Unreal Animation Unlocked: The Full Production Workflow

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About Course

If you’ve ever felt like Unreal Engine was built for everyone except animators, this course is your turning point.

Taught by industry animator Alex Maniotis, Unreal Animation Unlocked takes you from your very first steps inside Unreal all the way through a complete, studio-grade production pipeline. You’ll learn how to bring animations in from Maya, take full control of the Sequencer, build efficient keyframe workflows, and harness powerful tools like the Curve Editor, Animation Picker, and Control Rig. Along the way you’ll explore Bake Animation, Rewind Debugger, MetaHumans, Facial Capture with LiveLink, and how to handle both cinematic and gameplay animation with confidence.

Whether you’re a games animator making the move to real-time, a freelancer expanding your toolkit, or a studio professional wanting to work faster and smarter, this course gives you everything you need to make Unreal Engine work the way you actually work.

What you’ll learn:

  • Full Maya-to-Unreal import and setup workflow
  • Sequencer, hotkeys, and animation tools from the ground up
  • Keyframe workflows, curve editing, and playblast/quick render
  • Control Rig, baking, and loopable animation techniques
  • Gameplay animation systems and realtime production workflows
  • MetaHumans and facial capture with LiveLink
  • Pro tips for cleanup, enhance passes, and working at scale

Stop fighting Unreal. Start animating in it.

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What Will You Learn?

  • By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to confidently animate inside Unreal Engine as part of a full production workflow.
  • You’ll learn how to move assets between Maya and Unreal, work with Control Rig, clean up and enhance mocap, and create keyframe animations directly in-engine. On top of that, you’ll understand how Unreal’s animation systems work together, allowing you to build both gameplay and cinematic animations.
  • Most importantly, you’ll set up Unreal so it feels familiar, like a DCC, while taking advantage of real-time workflows that speed up iteration and open up new possibilities.

Course Content

Workshop Intro
In this introduction, I’ll walk you through who I am and why Unreal Engine has become such an important tool for animators today. We’ll break down how real-time workflows are changing production, and why working directly inside the engine can give you a big advantage, especially for gameplay animation. I’ll also give you a clear overview of what the course includes and how it’s structured. You’ll see how Unreal can be set up to feel familiar, like any DCC, while unlocking workflows that traditional tools simply can’t match.

From Maya to Unreal
Learn how to move characters and animations between Maya and Unreal. You’ll set up a control rig using Advanced Skeleton, retarget mocap data, and correctly export/import both characters and animation assets.

Intro to Unreal
Understand how Unreal Engine works compared to DCC tools like Maya. You’ll explore the interface, set up a scene for animation, and get introduced to Levels and Sequencer.

Unreal Navigation
Set up Unreal to behave more like Maya. You’ll cover navigation, selection, and editor preferences so working inside UE feels natural.

Unreal Editor Layout
Customize Unreal’s layout to match an animation-friendly workflow. You’ll get a first look at key animation tools like Pose Library, Layers, Tweeners, and the Curve Editor.

Unreal HotKeys for Animators
Learn how to speed up your workflow with hotkeys. You’ll set up a practical hotkey system focused on animation tasks.

Unreal Sequencer Options
Set up Sequencer for animation work. You’ll configure playback, filters, and timeline behavior, and learn how to manage keyframes and sync with the Curve Editor.

Animation Picker
Install and set up Locodrome’s Metahuman Animation Tool (MAT) to improve control selection and workflow efficiency.

Animation Tools
Go through Unreal’s animation tools in practice. You’ll explore pose tools, tweening, layers, constraints, motion paths, and more.

Unreal Curve Editor
Learn how to use Unreal’s Curve Editor (Graph Editor equivalent). You’ll cover navigation, tangents, filters, and how to control animation curves effectively.

Workflow Optimization and Preferences
Set up tools and preferences that improve your overall animation workflow. You’ll work with space switching (Parent and Explicit spaces), use bookmarks to navigate timelines faster, and learn how to save and transfer your settings across projects.

Unreal Quick Render (Playblast)
Install and use QuickRender to quickly preview and export your animations directly from Unreal.

How to Bake Animation Sequence Into Control Rig
Learn how to bake animation sequences into Control Rig inside Sequencer using different methods.

Mocap Cleanup and Reference Workflow
A complete mocap cleanup and enhancement workflow inside Unreal. You’ll fix common issues like foot sliding, retime and blend animations, adjust root motion, and apply layers and curve filters. You’ll also learn how to use video and image references directly in Sequencer to support your animation work.

Keyframe Animation Workflow In Unreal
Create animations from scratch using Control Rig. You’ll work with stepped and spline workflows, space switching, and core body mechanics principles.

Apply Animation Sequences to Control Rig
Learn how to apply and manage animation sequences directly on Control Rig, with control over baking, key density, and curve filtering.

Loopable Animations (Idle Poses)
Create seamless loopable animations. You’ll learn how to build idle poses and use references to support them.

Intro to Gameplay Animation Tools
Understand why animating inside Unreal is powerful for game production and how it impacts workflow and iteration speed.

Gameplay and Cinematic Animations
Create both gameplay and cinematic animations. You’ll work with Blueprints, Animation Montages, and camera systems to trigger and blend animations in real time.

Gameplay Animation Realtime Workflow
Work in real time using a split viewport setup. Every change in Sequencer updates instantly in the running game.

Metahumans
Set up and animate Metahumans. You’ll transfer animations, retarget data, and work with Control Rig on high-quality characters.

Facial Capture with Live Link
Capture and edit facial animation using Live Link. You’ll record, clean up, and sync facial performance with body animation.

Partial Animation Transfer
Learn how to apply animation only to selected controllers, allowing you to reuse and layer animation more flexibly.

Unreal Animation Rewind Debbuger
Use the Rewind Debugger to analyze and troubleshoot gameplay animation issues step by step.

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