I have read through the documentation and forum posts and don’t seem to be able to find a specific workflow for creating and importing custom characters, rigs and animations into UE4.
I tried importing a couple of existing custom characters into UE4 (4.9), one with a Maya HumanIK rig, and another with a fully custom rig. Both skeletons produced errors and, in turn, the animations failed to work.
I am aware of the Animation and Rigging Toolkit, although I haven’t looked deeply into it yet, and from what I have read it sounds possible to create your characters using standard 3D software such as Maya. I also have existing characters I would like to import, so creating them again from scratch using ART is something I would like to avoid.
Is there a documented workflow around somewhere, or do we have to use ART?
Hi ! I’m not usually a forum helper but i’m so frustrating when people don’t answer me ! I can give you my “type” workflow. If i can help you a little bit, that make me happy
I’m fresh graduate and not a pro at all for now ! I learn on the field and i’ve made a little workflow that’s work great for Now ! ( I’m french, i’ll do my best and hope you can understand everything )
When your setup is ok, u have first to import the Skeleton/Skeletal Mesh.
For this they have a very, very simple way -> Select your roots and Ctrl+P on for unparent and transfer it out of everything. After, select all the mesh you want in your chara and Ctrl+P then, juste delete everything in your scene except your bones and skinned géo.
If u have some bones moving or thing when u delete the rest of the scene, you can Key (with S key) all ur attribut on your entire bones hierarchy, for locking their in position. After deleting the rest of the scene, check in your bones hierarchy if all constraint and every stuff except bones are gone ! delete the key and export all in FBX.
Import the FBX on UE4 and that’s going to create Skeleton and Skeleton, u can add to this the Physical Asset if you need it ! I’f some bone have 0 influences, check the “Use T0 pose as Bind Pose” for making everything Ok !
For the Animation, it’s simple too, For Unreal, the mesh is in your skeletal mesh. Here, you just need your bones hierarchy baked.
For this, in your Outliner, go to Show->Object, and Check Bones. Now you can select all bone in your Root Hierarchy without selecting constraint and other useless stuff.
When all your bones are selected, you have to select all the animated attribut in the ChannelBox ( Translate X/Y/Z and Rotate X/Y/Z ); When it’s ok, go to Edit-> Keys-> Bake Simulation(Option)
In the bake simulation Option juste change All keyable By From ChannelBox and Bake !
Now you just have to isolate your bones ( Ctrl+P on the root only ) and delete everything other bones in your scene ! ( Show->Objects-> Clear below for disable the view constraint in the outline )
Check you have in your scene only the bones hirarchy under your Root Baked correctly and nothing other ! Export all in FBX with animation Checked, and import it in UnrealEngine4 with the right skeletal selected !
Everything must be ok !
I hope that help you ! they probably have a better way to do it, i absolutly don’t know but that’s work fine for me and when you have done it 2 or 3 times it’s going to be realy fast and clean ! Just be carrefull to not Save when you delete everything for export. When i export, i personnaly save an other file for not doing some missclic or thing ! The undo are a little bit unstable with Rigging thing !
