Importing Mocap fbx files into Unreal for easy usage on models?

[anonymous_user_d3871c4b]

Hi all, Im brand new to UE. I have some experience making games in native java, c#, unity and other game programming frameworks. I haven’t had much experience with raw cpp code (although I did dabble with it many many years ago with SFML and SDL - without any success).

Anyway, in Unity I can import a model with a basic humanoid skeleton, I can then simply drag some of the fbx’s I have saved from the CMU Mocap Library, into my Unity project folders. This can then be easily added to the model and called from script or the Animator tool and used to animate my game characters.

I’ve imported a new model into my UE project. The bones have all appeared as expected.

Is it possible, and if so how, to simply import the mocap files; preview them on my imported model; and then call them from a script attached to the gameobject for example when the object is moving forwards, I want to call the walk mocap animation?

Believe it or not, I did search here and on Google for a bit before writing this, but I did not see any clear concise answers to this question (it has certainly been asked a few times but none of them answered eg. Importing BVH/Mocap files into Unreal project - Character & Animation - Epic Developer Community Forums // how to import motion capture files into ue4? - Character & Animation - Epic Developer Community Forums)

A search on official guide (https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Animation/RetargetingDifferentSkeletons/) for “mocap” yields no results.

I am hoping its as simple as Unity Engine and that the mocap files can be dragged into the folder where the mesh/model import is kept and then easily called in script.

[JoGoiA]

@anonymous_user_d3871c4b

Is it possible, and if so how, to simply import the mocap files; preview them on my imported model;

If the skeleton you import first is compatible (same hierarchy) with the skeleton used by your animation, there’s no problem to do that.
While importing the FBX containing your animation, you can set the skeleton to the one you already imported in the import windows and the FBX will be import as an animation for this skeleton.

If the skeleton used by your animation is different from the skeletal mesh you want to animate, you also can (in some case) retarget the animation for the skeleton :
https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Animation/RetargetingDifferentSkeletons/
I read the end of your post and I see that you already read this… But there’s no MoCap specific functionality. The skeletons are compatible or not.
If your MoCap animated skeleton is the same (or retargeted) , every things should works fluently.

@anonymous_user_d3871c4b

and then call them from a script attached to the gameobject for example when the object is moving forwards, I want to call the walk mocap animation?

You can play an animation on a skeletal mesh in multiple ways but I think that you need to learn about the animation BP :

Animation Blueprints

That’s how UE4 manage complex animation blending.

As far as I know, the fact that your animation was made with MoCap has no impact on the way you will use it in UE4. An animation is an animation.