How To Export Animation From Maya To Unreal

This page describes how you can export a scene from Sequencer as an FBX file and make alterations to that file inside a third-party application like 3ds Max or Maya. In one case satisfied with your changes, y'all can so import the FBX file dorsum into your Sequencer scene in Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) forth with your updated changes.

There are some caveats to this process that you should go along in mind:

• When exporting, you tin export all the objects with animations in your scene to your FBX file.

• Importing FBX files will only import animation. It will not create new objects.

• Consign/Import does not work with Master Sequences, Shots within a Master, or Subscenes.

• Brand sure that the fourth dimension settings in your tertiary-party application matches the time frame used for your scene in Unreal Engine.

As long as y'all export from a source Level Sequence and not a shot that sits inside a Chief, and are just altering the animation of existing avails, you will exist able to import your changes directly dorsum into your scene inside UE4. Likewise, using the same time frames in both UE4 and your third-party application volition ensure that they line upwards, and that the imported scene is non resampled at a different time rate.

Case Workflow

Below, we export a scene from the Sequencer Subway Projection (pictured below) bachelor for free from the Acquire tab of the Launcher. We and then have it into Maya and change the camera movement in the scene, and so import that FBX along with our changes back into UE4 where our existing scene is automatically updated with our changes.

Exporting from Sequencer

Kickoff, determine which Level Sequence to consign.

1. In the prune below, we pick the shot nosotros desire to alter and open information technology up. We and so become into the General Options and cull Export. We have a Master Rail that includes shot0040_001 so we open up that item Level Sequence to export it.

   Upon performing the FBX Consign procedure, you will be shown the FBX Consign Options window where you can define how to export your content.

   

   Use these options to choose the FBX Export Compatibility version also as the pick to export the Skeletal Mesh'south Vertex Color, Level of Item or Collision settings.

   At that place is also the choice to Map Skeletal Motion to Root which will (if enabled) map the Skeletal Actor movement to the root bone of the Skeleton. For this instance, we use the default settings and choose Export to export our content.

Exporting Shots past Local or Master Time

When exporting an object in a Shot or Subsequence, you can make up one's mind if you desire to export the Shot past Master Sequence time or Local Sequence fourth dimension. Master Sequence fourth dimension is useful when yous are looking at the blitheness holistically and in comparison to other shots. Local Sequence time is useful when you are working shot by shot. Exporting to either time maps to the shot keys in Maya, and in Sequencer you tin can movement from Local to Primary fourth dimension easily.

The default setting is to Export Local Time (checked). To export by Master Time, uncheck the box.

External Editing

Once we have an exported FBX from Sequencer, we open our third-party application to import it so we can first editing.

1. Before we import our FBX into Maya, we gear up our working units for Time to match our Time Rate used in Unreal Engine.

2. We then import our FBX into Maya and set up our scene so that we can begin making edits. Later on importing:

   1. Set up the Perspective nether Console to use the photographic camera shotCamA in our scene.

   2. Hibernate any elements obstructing the view (such equally the god ray mesh) by pressing Ctrl + H with information technology selected.

   3. Then, under View nosotros Select Camera to display the properties and keyframes for shotCamA, which we tin and so begin to edit.

3. Next, we make edits to the movement of our photographic camera. Below, we select the Translation and Rotation properties of our shotCamA. Then, right-click and select Break Connections. We and so option a new starting point for the camera to be in, to start our scene, pressing the Due south primal to keyframe the new position. We scrub ahead slightly and motility the photographic camera to the catastrophe position. Printing the S key over again to keyframe the end position so that our photographic camera moves forth a new path.

4. With our changes in place, we so consign our scene using Consign Selection from the File menu. During the consign process from Maya, we first change the export type to FBX export. Then, nether Advanced Options and Axis Conversion, we modify the Up Axis to follow the Z-axis to allow for a compatible import into Unreal Engine. Future versions of the engine may address this then that you do non have to catechumen the axis, just you will demand to do this for now to avoid any importing bug.

Importing to Sequencer

Now that nosotros have an edited version in FBX format we can import it and the changes into Unreal Engine, updating our scene.

1. Inside our shot0040_001 that nosotros wanted to edit, nosotros correct-click on our shotCamA and select Import. This will take the transform data inside the FBX and utilize it to the selected object in Unreal Engine. This tin be useful if yous want to apply the same transform data to multiple objects within your scene.

   Upon importing our FBX we are presented with the Import FBX window.

   

   This (if enabled) allows you to Force Front XAxis which will convert the scene from the FBX coordinate organisation to UE4 coordinate organisation with forepart X axis instead of -Y. If cameras do not already be in the Level, get alee and enable the Create Cameras option.

   You can likewise import the FBX from the General Options window instead of using the right-click method.

   

   When choosing this method, Unreal Engine will attempt to match the names of your objects. For example, we accept shotCamA in both our FBX file and our Sequence so it will apply the information from the FBX file to that object inside Unreal Engine.

In our example, we only applied Transform changes to our camera. However, we could have keyframed new values for our Focal Length to produce a different looking shot besides.

You can experiment with this workflow and use what works best in your given state of affairs. There may be times when you desire to consign to a 3D bundle like Maya or 3ds Max to fine-melody aspects of your scene and then import your changes back into your scene in Unreal Engine.

Source: https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.26/en-US/AnimatingObjects/Sequencer/Workflow/ImportExport/

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