalishane_eg/32/1196414_2.png) [@kalishane\_eg](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/kalishane_eg)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/58 "2023-06-21T15:31:15Z")
That’s all we have time for today—thanks to everyone for joining us! Special thank you to Thomas, Chase, and Greg for lending us their insight and expertise today! See you at the next one. Happy creating! ---
**Author:** ![kalishane\_eg](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/kalishane_eg/32/1196414_2.png) [@kalishane\_eg](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/kalishane_eg)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/ask-epic-anything-animation-cinematics-june-21st-2023-at-10am-est/1199295/59 "2023-06-21T15:31:23Z")
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