MetaHuman 2.0.0 is here with a new release of the MetaHuman Plugin for UE, which introduces the new facial animation feature set, MetaHuman Animator.
Download it now from the Epic Marketplace. Requires Unreal Engine 5.2.
MetaHuman Animator
MetaHuman Animator is a new feature set that enables you to capture an actor’s performance using an iPhone or stereo head-mounted camera system (HMC) and apply it as high-fidelity facial animation on any MetaHuman character, without the need for manual intervention.
To learn more see the blog, docs and the video tutorial.
LiveLink Face
We have updated the LiveLink Face app to work with MetaHuman Animator. It is available for download from the Apple Store LiveLink Face app.
Direct access to the MetaHuman template mesh
As part of the updates for MetaHuman Animator, we have added the ability to set the template’s point positions by providing a mesh with the MetaHuman topology. This performs a point-to-point constraint and submits that for auto rigging, instead of approximating the volume through the “MetaHuman Identity Solve” process, creating a MetaHuman that looks even more like your original mesh.
An overview of how to do this is provided in this section of the documentation. However, before you start be aware this is an advanced feature and the mesh must respect all of the parameters specified in the documentation.
Updating MetaHumans in your project
To make use of all MetaHuman Animator capabilities (audio-driven tongue animation and head & neck animation) you need to upgrade your MetaHumans in MetaHuman Creator. This is a straightforward procedure that entails locating MetaHumans in the MetaHuman Creator interface and triggering an upgrade. If you like, you may also choose to upgrade all ‘legacy’ MetaHumans. The upgrade is automatic and only takes a few seconds per MetaHuman. Once completed, you can use Bridge to import these MetaHumans into any Unreal Engine v5.2 project.
Overall the process of updating your MetaHumans within a project has been improved and you can follow how to do it in this tutorial
Updating MetaHumans in Bridge
You may experience issues with the update button on your MetaHumans in Bridge. Restarting Bridge usually resolves this.
Rig control changes
Reworked tongue setup to support new tongue rig.
Removed controls:
- CTRL_C_tongue
- CTRL_C_tongue_narrowWide
- CTRL_C_tongue_tip
New controls:
- CTRL_C_tongue_move
- CTRL_C_tongue_wideNarrow
- CTRL_C_tongue_bendTwist
- CTRL_C_tongue_tipMove
- CTRL_C_tongue_thickThin
Reworked tweakers setup to support new thickness inward expressions.
New controls:
- CTRL_R_mouth_thicknessInwardU
- CTRL_L_mouth_thicknessInwardU
- CTRL_R_mouth_thicknessInwardD
- CTRL_L_mouth_thicknessInwardD
Fixed backward solve for:
- CTRL_C_jaw - Jaw left and right (CTRL_C_jaw.tx) motion was inverted, this is now fixed.
- CTRL_C_eye - Right eye was mapped on this control (shouldn’t be), this is now fixed
- CTRL_R_eye - Didn’t have backwards solve, this is now fixed
- CTRL_L_eye - Left eye looking left and right (CTRL_L_eye.tx) motion was inverted, this is now fixed
- CTRL_L_mouth_suckBlow - Left cheek suck and blow motion was inverted, this is now fixed
- CTRL_C_neck_swallow - Didn’t have backwards solve, this is now fixed
- CTRL_R_mouth_lipsSticky - Didn’t have backwards solve, this is now fixed
Fixed forward solve for:
- CTRL_R_eyelashes_tweakerOut - Eyelashes outer up and down (CTRL_R_eyelashes_tweakerOut.ty) motion was inverted, this is now fixed
- CTRL_L_eyelashes_tweakerOut - Eyelashes outer up and down (CTRL_L_eyelashes_tweakerOut.ty) motion was inverted, this is now fixed