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Unreal Engine’s new MetaHuman tool can create uncanny humans

Unreal Engine revealed a new character creation app called MetaHuman Creator, which allows animators to create realistic character models. The powerful tool features a wide range of options and motion capture support.

MetaHuman Creator is a cloud-streamed program specifically designed for creating digital human characters. The program enters early access sometime in the next few month and interested users can sign up for updates.

Unreal says the tool will allow users to create humans in less than an hour, simplifying work that could normally take months. The app features a library of faces and motions to work off of, which will expand over time. Users can either work off a pre-existing face or add their own to the app.

MetaHuman Creator: High-Fidelity Digital Humans Made Easy | Unreal Engine

The app includes 30 hairstyles that utilize the Unreal Engine’s strand-based hair and hair cards. Users can also choose between 18 different proportioned body types and a set of example clothing.

One of the more powerful features of the app is its streamlined motion capture support. Users can export a fully rigged version of their model and animate it with Unreal’s Live Link Face iOS app. Unreal says it’s working with other vendors to add more motion capture options. Users can keyframe animations themselves, and any animation can be easily carried over from one project to another.

Those who want to see the program in action can download two fully finished sample humans made with the app for free on the Epic Games Store today. Those models can be modified in Unreal Engine 42.6.1 projects and up.

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Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
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