UE5 5.2 ML Deformer Sample, how to generate training data? Houdini?

Development Character & Animation
1

Hi,

I am checking out ML Deformer Sample in UE Feature Samples - UE Marketplace everything is quite easy to follow. But sadly Epic does not provide how they generated the training data, there is just a .fbx with muscles.
I assume Epic did the muscle sim in Houdini, but without them providing that project file it is really hard to repurpose things for your own character. Is there any good example file showing how to do such a muscle simulation?

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Hey Virgil!

You can generate the training data using a variety of methods.

In our How to use the Machine Learning Deformer document, we walkthrough the process using a plugin for Maya to create the training data which is then imported into Unreal Engine to train the Mesh.

Hope this helps!

3

Thanks for the reply!
Correct me if I am wrong but I think that Maya plugin in the documentation just helps to generate random poses.
What I am curious about is how to actually archive the “better-looking skinning” or “muscle sim” in Maya or other software.

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It is mentioned here as Target Mesh, but the documentation does not explain how the realistic deformations were achieved for the character in the example.
It mentions “volume preservation” and “muscle simulation”, but I can’t find much information about how to actually do these things.

4

To the best of my knowledge, the flesh and muscle simulations used in the ML Deformer demo were generated using tools within Houdini. These simulations included around 7 thousand frames of simulation data.

You can also generate the muscle and skin simulation data in other programs as well.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of the methods used in creating the ML Deformer demo, I suggest checking out the GDC 2023 Talk!

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5

Hi Hank,
Is it possible to use Ziva inside Maya to produce flesh simulation and use it as training data? Also regarding training animation and parameters used, is there any available animation or config files fro download ( manily to avoid tedious parameters addition) for the metahuman skeleton, or I can derive animation from the new ML Deformer sample pack?

Thanks!

6

Hi,
Chaos ML Cloth description in the 5.2 roadmap says:
‘For 5.2, the goal of this Beta plugin is to provide artist tools to allow simulation and training in the engine using Chaos caching.’
I created a Chaos Cache but can’t feed it as GeomCache to the ML deformer. Probably I’m missing some key step :man_shrugging:
Is training ML Deformer with data created inside the Engine possible?
I’m on 5.3 preview.

Thanks <3

7

@Hank.Wilson
Do you think it’d be possible for you guys to publish the Houdini source files for the muscle sim? That’d be amazing!

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8

Hi, this says the Houdini source files are available.

It says they’re available but tricky to find. They are in /Unreal Projects/MLDeformerSample/Content/ArtSource.zip

A note on the website or a root level readme would be dope as to their location! Thanks.

The package includes our source assets (including a full musculoskeletal model), for you to modify, repurpose, and reuse in your projects.
With the 5.3 sample, we now include Houdini assets, used to generate muscle and flesh simulation for training (tested with Houdini 19.5.534).

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