| HOW TOs > UNREAL |
I made a YouTube video tutorial about how to make a custom Unreal character:
- using ONLY CC0-licensed assets, so they can be sold on third-party digital markets (stores).
- rigged to the UE5 Mannequin skeleton
- with ARKIT face shapes
IMPORTANT: The video and this description are not legal advice. No guarantees are made or implied that following these instructions will enable you to sell the resulting characters on third-party marketplaces.
Download the free example character (as a UE5.5 project) HERE.
USED IN THIS TUTORIAL:
- UNREAL 5.5 (FREE) https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US
- BLENDER 4.2.3 (FREE) https://www.blender.org/download/
- MPFB2 Blender add-on (free) https://static.makehumancommunity.org/mpfb.html
- GAME RIG TOOLS Blender add-on (paid/free) https://toshicg.gumroad.com/l/game_rig_tools
- FACE IT 2.3 Blender add-on (paid) https://blendermarket.com/products/faceit
- MARVELOUS DESIGNER (PAID; for clothes) https://www.marvelousdesigner.com/
- MAYA 2025 (PAID; only for two steps) https://www.autodesk.com/campaigns/me-indie/maya-indie
- ADOBE SUBSTANCE 3D PAINTER https://www.adobe.com
CLOTHING:
- To create clothing, as I explained in the video, its best to make them ‘from scratch’ and use CC0 textures you find on the internet.
- For the video, I use “CONNECT Official” outfits, which are listed as ‘free’ and I believe are able to be used (but I am NOT guaranteeing that).
- The items were labelled free and were made by CONNECT/CLO/MARVELOUS DESIGNER itself, OR I looked for the notice below that says they say this: “This pattern collection is provided under a free commercial license by the Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI) www.kofoti.or.kr”
I’m not a lawyer but it seems like these can then be used in any way you like, with no attribution. They ‘recommend’ that you give attribution with hashtags, but it’s not a requirement. - KOOTI female patterns:
https://connect.clo-set.com/portfolio/208988/collection/collections/2411DDd4ef97a73b324c89a9ee160a79c5d76d - BLOCK_FV2 patterns:
https://connect.clo-set.com/portfolio/208988/collection/collections/221102e3493f8866b34c9f868d88727b3021e7 - SHOES_FV2:
https://connect.clo-set.com/portfolio/208988/collection/collections/220422c106ae2a3c6d4962a70a1ddf535193a0
ARKIT CONTROL RIG:
- In the video, I use the arkit control rig from the Windwalker Echo project:
https://www.fab.com/listings/36a9d7fb-6769-4e45-a0b3-950890da82c1 - Obviously you should use that ONLY AS A STARTING POINT, because it is property of Epic. You need to make your own setup and your own UI, I would imagine, so it truly becomes your own, and therefore can be considered ‘CC0’ licensed for distribution.
ADOBE 3D SUBSTANCE PAINTER:
- Great thread that explains why it’s legal to sell characters that have been textured using Substance 3D Painter.
https://community.adobe.com/t5/substance-3d-assets-and-community-assets/selling-a-3d-models-with-substance-textures/td-p/13367098
FAQS:
Q. Why doesn’t the character you make look… good? It looks terrible compared to MetaHumans or Character Creator characters.
A. This is just an example of how the process works. You can use the MPFB2 ‘base mesh’ just as a starting point, and customize the mesh and the textures.
Q. Why do the ARKIT blendshapes you show in Unreal look so bad? The mouth even seems to expand when she smiles.
I didn’t spend time in Face It fixing them. You’re supposed to at least go through and fix them a little bit, but I didn’t. Again, this is just an example of the process.
Q. Why not just use a MetaHuman?
MetaHumans are great, but this video is about trying to make a fully CC0-licensed character – that can be sold on 3rd-party marketplaces. MetaHumans can’t be sold (as complete products) anywhere. You can sell the building blocks, like the 3d face mesh and the skin, but not the full thing.
Q. Why not just use Character Creator characters?
Character Creator characters can only be sold in the official Reallusion stores. This tutorial is about making a custom CC0-licensed character that can be sold anywhere.
Q. Why don’t you just use HumanGen (Blender plugin)?
The results aren’t CC0, and aren’t sellable in marketplaces.
Q. The skin is so basic – why don’t you use “GlobalSkin”? It makes truly photorealistic skin.
The results aren’t CC0, and aren’t sellable in marketplaces.
Links to CC0 skin textures (to paint your own skin materials):
- https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/
- https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/
Explanation video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukvj5YLfvCI&ab_channel=Kuhantilope - Simple Skin – 01 (Adam McAnderson)
https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/ - Simple Human Skin – 02 (Adam McAnderson)
https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/ - Light Human Skin (Adam McAnderson)
https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/ - Light Freckled Human Skin – 01
https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/7af5c6b1-3d26-4526-8f64-99cfddc0cfdb/
Links to CC0 fabric textures:
