AdamCodd/unreal-engine-5-raw · Datasets at Hugging Face

Animations are bound to a Skeleton asset. The Skeleton asset is really just a list of bone names and hierarchy data, but it also stores the initial proportions from the original Skeletal Mesh used to define the Skeleton asset. This data is stored as bone translation data. It is important to note that the retargeting system only retargets the bone's translation component. The bone's rotation always comes from the animation data.

Because the original Skeletal Mesh is used to define the proportions of the Skeleton asset, any other Skeletal Meshes using that Skeleton asset that have different proportions (such as a mesh that is much shorter than the original one) will require retargeting to work properly. Without it, the Skeletal Meshes of varied proportions would try to use the translation data of the original mesh, leading to the types of errors seen at the beginning of this document.

To solve this problem, the Skeleton Tree within the Skeleton Editor offers a few settings to change how translation retargeting between bones is handled. There are 3 different settings for Bone Translation Retargeting:

Also with Animation Retargeting, there is no significant difference in performance between using retargeted and non-retargeted animations. The benefit of using animation retargeting is increasing the number of unique characters without having to create an entirely new set of matching animations which could seriously cut down on your animation memory budget.

The process in which Animation Retargeting is handled for characters that do not share the same Skeleton asset involves assigning a special asset called a Rig that processes animation data from one Skeleton to another. The Skeleton assets associated with each character communicate with the shared Rig asset to properly pass transform data from a source to its intended target.

The Rig can be assigned inside the Skeleton Editor under the Retarget Manager and the same Rig will need to be assigned to both Skeleton assets.

Please see Using Retargeted Animations for a step-by-step guide.

Do tall characters run faster, can they still hold the same props - these are questions that may arise when working with retargeting. In short, there is no automatic work happening and it is up to the user to decide what they want it to do.

One method that can be taken regarding the holding of props is to create a separate chain of bones that follow the hands in the original animation, called "Hand IK Bones". Then retarget the body and arms, but not the "Hand IK Bones", so they remain identical after retargeting. This will allow you to have characters of different proportions manipulating the same props (for example, reloading a rifle).

Having a separate chain of bones allows you to switch smoothly between FK and IK easily when you want to (for example, you would want the Hand IK ON when reloading the weapon, and OFF when reaching for a magazine in a pocket).

The system is very flexible and can be customized to fit your needs. Perhaps you only want the left hand to be IK and the right hand to use its FK position, but IK rotation. Feet are sometimes handled this way, sometimes not. When stepping on a very precise prop, you would want to turn on IK; when you are just running around, you would want to use the FK, so you do not end up with a bow-legged character (or the opposite).

As mentioned above under How Retargeting Works, the first thing you will want to do is set up the Bone Translation Retargeting mode for the Bones within the Skeleton.

Typically, you will want to use these settings for bipeds:

This means that a fast workflow would be:

If you are retargeting animations for characters that share the same Skeleton asset, those animations will now be affected by animation retargeting. If you want to retarget animations for characters that do not share the same Skeleton asset, there a couple extra steps you will need to take to ensure the animations are properly retargeted. Please see Using Retargeted Animations for more information.

Another tool you can use as part of your Animation Retargeting efforts is the Retarget Manager which allows you to:

Why Use Retargeting?

How Does Retargeting Work?

How Are End Effectors Handled With Retargeting?

Setting Up Retargeting

Using the Retarget Manager

Results Before Retargeting

Results After Retargeting

Retargeting Animations for Different Skeletons

Base Character

Short Stocky Character

Tall Skinny Character

Base Character

Short Stocky Character

Tall Skinny Character

Base Character

Short Stocky Character

Tall Skinny Character

Remarks

Please see theRetarget Managerpage for more information.

AJA Video I/O Quick Start

In this Quick Start guide, we walk through the process of setting up an Unreal Engine Project to work with a professional video card from AJA Video Systems. At the end of this guide:

For a working example that shows many of the elements described below put into practice, see the Virtual Studio showcase, available on the Samples tab of the Epic Games Launcher.

Prerequisites:

The AJA Media components used in this guide are built on top of the Media Framework, and we'll use Blueprints to script the video capturing process at runtime. Some prior knowledge of these topics is recommended but not required.

Before you can get video input from your AJA card into your Unreal Engine Level, and send output from the Unreal Engine through one of your AJA card's SDI ports, you'll need to do some basic setup to enable the AJA Media Player Plugin in your Project.

If you started your Unreal Engine Project from one of the Templates in the Film, Television, and Live Events category, the necessary plugins may already be enabled for you. If not, follow the instructions below to enable them.

Open the Project that you want to use with AJA video I/O in the Unreal Editor.

From the main menu, select Edit > Plugins.

In the Plugins window, find the AJA Media Player plugin under the Media Players category. Check its Enabled checkbox.

Click image to expand.

Find the Media Framework Utilities Plugin under the Media Players category. Check its Enabled checkbox, if it's not already checked.

Click image to expand.

Click Restart Now to restart the Unreal Editor and reopen your Project.