Creating a custom morph target for Metahuman's face 

hey elvis. can you please tell me how to creat body shape keys. cause it's not showing body shape keys in blender

@@poorveshdave Hi, I don't know I was asking for a tutorial too :)

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4VxHFArynp0.html

Hi. It should work

Hi. You can sculpt whatever you want. But you are limited to the initial topology. Therefore if existing topology is not enough or, what is obvious for orc, default skin material does not fit, you should do some extra work

Thanks. Sure, you can add anything. If I needed to add something like wings, I would add it as a separate skeletal mesh but with a few new bones for its animation. Clothes works in the same way sharing the same skeleton with the body. I wanted to add something to the metahuman but didn't tried yet

How to disable plugin?

I would recommend you Maya Xgen. There are a lot of RU-vid guides on it. Perhaps this is the easiest and fastest way, especially if you want to make women's hair.

Hi. Usually i get this kind of warning when do something wrong with objects hierarchy (like forgot do delete one extra empty object) or when I've forgot to select skeleton during export, and it is not exported.

okay so after more testing, transferring shape keys is working on all Male metahumans but on the female metahumans it keeps skipping LOD2 for some odd reason.

It is a quite strange thing related to the surface deform modifier. When it cannot be bound, the addon cannot transfer shapes. Sometimes it con be solver if you scale the problem mesh by a very low value. For example by 1.0001 or so. I have a more interesting solution, but I am very busy almost all the time to finally implement it within shapekeywrap. And it is not the only reason why you can have this problem. Check official blender surface deform modifier documentation to learn more about th reasons like invalid polygine etc.

Hi. I need Autodesk FBX convertor. Not FBX SDK. Autodesk changed links a bit maybe. I have put the updated convertor link in the description. Thanks for noticing

I don't have a tutorial on hairstyles for metal people, but in terms of hairstyles, Metahumans are absolutely no different from any other skeletal mesh. Unfortunately, I haven't found a well-structured tutorial that isn't too stretched out, so I might add my own soon. Not the highest priority, but maybe

Hi. Built in gradient tool for springs looks nice.There is no need to use brush

@@squeezypixels oh thanx you i'll check it out!

LODs are usually ordered correctly when the script is used right, but now I usually export each LOD as separate FBX, to avoid even any possibility of problems. 1. LodGroup empty should be removed. 2. Select LOD0 and armature -> export 3. Select LOD1 and armature -> export etc. Optionally before export shape keys from all LODs except LOD0 may be removed as the do nothing. This way the LOD1-7 fbx files will be imported much faster in ue as the main thing that slow down the import is the huge number of shape keys.

As for viewport. Call Set Morph Target after Set Update Animation in Editon. This branch (called by OnAnimInitialized event) is called in vieport also. OnComponentActivated event also can be used for the same. As for cinema4d I cant help you

Не понял вопрос. Реимпорт от обычного import asset?

@@squeezypixels ​ ​ в видео показано через asset detail -> file path и путь к fbx, а потом save. Но сверху есть кнопка Reimport base mesh с опциями, не помню сколько опций, там чё то LOD опция вроде. Кароче в чем отличия? Только в том что там опций больше?

@@dan323609 по идее ничем не отличается, но я не пробовал этот вариант

THANKS

Hi. The drivers will not be imported in unreal, so actually no need to care about purple sliders in blender. But anyway, when you click "transfer..." you can disable drivers creation. Just untick property "bind values" on the popup window that appears after the transfer. The shapekeys will be transferred, but drivers will not be created

@@squeezypixels Amazing that did it! This workflow is great. Thank you for your help!

For some reasons when you try to bind two meshes with a lot of matching vertices (like LOD1 and LOD0) this issue appears. To deal with this issue "Bind Noise" feature was implemented In the last versions of ShapeKeyWrap. This shifts vertices by a very slight random value. For metahumans I usually use min=0.0003 and max=0.0006. And you may try a few times with the same min/max cause every trial it creates different distribution of bind noise.

If you use ue 5.4 default reimport settings were changed and does not appears before first reimport. I do the next things: 1. In import settings set path to updated fbx 2. Reimport first time 3. More mport settings now show up 4. Enable "import morph targets", "import normals" also should be checked for smooth seam between head and body 6. Reimport one more time.

Hi. Maybe something is wrong with hierarchy when you export the objects from blender. Make sure that you export selected only and necessary object are selected.

Yes, it is even easier if you need only the high poly lod. Just delete all low poly LOD and empty in blender. And you don't even need to fix materials in unreal after reimport cause they will be ok

@@squeezypixels Awesome. I don't use blender but maya.. this should be doable in maya right? I use maya because I can export to maya with all the facial controls and I can animate in maya, then export the data.. and then in UE, I can use that data in sequencer to play back the animation which is great.

@@freenomon2466 Yes, it should be doable. But I dont use Maya so I can't know for sure

did you find a solve for this?

i realised that the controlboard facerig has a scale of 0 when you set it to follow the metahumans head, idk how to fix it though

Решил данную проблему, вопрос в другом можно ли не запуская сцену, сразу сделать модельку измененную или только во время запуска сцены?

I'm not rushing to switch to version 5.4, so I can't give a definite answer. However, I assume that the default settings might differ and "Import Morph Targets" property may be in another place

I would rather create scars using normal maps (in Substance or Quixel Mixer), because usually, the mesh density isn't enough to make them properly. However, you need to be careful because Metahuman has several normal maps, and you need to apply changes to all of them. But if the scar is huge, then yes, you need to deform the mesh as I showed in the video or in some other way.

I would suggest to check hierarchy in blender before export. I have got error with bones in the next situations 1. Hierarchy in blender is not ok. 2. If lod empy does not have correctly filled custom property it will be counted as a bone. 3. Make sure that you export all objects.

Hi. It is possible but you need to do some skeleton adjustments also, not only mesh. Otherwise with 99% you will get a mess with at least eye pivot points.

Hi. Usually everything goes good at this step. Try to check the export settings when you export it from unreal, make sure "Level of Detail" is ticked

@@squeezypixels thanks for the answer! I checked the export settings, of course, but for some reason, when exporting to Blender, only LOD 0 is displayed, although in UE everything is ok. I even tried different versions of Blender :D so I don’t even have any options as to what the issue might be. anyway, thanks.

@@user-en5pc1kb1w it is a problem of the newest UE5. Once you reimport it with new path you will see the remaining attributes, so just set up them and re-import one more time

Thank you so much!! now all good!

btw i found the solve for this, for some reason when I exported my mesh from blender it would scale the whole geo by 100. So in UE5, just scale the groom by 100(or whatever your mesh export was scaled at) and it will fix the hair flickering issue.

Hi. Call Set Morph Target after Set Update Animation in Editon. This branch (called by OnAnimInitialized event) is called in vieport also. OnComponentActivated event also can be used for the same

@@squeezypixels Thnx a lot I dont know what are those thing but I ll try and come back and bombard u with more questions lol respect

@@squeezypixels Yooooooo !!!! It worked as a charm bro thanx a lott I do appreciate your input

And yes i made sure i exported from ue5 with fbx 2013

@@stealthshadow51 Hey so I downloaded the wrong version and got this error I had to download the 64bit for windows and it worked.

Hey so I downloaded the wrong version and got this error I had to download the 64bit for windows and it worked.

@@joshuacadogan5174 this is the solution thank you!

did you find a fix for this?

Hi. Sometimes I remove the folder of specific metahuman manually through windows, when unreal engine editor is off

No extra plugins was used to achieve what you see in this tutorial except my free blender plugin and script. But to be completely honest this pipeline does not adjust joint positions so if the mesh is changed too much you may get some weird things especially with eyeballs if you move them or any other part that pivots pretty much. And these problem is not that easy to fix, cause metahuman anim blueprint responsible for facial animation takes neutral transfroms of joints from thing called DNA which is not possible to update from blender now, only with mesh morpher or maya + dna calibration library. I am working on my solution for blender for it, but I am quite busy to finalize it and it definatelly will not be free.

​@@squeezypixelsPlease doesn't make it insane expensive like the Metapipe

Hi! My goal was to keep all initial data of Metahuman. I have tried gltf and if I remember correctly it does not export morph targets and LODs. It does good job with materials, so if the final destination is blender, it worth to try. But for UE - Blender - UE pipeline my choice is FBX

@@squeezypixels Thanks so much. You've probably saved me a ton of work.

@@squeezypixels Why I need all LODs if at the end I will just use LOD 0 .... ??

@@namondastudio4616 the same reason why LODs exist. For performance optimization. Lucky you if you dont need them

@@squeezypixels if I wan t to make a Music Video, I will not like to see my artist getting deform... always depends on what we are looking for... Again, thanks for your time!!

Metahumans are very complex characters. Thanks to this, they look very realistic, but there are two sides to every coin; And in the case of metahumans making changes without breaking anything is quite difficult. If it is OK to use only LOD0, the things can be a bit easier.

Call Set Morph Target after Set Update Animation in Editon. This branch (called by OnAnimInitialized event) is called in editod. OnComponentActivated event also can be use for the same

@@squeezypixels could you be more specific about this? adding set update animation isn't working for me. and not sure what you mean by OnAnimInitialized event

In the video I connect set morph target node after Hair LOD setup. This branch runs only when you click play. You need to find AR kit face group at the bottom of the blueprint. Everything in this group will be called in the viewport, so you can place set morph target node at the end of this group after Set Update Animation if Editor node instead what I have done in the video. Set Update Animation is not the main thing. The main thing is thet it goes after OnAnimInitialized event which will be called in viewport.

@@squeezypixels thanks, got it working now!

GTX1050... Unfortunately

Hi! Have you set source file path to the FBX exported from blender? 13:34

@@squeezypixels Yes

@@squeezypixels It's good, everything works perfectly. Thank you so much. I must have made a mistake, I started from the beginning and now all work.

right

@@squeezypixels oh god, amazing, i used maya

@@squeezypixels does Mesh Morpher do the same process as your video? What is the difference ?

​@@liweilin6649 As for the morph targets, Mesh Morpher does the same thing, so you can choose whichever approach you feel more comfortable. When I have a lot of morph targets I feel much more comfortable with my approach, cause I dont have to export/import morphed models dozens of times. As for the differences. You can do more in-depth character customization: customize topology, uv maps, add material slots, etc., before creating morph targets. I haven't shown everything you can do with this pipeline because the video is already too long

​@@squeezypixels Thank you so much for reply! I'm eager to see more videos if you would like to share! Masterpiece~

It is almost the same, even easier. Less materials, less LODs

@@squeezypixels please let us know. it's not working on body

Hi. Shape keys only is not enough in this case. So you need to do combined thing: 1. change bone locations using additive animation (one frame with updated eyes location) 2. Shape key that will change everything you need except eye position.

@@squeezypixels So move the eye bones in Blender and add a keyframe? Or does this happen in Unreal?

​@@DemonauthorFilmsYou need to create one frame animation with corrected eye position in blender, and then blend it to major animations in unreal as additive. I am going to make a few tutorials on fixing pivot points, body customization etc (I have pretty huge backlog..). I was pretty busy last months and finally got some spare time for youtube. As i don't have my tutorial on it, I would highly recommend the next video about additive annimations, that helped me when I stucked with it. It is not exactly the same thing you need, but it can help (in the video character tilt in blended, you can blend eye position). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-flHL3qJB3_I.html It is not simple, so make sure that you actually need . If you don't need to change the shape dynamically in the game, just adjust bone position without any frame keys

@@squeezypixels Thanks so much for the quick replies. I'm not using this for a game, but for animated film. This is really the last step I need for my characters to work as I want them to work. It is definitely not simple. I have watched the vid at the link you provided. Not sure I understand, but I'll give it another go. Thanks again!

​@@squeezypixels To clarify, I'm trying to permanently change the pivot point of the eyeballs--so moving the L_Eye and R_Eye bones out from center. This won't change once it is implemented for this character.

Yeah. New tutorial is in progress

@@squeezypixels Awesome!

Привіт. Можливо щось не так з матеріалами. Навколо очей багато різних матеріалів, які повинні бути майже прозорими. Можливо якійсь з них неправельно імпортується. Я б в першу чергу перевірив би саме це. В unreal можна їзолювати матеріал і знайти який саме викликає стрічки. Потім на початковій моделі знайти цю саме ділянку і подивитися який матеріал повинен бути.

@@squeezypixels Дякую я прочекаю цю історію, якщо спрацює чи ні то я відпишу!

​@@squeezypixels Я перевірив усі матеріали очей та лиця, навіть замінив все на дефолтний білий матеріал і проблема не зникла, схоже, що проблема саме в меші, а не в текстурах. Також знайшов повзуни у блюпринті меша голови в віконці Build Settings, які називаються: Threshold position, threshold Tangent and normal, Threshold UV, Morph Threshold - коли міняю ці показники і тисну Apply Changes, бачу що це трохи впливає на прозорість відображення цих стрічок , але не прибирає їх повністю. Також чекав нормалі, мікронормалі та карти зморшок, але самі карти при вимкненні нічого не змінюють. Єдине що допомагає їх прибрати, це розглажування повік смуз брашем в блендері, але на жаль ці стрічки все одно частково залишаются, також, якщо міняти тип нормалей на етапі експорту з блендера (наприклад рекомендований Фейс міняв на дефолтний компут нормал, чи Едж) проблема стає менш явною, але знову не зникає повністю, і ,якщо вмикати та вимикати галочку Авто Смузу перед експортом то це також впливає на те, як сильно виражені ті стрічки. Ще вони трошки маскуються, якщо крутити біос тіні в лампах. Поки я засмузив повіки в блендері і викрутив біос так щоб їх було ледве видно, але як на мене це не вирішує проблему, а просто маскує, костилем😆 По інету знаходив подібні трабли, але рішення ніхно не каже, всі наче ігнорять цей трабл😅 Дізнавався навіть у блогера JSFILMZ він також думав що це трабл в текстурах які наїхали одна на одну, але я це перевіряв і там все ок Буду вдячний, за ще якісь ідеї для вирішення цього траблюка

Totally agree, but anyway metahumans are pretty good taking into account the fact they are free. P.S. As I know they can be customizad much easier with Maya

How lazy are you if a 20 Minute tutorial is too much for you to go through? The first time doing it will take some time, but after that its something you gotta keep in mind. Maybe midjourney is something for you if youre too lazy for character creation ...

@@Tweedledee__ Lol. Someone is having a bad day. Giving legitimate criticism is being lazy now? Hey, how many clicks did you have to make to post your comment? One? Oh, you're such a lazy person. If you don't have to click 15 times, write 10 lines of code and turn three times to post a comment, then you're just baaad. ... There are countless programs that let you build a character in 5 minutes and without contrived systems. Therefore, this system can be better. If you take issue with me pointing out the flaws of a program, you need therapy right now.

​@@Tweedledee__It's not about lazyness, it's the fact you need a ghetto solution for something so basic, the fact there are people charging 700 US$ for a custom software is ridiculous.