For a game I am currently working on we want to have the character have the arms only just like the first person demo unreal provides. We’ve figured out some solutions but I was wondering if anyone had some advice or an easier method for creating and rigging them.
There would be multiple sets of arms the player would be able to swap between the different models and it was visibly change.
That and also the enemies we have planned will also have different sets of arms similar to the player. All animated and such.
Would creating them all under the same rig be the best? and how would they all attach to the player and enemy roots also.
Again, if you have any ideas or advice or even a funny suggestion, anything helps!
Hello, I am not Professional 3D Artist or Animator, but Generalist, so I won’t able to help in way to deep in Rigging etc but I can provide some suggestions for Pipeline and Framework.
I think you should define scope first, if it is going to large game then I would recommend as much reuse as possible as well as Modular Pipeline for Characters (Player and Enemy) or maybe you could have little Unique Style for Player but I think for FPS Shooter generic would work Fine.
If you are planning for small scale game then you could have Unique Non Modular Meshes Approach since there won’t be too much hassle for Assets Creation etc.
As you have mentioned that you want Player Customization system (or something similar), So you should Definitely Consider Modular Character Pipeline with 1 Skeleton with multiple Modular Skeletal Meshes (Such as Head, Arms, Torso, etc) with Single or Multiple Sets or Animations. (You can do that with Leader Pose / Master Pose node in Blueprint or by Animation Blueprint -copy Pose)
It would be Ideal to use Single Rig / Skeleton with Single Set of Animations until you need some uniqueness but it depends on you how you want to setup, For Example you could choose Single Animation Set while using Control Rig and Animation Blueprints to Implement those Uniqueness on your Character while using Single Animation Sets.
You can do alot with Animations in Game Engine with help of ik / fk and some Procedural Behavior Programming that way you won’t have to Record Animations for Different Rifles and Pistols or maybe Different Body Movement or Running Style.
Hello there @KadenKitsune! I would recommend this tutorial for your demo, as it covers the whole animation and rigging process really well. The channel also has other videos on FPS creation topics, a very good resource.
Regarding multiple arms, and setting them up for enemies, as long as you tie your animations to a main skeletal mesh, you can duplicate and re-use the same skeleton for other NPCs. Just make sure that their general shape and scaling are similar.
Finally, when working on your duplicates, and creating enemy variants with different shapes or ammount of limbs, you may need to re-target your animations. If this the case, please follow this guide on how to perform the process. Hope this helps!