Unreal engine 5.3 & Maya 2022 & Metapipe 1.3 & Photoshop 2023 & Zwrap & Zbrush

Goal: create most realistic metahuman that is possible
Aprroach: Great processing character trought Metahuman Animator and then upgrading the base

Scans:
1. Best scenario would be to do scans as much as possible. Mainly 12 expressions pose with 2 rotated side views.
Scans poses: Brows Up, Brows Down, Open eyes, Closed eyes, Smile, sadness, Open Jaw, show teeth, Purse mouth, Eye Squiz, Tongue out, Side scan
Visimes:

idea: DO animation of Visimes „Father “ …. and fixing the visimes, not main expressions

Geometry:
1. Record character on two cameras, synchronize it and prepare it for metahuman animator
2. Let process this take throught Metahuman animator
3. Download and Export file into Maya from standalone Bridge
4. In Zbrush prepare a better mesh of your character, idealy from scan or sculpt but its important keep same topology on your better character like metahuman , same for new teeths , eyes, saliva and all meshes on head if you want them custome (blendshapes in maya has to work bettween them for prebinding) tips: be awere of eyes. Mouth should be closed
5. Open back Maya , run Metapipe plugin, put a dna file of metahuman character, load DNA, Batch import your mesh from point 4. Select all of your custome meshes and click joint transfer. Wait some time and after click SAVE DNA. File should be in your dna output calibration (Tip fit eye balls as close as possible without gap in skin , bcs then there will be wierd shadow on eye)
6. Import some body that you want to for your character. Build a body throught metapipe. Assign materials and Export it,
7. You can edit a blendshapes and deformations but i would leave it on the end
8. Import your fbx into unreal, set a skeletal metahuman. Affter right click a imported skeletal mesh and import DNA file for it
9. Open imported skeletal and under skin material put recompute all normals (fix eye fold on skin)

Skin:
1. I create a albedo from scan. Easily open Zbrush, import your metahuman and the scan. Wrap metahuman on scan and project color on your metahuman and bake out the texture. If you have multiple scans for emotions you have to repeat this step for every scan to have all emotions in Albedos.
2. In Substance designer i converted this albedo into greyscale and height map
3. Import back this height map into Zbrush like a displacment and apply it on mesh. Then with Multi map exporter create curvature map , normal and others for this character ( offcourse if you want to improve your maps this is the best time).
4. Import into unreal and settup the material