I am experiencing a persistent issue when using the new MetaHuman Creator inside Unreal Engine 5.6 with a custom body created in Wrap and Maya.
When I import my custom body as a Template in MetaHuman Creator, the neck area becomes stretched and deformed — specifically, the “neck_01” bone shifts upward significantly.
The proportions of my body mesh match the original MetaHuman body.
The seam between the head and body aligns perfectly in Maya.
Interestingly, if I only import my custom head and use the default MetaHuman body, everything aligns perfectly. The problem appears only when the body Template is applied, as it seems to override my neck area to match the built-in MetaHuman proportions, causing distortion.
I have confirmed:
Mesh topology around the neck matches the original MetaHuman topology.
Pivot positions and world coordinates for neck_01 match the standard model.
Could you please advise:
Is there a known way to prevent MetaHuman Creator from rescaling the neck area when using a custom body?
Are there specific topology or marker requirements for the neck region so that neck_01 stays in the correct position?
Is this behavior expected in 5.6, or is it a bug that should be reported?
I’ve been experiencing the exact same issue, custom head and body meshes, modelled them both to match eprfectly, have confirmed all the thingies, and yet when brought in as a template body, the neck gets all kinds of funky
That kind of neck deformation usually happens due to a mismatch between the skeleton alignment of your custom body and the MetaHuman base skeleton. The “neck_01” bone shifting upward often means that either:
The bind pose or joint orientation in your custom body (from Wrap or Maya) doesn’t perfectly match the original MetaHuman rig.
The scaling or translation of the upper spine or neck joints changed slightly during export or retargeting.
Here are a few things you can try:
In Maya, make sure the skeleton hierarchy and joint positions are identical to the MetaHuman reference skeleton before exporting.
Check that your Wrap template and target mesh share the same scale and neck alignment before wrapping.
If you’re using FBX export, disable any unnecessary “Bake animation” or “Add leaf bones” options to avoid unwanted transforms.
You can also test importing the same body into UE5 without MetaHuman Creator to confirm whether the deformation appears there too — this helps isolate if it’s a skeleton or MHC issue.
If everything looks right but the issue persists, it might be a current limitation or bug in MetaHuman Creator 5.6 when handling custom templates. In that case, I’d suggest reporting it via the Unreal Engine bug submission form or posting in the MetaHuman Creator support section — the devs have been responsive about such compatibility issues.
Neck deformation issues in MetaHuman Creator (UE5.6) with a custom body template usually occur due to mismatched skeleton weights or rig adjustments. To fix it:
Check Skin Weights: Ensure the neck and head vertices are properly weighted to the correct bones.
Adjust Skeleton: Align the custom body skeleton with the MetaHuman rig.
Use Pose Correctives: Apply corrective blend shapes or pose morphs to smooth deformation.
Test with Animation: Preview with common head and neck movements to ensure proper deformation.
