Streaming Mocap Data into Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games, is a high-performance 3D engine renowned for photorealistic visuals, robust real-time rendering with flexible and scalable workflows.

With MOVIN TRACIN and MOVIN Studio, you can stream real-time motion capture data directly into Unreal Engine, making it ideal for high-end applications such as cinematics, virtual production and real-time VFX.

1. Download the Plugin#

   • On the MOVIN's Github page, download the file or the prebuilt plugin that matches your Unreal Engine version.

2. Install the Plugin into Your UE Project#

   

   • Unzip the downloaded file, and copy the folder named 'MOVINLiveLinkPlugin' into your Unreal Engine project’s 'Plugins' directory.
     • If your project does not have a 'Plugins' folder, simply create one before copying the plugin.

3. Enable the Plugin in UE#

   

   • In Unreal Engine, open the Editor Plugins window, and search for 'MOVINLiveLink'.
   • Check the box to enable it, and restart the Unreal Editor to apply changes.

4. Import your character and start Streaming from MOVIN Studio#

   

   Please import the FBX file of the character you want to use in Unreal Engine into MOVIN Studio.

   • For detailed instructions on this process, please refer to Import Character and Retargeting

   

   • In MOVIN Studio, start streaming to Unreal Engine.
   • Return to Unreal and confirm that a subject has been created in the LiveLink panel.

5. Add MOVINLiveLink as a LiveLink Source#

   

   • Open the LiveLink panel in Unreal Engine.
   • Add a new source and select 'MOVINLiveLink'.

6. Import Your Character into UE and then create a Anim Blueprint#

   • Load your custom character into your Unreal project, ready to receive LiveLink animation data.

   

   • Right-click on the imported character’s Skeletal Mesh, then search for “Anim Blueprint” and create a new one.

7. Creating and Setting up the Live Link Pose Node#

   • Open the Anim Blueprint you created earlier by double-clicking it.

   

   • Right Click in the Blueprint graph, search for 'Live Link Pose', and create a new Live Link Pose node.
   • In the Live Link Pose node, set the Live Link Subject Name to the Actor you added earlier. Add MOVINLiveLink as a LiveLink Source
   • Connect the Animation Pose output of the Live Link Pose node to the Result input of the Output Pose node.

   

   • Click the Compile button on the right to reset any expired preview state.
     • You should now see the character being live-streamed with the same motion data as in MOVIN Studio.

   

   • If the Preview Does Not Work:
     • Go to the Preview Settings tab.
     • Under Animation > Preview Controller, set the value to Live Link Preview Controller.
     • Set the Live Link Subject Name to the Actor you added earlier. Add MOVINLiveLink as a LiveLink Source
     • Click Save to apply the changes

8. Set the character's Anim Class to the Anim BluePrint you created#

   

   • In the View panel, select the imported character and set Animation > Anim Class to the Anim Blueprint you created. Import Your Character into UE and then create a Anim Blueprint
   • Click the Play button. You should now see the character moving in the View panel as well.

• Since Unreal Engine supports its own retargeting system, you can stream and apply motion data to a retargeted character in real time without retargeting in MOVIN Studio.
  • For more details on this workflow, please check out the video linked below:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbc81MOpHZU&t=404s

• To stream live motion data to a MetaHuman character in UE, please check the video above for detailed instructions.