I’m new to UE4 and new to 3D animation etc. in general. What pre-requisite knowledge and/or softwares do i need prior to studying UE4?
That’s a big question. But to get the ball rolling for you, here’s what I would recommend:
Start learning Blender alongside UE4. It’s a free and open source 3d modeling/rigging/texturing/animation software. You’ll use it to make your 3d models (both static and skeletal). Blender’s Noob-To-Pro wikibook will get you started with that.
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro
Then start reading the Getting Started docs on the UE4 website: Get Started with UE4 | Unreal Engine Documentation
You’ll get an understanding of how the engine works, and what you’ll need to start looking further into for your specific projects.
Best of luck.