How to change the Lyra character - Unreal Engine 5 tutorial

[@whyareless]

Wow I seem to have overcomplicated things and this video made me facepalm myself questioning how I missed this lol They really made retargeting super easy. Thank you so much, awesome stuff as always :)

[@LeafBranchGames]

Glad to hear it was useful. :)

[@FlorianBecquereau]

Glad to have found your videos, they are so helpful. I really like your approach to figure things out. It's teaching me more than when people just show how to do something in a tutorial and leave me without understanding what I did and often unable to re-do it later on my own.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you very much. Appreciate that you like my style of teaching. :)

[@robertgoldbornatyout]

Thank you for the awesome and concise tutorial, very helpful. We need more of these. Thank you.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you kindly. :)

[@callamb4351]

Thank you for the awesome and concise tutorial We need more of these. thank you.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you for the kind words, it is appreciated. :)

[@vazuvius8302]

I like this, it got me to how Lyra was selecting which character to start with. One note though, you were right the first time. On the random its should be 0-2 your max is 3 minus the 1 which is 2. the index will be 0,1,2

[@LeafBranchGames]

Glad to hear you like it. :)

[@vazuvius8302]

looked again, looks like you're right, should be 3 based on the note. kind of surprised Epic does it this way.

[@JOEFRAUST]

@@vazuvius8302 I noticed the character gets duplicated even though you have him in the game. Is there a way where you can replace player 1 with your own character without it duplicating that character several times amongst the other players?

[@JOEFRAUST]

@@vazuvius8302 for example, if you wanted to play a game with 4 characters, and they all look different!

[@Mygoditsfullofstars]

Thank you for the tutorial. Wish your keyboard wasn't louder than your voice but otherwise great work

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you for the feedback. :)

[@shannenmr]

Keep it up !

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you. :)

[@onezay4612]

I need that! Thank you 😁

[@LeafBranchGames]

My pleasure. :)

[@theone8625]

Thank you so much bro! One question: when migrating a UE5 character from a standard UE 5.3 Third Person Shooter template project into a Lyra 5.3 project, the character vanishes and turns into a flashing/glitchy mess! The character was originally created in Daz3d and imported into the UE 5.3 template project via the Daz To Unreal Bridge. The character looks and funtions perfectly after being imported, and I use live runtime retargeting to animate it (using the manual ik retargeting process creates some strange camera tracking issues that I don't presently have time to fine tune). Perhaps when attempting to migrate the character into Lyra, I should not include the control rig? Perhaps the Lyra control rig may be different from the standard Third Person template rig? Any other ideas? I viewed several tutorials on how to change the Lyra character, but they all seem to focus on either a direct Epic Games marketplace purchase/import, or a MetaHuman import... but never a migration from a UE5 project directly into Lyra. I also tried doing a Daz to Unreal bridge import directly from Daz to Lyra, but the flashing/glitchy issue still occurred. The bridge works perfectly when going from Daz into a standard Third Person project, but not when going from Daz into Lyra. Please let me know if you have any ideas on how to migrate a charcter into Lyra, thank you so much bro! Keep up the great work and congratulations on your channel!👍⚡️

[@LeafBranchGames]

What is the flashing/glitchy effect that you get? I can't really imagine what issue you are encountering.

[@theone8625]

When I double click on the Skeletal Mesh icon in the Content Browser, instead of the new window opening with my character in the "A" pose, I see a bunch of distorted, changing shapes and lines, almost like a Picasso abstract art animation lol! I can tell that the shapes and lines are based upon the character / textures / materials etc because the colors kind of match (some shapes are skintone color, others are colors from the wardrobe etc). As long as I don't double click on the Skeletal Mesh character icon, the character thumbnail shows up properly. But if I try to do anything to it (reassign skeleton, retarget etc), even the thumbnail begins showing the crazy "Picasso" distorted character animation! I'm lost! Thank you so much for your reply bro!

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@theone8625 I can't recall ever having encountered such a result. I guess you could try the latest stable UE version, which is 5.2 and see if you have the issues there as well. Other than that I can't really advise.

[@slavigrad6191]

Thank you, nice explaining!

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you, my pleasure. :)

[@mulagraphics]

Thank you!

[@LeafBranchGames]

No problem!

[@Texlow]

Nice walk through, an interesting thing to note about the "Add Character Part" node is that you can layer more skeletal meshes on top, it's a nice and easy way to add hats or clothes. Would be great to see you run-through and explain gameplay tags in more detail, since I believe that's how they handle shooting/dying among other stuff (for example, you're unable to jump whilst in the air, but I can't find any blueprint code that contains that check, I think it might be handled with gameplay tags/C++). Thanks!

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thanks for the feedback, I will see what I can do about that. :)

[@shannenmr]

@@LeafBranchGames I think it would be good to show how to implement a "Modular" Character which has the Head / Legs / Chest etc separate and use SKM merge or just Copy Master Pose etc.

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@shannenmr That sounds interesting.

[@shannenmr]

@@LeafBranchGames The just released Lyra video on Unreal Engine official channel which shows importing and using a metahuman which is modular etc.

[@prosealien]

Thanks for this, I'm new to Unreal followed the guide slowly step by step first time ended up with a floaty gun as I missed a step I think LOL but works fine now. Is this retargeting the same for other shooter type templates or does the process change also how would I make the enemies have a separate appearance? Great video well explained easy to follow :)

[@LeafBranchGames]

Retargetting in general I go through in this tutorial: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZ6TeHynpZaqiZI You need to have a different skeletal mesh to make use of to have your enemies have a different appearance.

[@nilleboyswe]

thank you so much

[@LeafBranchGames]

My pleasure. :)

[@danielgbat89]

please make a video on how to change menu sounds on buttons and 2d sound

[@DR_Kerk]

Could you do a deep dive of the inventory system? There is an Inventory test map and inputs that don't seem to be used. Along with a rock and tree Inventory item.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thanks for the tip, I will see what I can do.

[@maddened3746]

What about changing the default BP in the lyra game modes ? as in i want my custom BP to spawn within the lyra game with it's own mechanics and controls etc

[@syno3608]

Yessssss.... I wanted to do that 😁

[@LeafBranchGames]

Happy to help. :)

[@originalclassic7603]

hey. just a quick question. if the weapon position in the hand of the new character is wrong. where do i fixe that ? the animations do work fine just the hand position is off now ^^

[@LeafBranchGames]

I haven't spend any time yet looking into that, it could be the retargeter. I would check there first.

[@MrComputerCrack]

Hey, Great Video! We were trying to get the multiplayer to work did you try it yet? And If yes did you get it to work?

[@LeafBranchGames]

Hello, thank you! No, I have not had the time to sit down and tinker with any of those parts yet.

[@nomadic626]

Does this work in a packaged game?

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sure.

[@KiwiHawk-downunder-nz]

I would like to know how to release the project so it can be use to make RPG's and use these character as normal free to run about RPG characters

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thanks for the feedback. I will see what I can do.

[@KiwiHawk-downunder-nz]

@@LeafBranchGames Thank you, the bringing in the medieval Village from last month would make a nice wee RPG world for example

[@itsVDROID]

I'm trying to use a Ready Player Me Avatar, what other steps (aside from turning it into a fbx file) would I need to go through?

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sorry, not familiar with that asset or program.

[@Alex_Panagiotidis7]

hey, i can see the character in game but the animations doesnt work he is standing still. can you help me please

[@LeafBranchGames]

The questions is a bit too broad to answer with a definitive answer. If your character is standing still, then he is not likely processing movement inputs.

[@ryannator8299]

i got it all except for the part where you see the refernce tree. it wasn't letting me look at it. any reason why?

[@LeafBranchGames]

What do you mean it won't let you look at it?

[@ryannator8299]

@@LeafBranchGames got it all fixed hahaha so no problem

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@ryannator8299 Glad to hear you solved the issue.

[@syno3608]

hey , can we change the default character to any other character which uses a different skeleton ? i mean any character other than from epic games marketplace . i made one in blender , i want to use that in lyra or preferably in third person template .

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sure. But just like the UE4 skeleton uses an IK retargeter, you will need one that is setup for the skeleton of the character you want to use.

[@syno3608]

@@LeafBranchGames yo... Thanks. .. I'll try it out ...

[@bruceoberleitner3031]

Hi, I tried to do this for a non Lyra project using the Third person template as a starting point. I tried implementing this and found that the ABP_UE4_Retarget routine is not there! How can I do this for the third person template? Thanks

[@LeafBranchGames]

Then you have to create and setup a re-target yourself, you can look at the lyra project for inspiration on how it can be done.

[@bruceoberleitner3031]

@@LeafBranchGames OK thanks

[@kristianrabakov8579]

Hello, how can we change only our character's mesh and all other remain manequinns ? Right now It changes all or randomly. I just want my mesh to be different.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Then you have to look into rewriting how the assignment of meshes is done. You could for example make sure that the player controller is the only one who is supposed to get a different mesh.

[@kristianrabakov8579]

@@LeafBranchGames Can you help me a bit with that ? Ill be thankful. Or atleast to disabe AI for my team, and keep only AI manequinns enemy team. New subscriber here :)

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@kristianrabakov8579 Unfortunately due to needing to cut down a bit on time spent on my channel, I do not have as much time to help out in that manner. You could watch the "exploring lyra" playlist and it might help give you the tools to figure out what you need.

[@jeonglee14]

hi can i have different characters for Q also?

[@LeafBranchGames]

What do you mean, can you elaborate?

[@jeonglee14]

@@LeafBranchGames i want to use only characters i add 3 or 4 can it be done in the same way u did

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@jeonglee14 Sure.

[@Ghassub]

I followed all the steps with a custom Character i created and rigged using mixamo but didn't work? is it perhaps i did something wrong or this exercise doesn't apply for mixamo rigged characters?

[@LeafBranchGames]

As long as you have the same skeletal structure it should be fine.

[@maikschafer1566]

Hey, thanks first. I just have the problem by following the steps and my karakters alwys loses the Animations. Where or how can i fix it?

[@LeafBranchGames]

Following these steps you should not lose any animations. Make sure that the animations correspond to the situation mentioned in the video.

[@maikschafer1566]

@@LeafBranchGames it worked for the karakter wich is used in the Video, but tried it on another one i downloaded and that didnt work... but Ill try it again tomorow. Start and over from. Thanks again. Greetings from Germany ✌️

[@LeafBranchGames]

​@@maikschafer1566 Was the animations that disappeared for the UE4 skeleton or something else?

[@coolboysentertainment5846]

very helpful. i am able to make it animate. although i have my own custom animation. i added it on the abp_rifle. and replace one of the animations. like jog forward. when i play it my character is always at t pose. theres also an error that says unable to adjust playrate for animation with no root motion delta

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sounds like the animation is very different from the skeleton?

[@coolboysentertainment5846]

@@LeafBranchGames yes. is there a way to apply lyra? for example, like mixamo or unity skeletons? and apply unity animations?

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@coolboysentertainment5846 You can yes. But this specific example goes through using a UE4 skeleton mesh for the UE5 skeleton using a retargeter. If you have a different skeleton than that, then you need to create a retargeter for that skeleton.

[@coolboysentertainment5846]

@@LeafBranchGames anyway, i also tested with ue 4 animations. i retargeted it to ue 5 mannequin. in the animation sequence window. it looks good. but when i apply it on abp_ rifle or GA_dash its broken. so im kinda confused on that part.

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@coolboysentertainment5846 The hint that you are t-posing means you are not actually playing any animation. So either the animation is not being fed properly or the character enters an animation state it does not have an animation for.

[@plorks445]

Great video! LYRA comes with LAN only. Online is disabled by default :( Difficult to find info on how to enable it.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Thank you. :) I might look into the details of that topic in the future if I can.

[@JOEFRAUST]

Does anybody know how I can get my character out of the letter A Pose. when i load the game my character is stuck in a letter a pose constantly

[@LeafBranchGames]

There could be many reasons why it is doing an A or T pose. But it all boils down to that the character doesn't know which animation it should be playing.

[@JOEFRAUST]

@@LeafBranchGamesI think it might be a retargeting issues!

[@kasperlarsson7598]

Have you tried to replace a female character? When I do that the weapons are offset in her hands. Do you or anyone else know how to fix this? A video by any chance exists on that? Thank you

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sounds like possibly a retargeter issue. You may want to look into the retarget and see if it looks correct or if the hands are not properly mapped.

[@michaelshaw423]

When I click on my character I don't see the same layout as you. I can't see the components or details like yours. Do you have any suggestions for making it easy to follow along? I might be missing something.

[@LeafBranchGames]

If you are talking about not being able to see certain windows, you can enable and disable windows under the "windows" section in the top.

[@massimodefrancisco2349]

Thanks for the interesting tutorial! I have an issue when it comes to switch to 2 players and net mode as a client, the new character does not shows up, just the weapon (like a ghost one). Any thoughts why? Thank you.

[@LeafBranchGames]

Sounds like it is not assigning a character properly.

[@massimodefrancisco2349]

@@LeafBranchGames I'm struggling to find where is not assigned properly because when in standalone play I have no problem.

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@massimodefrancisco2349 I would suggest debugging then to see where the code goes wrong. If you don't know what debugging is, I have a tutorial on debug you can look up.

[@massimodefrancisco2349]

@@LeafBranchGames thank you. I'm trying that now, but I was just wondering if according to your tutorial you may and up in the same issue when trying to go on client. I'll also have a look to the debugging tutorial, thank you for your help.

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@massimodefrancisco2349 This tutorial project is deleted so I can't really check. But I don't think the tutorial and your error are related.

[@nickprice6644]

Hi, which version are you using please? I’ve tried this on a third person project using version 5.0.2 and the ‘Characters’ folder structure you have is different / doesn’t exist. I’ve tried searching for ‘B_Manny’ but without success. Nick

[@LeafBranchGames]

I have the same version. Remember that a search will only happen in the folder you have selected and its sub folders. So if you want to search the whole project, select the root called "All".

[@nickprice6644]

@@LeafBranchGames Ah, I see that this is only available in the Lyra Starter Project, not in 3rd person projects. Nick

[@TitlePending]

Sadly the gun does not match the hands. This is a problem Ive been dealing with using the frame work. The best solution seems to be to rerig to UE 5 skeletons.

[@LeafBranchGames]

The result is a direct result from the IK rigs and the retarget asset. You can always tweak those.

[@TitlePending]

@@LeafBranchGames It's hard to adjust not being able to see the gun and the rig at the same time. I'm still learning the workflow to this.

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@TitlePending You should be able to add the gun mesh to your skeletal mesh for display.

[@TitlePending]

​@@LeafBranchGames OMG the preview option doesn't attach an actually gun mesh to the skeleton, and the animations could be saved separately as a new character set of animation, correct? If so, does that replicate for multiplayer?

[@LeafBranchGames]

@@TitlePending Does what repliicate?

[@DirtMcGoof]

I dont know what im doing wrong no matter what mesh I retarget i get hands that never line up. I have the mesh in the video it has the non lined up hands too. synty models all meshes. I think the retargeter is broken in the latest lyra or something been at this for weeks never get any better. Reinstalled many times redownload meshes etc. followed every video on youtube changing lyra characters always same result or worse no animations. Have been able to make custom match types custom abilities for my project but cant change a simple character mesh even on clean projects. still no custom characters. It cant be this hard, Im following the process to a T. Well except half the videos where they assume you know it all like they do and skip steps. But watch enough and you get all the step. I am out of videos to rewatch.

[@goodschannel3713]

why use Mannequin_UE4, thank you

[@LeafBranchGames]

The different mannequins have different skeletons.

[@insanestudios9643]

So far every video showing how easy it is to retarget does not explain why the ik doesnt work correctly, am i the only one that notices this. I mean the weapon is just floating all over the plays as the retargeted character hand ik is not working properly at all.. Is this a thing now?

[@insanestudios9643]

If you aim you notice it more, it has an offset that even adjusting it in say "WID_Pistol" doesnt help at all it just looks so off.

[@LeafBranchGames]

I believe you will only get as good a result as the setup retargeter allows. If it is an inherit problem for it to not get a completely accurate retarget or if the retargeter was poorly made, I can not tell you.

[@insanestudios9643]

@@LeafBranchGames Well it seems to inherit the same ik issues the ALS plugin has, it being the same guy that made the system. But yes this issue is with the ue5 to ue4 retargeter and even a custom one plus another one made with the additional bones that the Ue5 manny has and syill. I guess the best way is just to make your own anyway. At least that works

[@JOEFRAUST]

Please help?

[@robbytaylor2685]

the swallowing though

[@Ghassub]

I followed all the steps with a custom Character i created and rigged using mixamo but it didn't work. is it perhaps i may have did something wrong or is it that this solution doesn't apply for mixamo rigged characters or custom used characters?