Animating Commercial Quality Film with CC UE Control Rig

ActorCore Character Creator Films & Movies MetaHuman UE Control Rig Unreal Engine Unreal Live Link iClone

Maya director animates sci-fi clone story with Character Creator, iClone, and Unreal Engine Control Rig

Dom Fred

Dom Fred has established a remarkable career in the television advertising industry. He has made significant strides in digital and 3D production tools.

Over the past two decades, he has expanded his expertise to include music videos. He also creates documentaries, catering to a global clientele. In 2007, Dom founded his own company, DOM ANIMATION STUDIO. He specializes in product and post-production. He seamlessly integrates 3D characters into real environments and special effects (SFX). He also creates martial arts and acrobatics action sequences for commercials.

“The Uni-T” is a 3D animated short film, by Maya animator and director Dom Fred. It showcases how filmmakers can leverage the CC UE Control Rig. This rig can animate Character Creator characters inside Unreal Engine with precision. It enlivens full-body movement and facial expressions using the familiar MetaHuman Control Rig.

In this short film, Dom Fred utilized Character Creator, iClone, and ActorCore‘s vast motion capture library. He combined these with Unreal Engine Control Rig tools. This highlights the full animation compatibility Character Creator users now have with these powerful tools.

The Birth of “The Uni-T”

Written by Alick Macaire, “The Uni-T” is a 3D animated short film by Maya animator and director Dom Fred. This project showcases the innovative use of the CC UE Control Rig to animate Character Creator characters within Unreal Engine. It allows for precise full-body movement and facial expressions through the MetaHuman Control Rig.

The universal CC standards offer Unreal developers unprecedented flexibility in character customization, while providing access to a vast content ecosystem. This enables the deployment of animated digital doubles, stylized avatars, biped creatures, and crowd simulations.

This science fiction short film “The Uni-T” narrates the story of Sergeant Dominic Helion. He wakes up on the human space colony Libra 2 with no memory of his identity. As he uncovers combat clones in his image, he embarks on a journey to understand his singularity and achieve unity, despite the obstacles in his path.

Technical Mastery of Tools

Dom Fred utilized ActorCore‘s extensive motion capture library to enhance the authenticity of live combat sequences in “The Uni-T.” The project employed advanced tools like iClone , ActorCore, and the Unreal Engine Control Rig. Together these tools forma state-of-the-art production pipeline, that light speeds any animation workflow. Animations that would take weeks can now be done in days.

Character Creator, with its digital human character Kevin, exemplifies the level of detail and realism achievable with the Reallusion ecosystem.

The iClone Unreal Live Link plug-in simplified the animation process. It allowed for efficient control and rendering of 3D animations from iClone to Unreal Engine. With this plugin you can control characters, lights, cameras, and animation directly from iClone into Unreal Engine.

The iClone Unreal Live Link plug-in you can control characters, lights, cameras, and animation directly from iClone into Unreal Engine.

Collaboration with Reallusion

Years of collaboration with Reallusion have enabled Dom Fred and his team to push the boundaries of 3D technology. They have advanced real-time digital production to new heights. The integration of the CC CONTROL RIG plug-in into their production pipeline added an accent to the creation of “The Uni-T,” allowing for direct interaction with characters and ultra-realistic motion capture from ActorCore.

The CC CONTROL RIG facilitated full-body movements and facial expressions using the MetaHuman Control Rig. This synergy offers unprecedented flexibility in character customization.

Production Process

During the production of “The Uni-T,” the ability to adjust animations directly within the Unreal Engine timeline proved invaluable. It was also crucial to add and modify animations. This flexibility allowed for precise control over complex scenes and character expressions, enhancing the overall storytelling. The use of face and body control poses across different Character Creator characters streamlined the animation process. It ensured consistency and efficiency.

Final Thoughts

The CC-UE Control Rig has revolutionized 3D animation. It enables seamless interaction between CC characters and the Unreal Engine environment. It provides unprecedented control over all tools. Dom Fred’s latest creation, “The Uni-T,” exemplifies the power of Reallusion’s and Unreal Engine’s 3D technology.

For this team, the production of “The Uni-T” is a milestone in 3D animation. It showcases the capabilities of the CC-UE Control Rig plug-in. This project not only highlights their technical expertise. It also reflects their dedication to pushing the boundaries of digital production, to deliver an immersive and visually stunning experience to audiences.