Metahumans and Animation in Unreal Engine Online Short Course
Course description
Course overview
This short course introduces students to Unreal Engine and guides them through the process of designing and developing a character using the Metahuman system.
During the course, students will design and develop their own character and customise the face using photogrammetry. They will work on their own character setup in Unreal Engine and use pre-recorded motion capture to bring their character to life through a sequence of camera animations.
Students use techniques such as storyboarding and creating animatics to plan their shots and work with the animation editor in Unreal Engine to realise their ideas.
By the end of the course, students will have created their own Metahuman including custom face and produced a sequence using animated cameras to showcase their work.
Who this course is for
This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in designing and learning computer animation techniques. It would be an excellent fit for anyone who wants to learn more about the exciting area of computer-generated imagery and explore how to incorporate real-time tools into their design process.
Key information
Topics covered
- Introduction to real-time engines: presentation on the potential of real-time engines in the creative industries with examples, followed by outline of creative brief and outcomes
- Concept brainstorming: icebreaker game and group brainstorming for potential concepts and narratives, gathering references, research and storyboarding
- Technical workshops: first steps in software navigation, introduction to Bridge, Metahumans framework, customisation of characters and cinematics in Unreal Engine
- Character customisation: hands-on workshop exploring Metahumans framework, customisation of characters using photogrammetry scanned faces, accessories/props, and texture maps
- Cinematic creation and rendering: introduction to cinematics, keyframe animation, blending motion capture files, adding scanned content to scenes and rendering videos, followed by project work and group showcase
Learning outcomes
- Created a storyboard/animatic
- Designed their own custom Metahuman
- Learnt to use realistic PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials in their scenes
- Learnt to export characters and animations from Mixamo, then import and retarget them onto their own characters
- Gained experience using the Sequencer and graph editor to redefine the timing of their animations
- Learnt how to create a cinematic sequence in Unreal Engine
- Rendered a final video from Unreal Engine
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
Required materials:
- Notebook and pen
Recommended materials:
- Sketchbook and drawing materials
- Camera/phone
Please see our Guide to taking online short course.
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