MetaHuman facial animation doesn't work in UE5.8.0 sequencer

General Issues and Bug Reporting
1

Summary

I added City Sample Crowds FaceMesh as a compatible skeleton to UE5.8 MetaHuman, and the facial animations in City Sample Crowds became selectable just like all previous versions of MetaHumans. It must have been done correctly since I confirmed the animation was working in the Preview Animation dropdown in the MetaHuman’s FaceMesh window.

But when I assigned the animation to a MetaHuman’s face in UE5.8.0 sequencer, the MetaHuman’s face didn’t animate at all. I removed the control rig track from the sequencer and added the animation, just like previous UE versions that was working without any problem.

Am I missing something?

Please select what you are reporting on:

Creative

What Type of Bug are you experiencing?

Character

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Create a MetaHuman
  2. Add City Sample Crowds asset from Fab to the project
  3. Open Face Mesh of the MetaHuman
  4. Add City Sample Crowd’s face mesh to compatible skeletons
  5. Create a level sequencer
  6. Add the MetaHuman to the sequencer
  7. Remove the face control rig track from the sequencer
  8. Add a City Sample Crowds facial animation to the MetaHuman’s face in the sequencer
  9. MetaHuman’s face doesn’t animate, unlike previous versions of MetaHumans

Expected Result

MetaHuman’s face animates

Observed Result

MetaHuman’s face doesn’t animate

Platform(s)

Windows

3

This worked for a new 5.8 MH though only one 5.7: Edit the metahuman blueprint select the Face component: set Animation Mode = Animation Blueprint, and Anim Class = Face_AnimBP. Ensure the same two settings values for the Detail of a level sequence actor of this blueprint.

4

Thank you. But Face_AnimBP isn’t listed in the Anim Class menu.

Here’s what I have found so far.

UE5.8
• Adding facial animation sequence to MetaHuman face in sequencer doesn’t work.
• Baking it in sequencer doesn’t work.

UE5.7 to UE5.8 migration
• Migrating facial animation sequence from UE5.7 to UE5.8 doesn’t work.
• Baking facial animation in UE5.7 and migrating it to UE5.8 works.

UE5.8 markerless motion capture
• Captured face and body animations with markerless motion capture work for both body and face when it is added to MetaHuman body in sequencer.
• Baking the animation in sequencer works for body but stops animating the face.

5

Hi! I`ve suffered for 5 days and found some solution! Leave all blueprint settings as it is - Use animation blueprint, anim class: ABP_Face. Dont mark "Disable posr process blueprint", leave this setting empty, let BP do its work. So, then the main part: In sequencer RMB on a Body section- Rebind component-Face. Then, if the head jumps in offset, do this: RMB on face animation - Properties- in playback settings find Use custom mode and check it. After all this steps i repaired all may metahumans in 5.8. Good luck!

3 Likes
6

Thank you! In my case, just enabling Force Custom Mode worked.

1 Like
7

Force Custom Mode for Animation in the Blueprint? It doesn’t work for me.

9

Okay, I got it—thank you so much! It is in playback mode of the animation itself, “force custom mode”, and it works.

1 Like
10

Yeah it worked to me

11

Where do I go to change this setting?
Thanks in advance

12

In sequencer,
• Right click the MetaHuman face animation track
• Properties - Playback - Force Custom Mode

2 Likes
13

This fixed the facial animation for me, but the now the body disconnected and the head floats separate from the body animation. Has anyone experienced that?