Part 3: Modifying Existing Animation

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to modify existing animations in Unreal Engine. It covers topics such as navigating the Content Browser, creating a new level sequence, adding additive animation, adjusting blend shapes and bones, setting animation keys, and exporting the modified animation. By following this guide, users will be able to customize and export their own animations, allowing them to build up their animation library and enhance their projects in Unreal Engine.

Katie Stokes
52 steps
5 minutes

Modifying Animation

Go into your Content Browser tab

Click on the Content folder

Select the Maps folder

Double click on Map_Example3

Now that Map_Example3 is open, go back into the Content folder

Double click on the Sequences folder

Double click on Example3_Shot

Explore the animation by scrubbing through the sequencer with the playhead

New Level Sequence

Go back into the Content Browser tab

Make sure you are still in the Sequences folder and right click in the folder

Select Animation > Level Sequence

Rename the Level Sequence "ModifyAnimation"

Double click on your new level sequence

Make sure to save your work

Additive Animation

Click on Bit in the Viewport to highlight her actor in the Outliner tab

Drag Sk_Bit into the Sequencer window

Click on +Animation to choose an animation to modify

In the menu that appears, choose an animation of your choice, or follow along with the video and choose Bit_Dancing

In the animation track, drag the dancing sequence out for the length of it, then click on +Track next to Sk_Bit

Choose Control Rig > FK Control Rig\ \ A rig is essentially the skeleton and the blend shapes together. A rig encompasses everything a character can do. It allows you to move the skeleton and move the blend shapes.

When Bit has popped back into her T-pose, right click on FKControlRig

Choose Additive (it's normal if your character disappears at this point)\ \ Additive allows you to animate on top of the animation you already have.

To get the character back into the viewport, go to your Content Browser tab

Navigate to the top Content folder

Right click on the BPW_PrepCharacter widget in the Content folder

Choose Run Editor Utility Widget

To dock the BPW_PrepCharacter floating window, click on the tab and drag to dock near the Details panel. When you release, it will stay put.

Click the Prep Character button to bring Bit back into the Viewport

Click on the Sequencer tab to continue animating on top of the character

If you're making your own characters and it disappears when switching FKControlRig to Additive, click the Prep Character button to bring it back

Expand the Control RIg to see all the different bones and joints, as well as the blend shapes for the face at the very bottom of the list

Expand a blend shape, like eyeBlinkLeft

Set eyeBlinkLeft to -1 to set her eye open Set to 0 to set her eye closed

[[In the next step, you will learn about Keys. Keys act like snapshots that lock in an animation pose at a specific moment. So, if you set a key when the eye is open, the sequencer will ensure that the eye stays open at that exact time you've keyed it.]]

Animation Keys

Make sure the scrubbing tool is at the time you want to set the key of your animation pose. Click the key button (small circle next to the value). It will add a key of your animation pose (shown with the arrow).

Move the scrubber tool to where you wan to set your next pose, and then set the eyeBlinkLeft back to 0. This should automatically set the key. If not, just click the key button again.

Scrub through the eye animation to see the eye open and close. Even though you didn't set every position of the eye, the sequencer knows to blend those shapes in between the keys.

To modify the body, click on the skeleton part in the Viewport to identify the bone. It will highlight it in the Sequencer list. Click upperarm_r to modify the location and rotation of the right upperarm. Explore different bones if you want!

Use the rotation tool to move the bone in place.

You can also adjust the values and don't forget to add keys to the sequence in time as you find the poses you want.

When your animation is ready, you can export it!

Export Animation

Right-click on Sk_Bit in the Sequencer tab

Choose Bake Animation Sequence

Choose where you want to save the animation. In this example, it is saved in All > Content > Animation Library > Bit_Animations

Choose an Animation Name. To use this example, name it, Bit_ModifiedDance

Click OK

Expand the Export dropdown to make sure it matches the selections here.

Click Export To Animation

Click on the pop-up that has your animation file listed. If it disappeared too quickly, use the directions that follow.

To find your newly saved animation, go to the Content Browser tab

Choose the AnimationLibrary folder

Double click on Bit_Animations folder

Look through the animations to find your newly saved animation, in this case, Bit_ModifiedDance

Double click on Bit_ModifiedDance to view your animation in the Viewport

Once you have your own animation exported to the AnimationLibrary, you can add those to shots, blend together with other animations, and build up your animation library.