In this tutorial we will cover all the basics that you need to get your character ready for Them and Us.
VIDEO:
1. Open the character’s source art file, in this tutorial we will use Alicia. The character model can be found here
a. You will have to base your character on the same skeleton that we use and skin it to it. First delete all meshes except THIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0. This item needs to be on top of all other meshes, we will explain later why.
b. Try to avoid as much as possible to translate or scale any of the main bones that our animation uses (hands, arms, legs etc). If you need T-Pose use the SKM_Stick_Female.fbx example.
c. Your cloth simulations meshes with unique material (if have any) needs to be as well at the top but bellow THIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0. In our example we have Alicia’s shoes.
d. When skin bind your mesh by the bones make sure the max influences is 4.
e. TheTHIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0 needs to be binded by root bone (Alicia Wallace) using only 1 influence.
Note: UDK can only support maximum 255 bones.
2. Once done your model should look something like this:
Note: You can see the ID0, ID1, ID2 will be used for Cloth Simulation later. If don’t have any cloth you still need to use ID0. In short the game needs to see your character has APEX Cloth.
3. Select the bone and all meshes including THIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0 and export using these options:
a. Smoothing Groups: Enabled
b. Units Centimeters (very important)
c. Up Axis: Y
d. FBX 2013 (very important)
4. Done with the model, time to move to UDK to import it. You can download UDK from here
a. Install UDK and make sure content samples is selected. Rest is not important.
b. Download our shaders and model example from same link. If you are here means you already done that.
c. Place the UDKGame files from download inside C:\UDK\UDK-2015-01\
If done correctly the .upk files will be stored in: C:\UDK\UDK-2015-01\UDKGame\Content\TU\CommunityCostume
d. Start UDK from Start > UDK Editor, not UDK Game
VIDEO (Working with UDK):
5. If everything done correctly you should now see something like this:
6. Select the CommunityCostume > Right Click > Fully Load it
7. Import your .FBX file using the import button.
a. The import type should be Skeletal Mesh, if is not you will have to go to step 2 and reimport your mesh.
b. The name of the package needs to be CommunityCostume_Number, the name of the Group: SkeletalMeshes, and the Name of mesh: CommunityCostume
Note: Currently the maximum number is 3 to 1000, number 1 and 2 is already used by our example characters.
8. Save your package inside CommunityCostume folder and fully load it.
TEXTURES
1. Import your textures and use the appropriate compression settings and LOD groups for each texture type.
Textures – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
a. Your normal map green channel needs to be inversed.
b. Your PBR (RGB) _RMO or _RMS (rough(R) / metal(G) / (B)specular or (R)rough / (M)metal / (B)ambient occlusion) needs to have sRGB disabled after import.
c. For skin we use multiple normal maps that are blurred, you will need to do the same. These are used for scattering the SS.
d. For skin we use SSS that is available in-game in DX11
MATERIALS:
1. Inside the TU_CharacterExample (Materials) as well as TU_MasterShaders (instancematerials) you will find all the necessary instances [MI_] to create your own material.
2. Select any of these MI_ materials like skin or cloth and Right Click > Create a copy
Note: Make sure you select your package from the package list.
3. Open this material that you just created.
4. Select from the browser any of the textures you want to add and click the little green arrow. In this example we change the color of this material.
5. Update the rest of the textures from material, or other options if needed until you are pleased with how it looks
Note: The check means that is using the new changes, uncheck means is using the default master material options/textures etc. Make sure you check before changing any of the options from material.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
SKELETAL MESH
1. Is time to assign the new created materials.
a. Firstly lets assign the most important ID0 material to our mesh. Open the TU_ExampleCharacter mesh, expend the Materials slot and copy the ID0 slot by Right Click > Copy
b. Now open your character mesh, expend the materials slot and in ID0 Right Click > Paste. You should see now the little plane under your character feet is gone.
c. Assign the rest of the materials you created for each slot by using the green arrow. Make sure you select the material you want to assign from content browser as we did earlier with texture.
2. Open up the Origin and set Z number to -108.000000 or somewhere close until you see your character hand IK bellow a little from the grid.
3. Open our example character again.
a. Click at the top bar Mesh > Socket Manager
b. Click on the little scissors icon to copy all sockets.
4. Now open your character.
a. Click at the top bar Mesh > Socket Manager
b. Click on the little document like icon to paste the sockets.
Your character now should look something like our example character (sockets position).
5. Depending how you character is looking you may have to move the FlashLightPocket socket for the flashlight to appear correct on your character.
a. Click Mesh > Socket Manager
b. Move the flashlight where is needed. You can preview the Flashlight in editor here.
Note: Flashlight is inside the TU_CharacterExample/ SkeletalMeshes package.
c. Save The Package now, since next step is crucial.
6. There is still one more important thing that needs to be done. Do you remember the ID0 we bragged about?
a. Open your character and scroll down until you find ClothingAssets. Assign in ID0 the APEX from our TU_CharacterExample / APEX > Apex_01_THIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0.
Did the editor crashed? Means you didn’t followed this guide correctly.
Does it shows Wind at the bottom. Congratulations you are done!
What is this THIS_STAY_ON_TOP_HERE_ID0
If you change in any costumes that uses Cloth simulation (i.e Nurse, Maid …) and then change into another costume that doesn’t have Cloth simulation (i.e Your character) it will completely stop all other character simulations until load a save or restart the game.
For this to work we need to have cloth simulation for each character.
This is a bug in Unreal Development KIT that never was fixed.
What about my cloth from ID1, 2 etc How can I make my skirt to move. How make this APEX?
