Overview

Bring your character to life with believable and customizable 3D animations. In this class, your instructor, Lucas Ridley, shares how to animate a 3D character within Unreal Engine. You’ll follow along as Lucas shows how to use motion capture data to personalize your character’s movement and infuse your character with life. With Lucas as your teacher, you’ll: - Create your own motion capture animation - Apply any motion capture animation to your character - Customize your character’s movements through data and layer adjustments - Render out your animation within a shareable, cinematic movie file Plus, Lucas will share how he uses the Move One app to create motion capture animations on his iPhone as well as how to download pre-made animations if you don’t have access to the Apple App Store. Whether you’re an experienced animator who wants to explore character animation or you’re getting started in Unreal Engine and want to learn more advanced animation skills like applying and editing motion capture data, you’re going to gain the expertise you need to create a believable and authentic animated performance for any 3D character. To take this class, you should have a basic understanding of Unreal Engine and how to navigate around it. In addition to the Unreal Engine software, you’ll also need a computer and a three button mouse. To record your motion capture, you’ll need the Move One app, an iPhone and a tripod. Instructor bio: Lucas Ridley is a professional animator whose work has appeared in films by directors like Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, as well as in major game studios. Originally from Kentucky, his career has taken him around the world, from Los Angeles to London, contributing to blockbuster projects while also pursuing personal creative work. Lucas brings that industry experience into teaching, where he focuses on making animation approachable and frustration-free. His goal is to give learners clear, practical guidance to help them build confidence and create with independence.

Syllabus

Introduction & Setup

In this foundational module, you’ll get familiar with the tools and process required to begin animating in Unreal Engine using iPhone motion capture. You’ll learn how to install the necessary apps, connect your device, and successfully record your first basic motion capture animation. By the end, you’ll have your data prepped and ready to use in Unreal Engine.

Animation Creation with Mocap

Now that your motion data is ready, it’s time to bring your character to life. This module walks you through importing and applying your mocap data to an Unreal Engine character, refining that animation through editing, and customizing it for more expressive, realistic motion. You'll explore how to blend and fine-tune performances directly in the timeline.

Rendering & Wrapping Up

Finish your animated sequence and prepare it for sharing. This final module covers how to render your completed animation into a cinematic-quality movie file using Unreal Engine’s built-in tools. You’ll also reflect on what you’ve learned and discover resources to keep building your skills in animation and virtual production.