Learn how to create expressive facial animations using key frame animation inside of Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine Project included, with fully rigged original characters ready for animation.

Unreal Engine has AMAZING cloth simulation, physics and animation capabilities built into the engine, and in this course you will learn the step-by-step method to achieving high level realism for your cinematics and gameplay.

IMPORTANT:  Everything you'll learn in this course can be applied to the new releases of Character Creator 4 and iClone 8. 

In this course you will learn one of the most powerful animation workflows available today - Reallusion's Character Creator 3, iClone 7 and Unreal Engine

• Learn how to create an original 3D Character in Character Creator 3

• Learn how to send your character to iClone 7 ready for animation

• Learn how to pose and animate your character in iClone 7

• Learn how to perform facial animation and lip sync with your character

• Discover how to use powerful tools such as Motion Puppet, Direct Puppet and Face Puppet

• You will learn how to record your animations for later use on other characters

• You will learn how to render and export your video from iClone 7

• You will learn how to use "Live-Link" to send your character to Unreal Engine for animation and scene setup

• You will learn how to setup your scene in Unreal Engine and record the animation there

You will also learn how to setup and use the amazing LIVE Face App for iPhone X, 11, or 12 to create high quality lip sync and facial animations.

You're going to love how intuitive and simple it is to create your very own custom character in Character Creator 3! In no time at all you will be creating broadcast and film quality characters that are rigged and ready to animate in iClone 7.   You will learn how to apply mocap animations to your character and adjust the animation to your liking - all within iClone 7.

In this lecture you will learn where and how to get your very own copy of Unreal Engine at no charge. This amazing program used to cost over $10,000 a few short years ago, and then Epic Games decided to make it available to both professionals and newcomers alike free of charge.

If you make a video game with Unreal Engine and publish it you will only pay 5% royalties when your gross lifetime revenues from that product exceed $1 million USD.  A very generous arrangement.

If you use Unreal Engine to make cinematics, tv commercials, 3d animation, feature films and product development there are NO ROYALTIES to pay whatsoever.  Epic Games is a very generous company and fully supports developers, artists and filmmakers.

If you are new to Unreal Engine, you are in for a treat.

The Epic Launcher will be your hub for all things Unreal Engine.  It's where you will most conveniently access your Unreal Engine projects, Marketplace Assets, Learning Resources and more!  A very powerful tool.

We are going to jump right in and get a fast start to your first project in Unreal Engine.  Follow along with the step-by-step instructions and you'll be up and running in no time.

In this lecture will learn how to create and organize folders in your project.  Setting up your project with organization will save you much time later on, and make your experience more enjoyable, since you won't have to spend so much time looking for assets.

Saving your level is VERY important, as you know - so you don't lose your hard earned work.  Nothing stings worse than working for hours and then having a crash and losing all your work.

This tip will save you tons of time as you use Unreal Engine.  The "G" hotkey on your keyboard is one you will want to commit to memory as soon as possible.

Using different viewports, or a combination of viewports in Unreal Engine can be a real time saver and also make your scene setup more enjoyable.  Here you will learn how to setup different viewport options.

Knowing how to dock and undock windows and re-arrange your workspace can make your Unreal Engine experience a LOT more enjoyable and effective.

These keyboard hotkeys are going to help you enjoy working with Unreal Engine immensely, so be sure to take the time to learn them and commit them to memory.  You won't be sorry, trust me.

In this lecture we will drag and drop some walls into the scene and build a simple room.

Adding materials to meshes or objects is a breeze!  It's just a simple drag and drop, much like we created the walls and room.  Not only is it simple and straightforward, it's downright FUN.

In this lecture we will take a quick look at how Materials are created in Unreal Engine.  This will just be an overview, and we will tackle Material setup and creation later on in the course.

We will begin by deleting all lights so we can start with a black scene with no lighting at all.  Then we will add lights, and learn how to use the settings that come with each light.

Contact shadows are going to help you create a very realistic scene, especially when it involves characters.  Have you ever noticed where a 3D character's feet seem to be floating on top of the floor or ground?  This is because contact shadows is not being used.  Contact shadows will plant your characters feet firmly on the ground and it will look the way it is supposed to look. 

Point lights are one of the most useful lights in Unreal Engine.  They can be used to light large areas, or all the way down to a character's "eye light" to bring a character to life.  They also convincingly  throw light like light bulbs, lamps, street lights and other lights in the real world.

Oh, you're going to love spotlights in Unreal Engine. They work very much like real world spotlights with easy to use controls to adjust width, throw length, softness and color.

Rectangle lights are one of my favorite lighting tools in Unreal Engine.  It casts a very realistic light and can be from above, below or the side.  It's like a soft box light in the real world and has barn doors to adjust the control of the light. 

In this lecture you're going to create a cinematic lighting setup using the different lights you've learned about.  In just a few minutes you'll have a moody scene, just by dragging some lights around.  Really powerful and really FUN.

The Sphere Reflection Capture is the Magic Ball of Unreal Engine.  Through some behind-the-scenes coding magic, it creates realistic reflections on the shiny surfaces of your character and in your scene.

The Skylight is a powerful feature that can give your scenes added realism. You will learn how to use HDRI Images (High Dynamic Range Images) along with the Skylight to make your scene look even better.  HDRI Images use the light in the image to cast into your scene and can be a quick way to light a scene even without any other lighting.  You're going to love it.

In this lecture we're going to create the sky.  You'll learn where to find the sky asset in the Engine Content of your Unreal Engine project, and how to place it into your scene and make adjustments to it. 

Atmospheric Fog is one of the things that make your scene realistic and believable.  Notice how things get hazy in the distance and tend to turn a blueish color in real life?  That's what Atmospheric Fog will achieve for you in Unreal Engine.

Exponential Height Fog is one of my favorite things in Unreal Engine.  This tool allows you to add a misty fog effect to your scene.  In this lecture you will learn how to use this tool and adjusts it's parameters so you can have a slight fog effect or a "horror story" type fog effect, complete with changing the color of the fog itself.

Light shafts coming through windows, doors, ceilings, or cracks in walls are known as "God Rays," and add deep beauty to your scenes.  In this lecture you will learn how to setup lights so that they will become light shafts.  You will add "bloom" to the lights and "lens flares" as well.  When the camera moves through your scene, the "God Ray Light Shafts" will react and change with the movement - a very cool effect.

Unreal Engine's Particle System is really amazing. Once setup, you simply drag and drop them into your scene and position them where you want.  Need some smoke and fire?  No problem.  The Starter Content built into the project has what you need and is just a click away.

Building on what you've learned so far, you will create a brand new Level and add "Manny," the Epic Mannequin to the scene.

This is the scene you will be creating using the HDRI Image as a backdrop and lighting, complete with two camera shots (different views) and camera movements.  In this scene you will also be creating Depth-of-Field, so the background will be thrown out of focus. 

In this lecture we will import and setup a beautiful HDRI Image (High Dynamic Range Image) that will be used to create a real world lighting setup.  You're going to be amazed at how good this looks.

Next, we're going to add a Cinematic Camera to your scene.  The Unreal Engine Cinematic Camera is such a powerful, easy to use tool and mimics a real world physical camera in many ways as you will see.

The Level Sequence, not to be confused with the Level, or MAP, is more like a cinematic sequence where you choose which items in your scene are going to be animated. Here you will learn how to setup this powerful feature, and how to animate characters, cameras, lights and more.

Next, we are going to add our "Manny" character to our scene, along with an animation we will apply to him.  Again, using the Unreal Engine simple drag and drop method, we will accomplish some major things with little effort.

The Unreal Engine Cinematic Camera is an amazing tool.  It works very much like a real-world professional film camera, as you will see.  In this lecture, we will be adjusting settings such as Sensor Width and Height in order to give us a wide-screen image - a very cinematic look.   We will also learn the simple and powerful technique of moving our camera in the scene while seeing the image move in our preview window.  You're going to be amazed at the straightforward approach this is, as you create your cinematic.

Unreal Engine's cinematic camera includes a depth of field feature, which allows users to simulate the way a camera lens focuses on a particular subject in the scene while blurring the background or foreground. This can be used to direct the viewer's attention to a specific element in the scene and create a more realistic, film-like appearance. Depth of field can be controlled by adjusting the focus distance, aperture, and focal length of the virtual camera, allowing users to fine-tune the amount of blur and the depth range that is in focus, and in this lecture you will learn how to accomplish this.

Unreal Engine's camera movement feature allows users to control the movement and positioning of the virtual camera within a scene. This can be used to create dynamic and varied camera angles, shots, and compositions that help tell the story or convey a certain mood or atmosphere. Users can move the camera using a variety of techniques, such as keyframing, spline-based paths, or physics-based simulation. The camera can be set to follow a specific object or character, or it can be manually controlled by the user through input from a game controller or other device. Additionally, the camera can be set to automatically pan, tilt, or zoom based on certain conditions or events within the scene, allowing for more dynamic and immersive camera work.

Next we'll add a 2nd cinematic camera so we can get a different angle on the action. Later we will be using this 2nd shot when we cut together our scene in the editing program.

One of the most important things to learn is how to export your cinematic to a video file. In this lecture we will cover important things to prepare for this such as production settings, and video settings (Standard Def, High Def, even 8K if you wish).  After this you will be able to easily share your video to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or wherever you wish.

In this lecture we will be exporting Shot A and Shot B, and saving the video files for further editing and color grading.

In this lecture we will go over where to get your personal FREE copy of HitFilm Express.

HitFilm Express is a free video editing program that is well-suited for both amateur and professional users. It offers a wide range of features and tools that allow users to create high-quality videos, including support for 4K resolution, a wide range of effects and filters, and powerful compositing capabilities. The program includes a user-friendly interface with a timeline-based workflow, allowing users to easily import and arrange their media, add effects and transitions, and fine-tune the final result. HitFilm Express also includes tools for color grading, audio editing, and 3D object manipulation, making it a versatile and comprehensive solution for video editing needs. In addition to its basic features, HitFilm Express also offers a range of optional add-ons and plugins that can further enhance its capabilities.

Next we will edit our shots and color grade our footage with HitFilm Express.

HitFilm Express includes a comprehensive set of color grading tools that allow users to adjust and enhance the color palette of their videos. The program includes a color correction panel with sliders for adjusting the levels of hue, saturation, and luminance for individual color channels, as well as a range of color grading presets and looks that can be applied to the entire image or specific regions. In addition to basic color adjustments, HitFilm Express also includes features for working with color curves, color wheels, and color keys, allowing users to fine-tune the color balance and create specific color effects. The program also includes a HSL keyer that allows users to isolate and adjust the colors of specific objects or areas within the frame, making it easier to achieve a cohesive and polished look for the final video.

This lecture will give you the very important links to attain your own DAZ 3D Genesis, Genesis 2, Genesis 3 and Genesis 8 characters and assets.  These asset packs contain a huge selection of things you will want to use in your future projects and animations - all free.

In this lecture you will create your very own Unreal Engine Cinematic using the really cool Exile Alien character created by the talented Josh Crockett, inside of an alien spaceship.  You'll set up lights, characters, animations and camera moves and then render it out to video so you can share with your family and friends.

The course comes with all Unreal Engine scene files, Exile Alien and Spaceship Interior.

Next you'll download the needed programs for this lecture: DAZ Studio Pro, Unreal Engine and HitFilm Express - all FREE

One of the best ways to learn Unreal Engine is to just jump right in. In this lecture you're going to learn how to drag and drop the Alien character into the scene, along with his animation.

In this lecture you will learn how to setup your camera to produce a depth of field effect with your foreground character in sharp focus and your background out of focus for a truly cinematic look. 

Depth of field with the Unreal Engine Cinematic Camera works very much like a real world camera with settings such as focal length, sensor height and width (for a widescreen look), and aperture settings.  These settings take effect in real time, so you can immediately see what you are creating.  You'll learn to use all these settings to achieve whatever look you desire.

Genesis 2 characters are the easiest to export into Unreal Engine, and there is a huge selection of characters and assets to choose from in the DAZ3D store. In this lecture you will learn how to export  your Genesis 2 character ready for import into Mixamo, then to Unreal Engine.

Why Genesis Characters?

• High quality, affordable models - the base model is free from DAZ 3d

• Huge content library of affordable characters based on the Genesis base model

• Easier than creating a character from scratch in Maya or other 3d software package

In this course we will be using the free Genesis 2  and Genesis 3 Male and Female characters, because they interface very well with both Mixamo and Unreal Engine 4.  Later in the course we will cover Genesis 8.

Genesis 3 characters are really high quality and there is a large quantity of characters to choose from.  In this lecture we will cover the steps to export your character from DAZ Studio, then into Mixamo for applying animations, and then lastly into Unreal Engine. 

Important Update: DAZ no longer offers the SciFi interior for download, but the SciFi Interior is already loaded and ready to go in your Unreal Engine Project file. 

If you wish to substitute another free DAZ asset, feel free to do so as you follow along in this tutorial, as the steps will be the same.

How to export the new Genesis 8 Characters

DAZ 3D recently introduced the latest generation of characters - the Genesis 8 characters.  These are the most advanced characters to date and you will be able to export them, upload them to Mixamo for motion-capture animations and then import them into Unreal Engine. This video explains the process step-by-step. 

Also included is a detailed PDF resource on how to export Genesis 8 for use in Mixamo for you to download and use.

Adobe Mixamo is an amazing free resource and will give you access to thousands of animations.  Whatever you may need - idle animations, walk animations, dance animations, fighting animations and tons more. You're going to absolutely love Mixamo.

In this lecture we will go through the steps of importing your Genesis 2 character into Mixamo and adding animations.  We will then export the animations ready for importing into Unreal Engine.

In this lecture we will go through the steps of importing your Genesis 3 character into Mixamo and adding animations.  We will then export the animations ready for importing into Unreal Engine.

UPDATE: The Warrior Girl character is already included in your Unreal Engine Project, so use the default Genesis 2 character that you downloaded from DAZ 3D instead, and follow along step-by-step.

Using the fun and effective drag and drop method, you will setup your Alien Spaceship Interior Scene.

In this lecture we will learn how to set up:

• Volumetric Fog

• Exponential Height Fog

• Bloom

• Lens Flares

These lighting effects will help to achieve a dramatic mood for your scene

Again, with drag and drop simplicity we will add some alien creature characters to the spaceship interior and position them under the spotlights.  We will also add animations to the characters, so they move realistically. 

Using the particle effects that come with the Starter Content we will:

• Create Fire

• Create Smoke

• Create Steam

We will then position these effects in our scene to create a moody atmosphere.

These animated particle effects are already built and are drag-and-drop ready

The Unreal Engine Sequencer is a fun and powerful tool that you will soon grow to love!  Much like a non-linear editing timeline, the Sequencer is where you will add all your assets that you wish to animate and will control the outcome; all your cameras, characters, lights, particle effects and audio, etc - the Sequencer is where everything will come together for your cinematics.

In this lecture we are going to create a 2nd Cinematic Camera, add it to the Sequencer and add movement to it.  This will be an "over the shoulder" shot - looking over the Alien's shoulder that is high up on the scaffolding and down toward the ground below.   Then the camera will track down to ground level and move toward the other aliens.

In this lecture we're going to be completing our final shot and we're also going to be covering a few additional items here:

We're going to go over Reflection Capture Spheres and how those work to help achieve greater realism in our shot.

Next we're going to go over the Depth of Field focus technique.

Finally, we're going to cover how to tilt the camera during the camera movement and then build our lighting to make sure our lighting is built and all lights are rendering correctly.

In this lecture we are going to import our three shots into HitFilm Express, or your favorite  video editing program.   We will assemble the shots and then color grade them using some of the tools available in the program.

In this lecture we are going to learn how to color grade our footage in HitFilm Express and prepare the video for export.

In this video we're going to cover how to add the materials to the Genesis 8 character (or Genesis 3) that you imported, and create materials from scratch in the Unreal Engine Material Editor.

Some awesome things are being created in Unreal Engine and in this lecture we will see some behind the scenes footage of Zootopia, and HellBlade, Senua's Sacrifice.

This informative video will give you a glimpse of what lies ahead as you move into Unreal Engine 5! 

Here is a PDF with some handy quick start tips and keyboard shortcuts that you will find useful. 

Decals are a very powerful tool in Unreal Engine.  This simple tutorial will walk you through the steps to create your own decals that you can use to "dirty up" or break up tileable textures and patterns.  You will find this to be very helpful as you create environments in Unreal Engine.

Here are the steps to take to get your Genesis 8 Characters into Mixamo, then to Unreal Engine in a convenient downloadable PDF file.  I'm also putting it here as well for your convenience to read right now. 

In this section of the course you will learn the step-by-step process of exporting your DAZ Genesis Character with it's full facial morphs and expressions and then importing your character into Unreal Engine for animation.  Also included with the course and to be used in this section are 4 custom characters, fully rigged and ready for animation.