Pipeline Map
One identity package per character (body, wardrobe, voice, motion library, corpus, refusal policy), authored once and compiled to every delivery surface. Stage numbers match Specification — Full-Body Historical Virtual Human §3, with the tools and hardware available in September 2026.
The map
flowchart TD G[0 · Gate
figure scoring + rights memo] --> R[1 · Research spine
Corpora A/B/C + D notes
question bank] G --> L[2 · Likeness & body
Maya · ZBrush · Mesh to MetaHuman
MetaHuman Creator · groom · Marvelous Designer] R --> M[5 · Mind
RAG + policy layer + LLM
retrieval-first, cutoff enforced] L --> V[3 · Voice
actor + voice bible
locked TTS voice] L --> Mo[4 · Motion
MetaHuman Animator · mocap suit or mono camera
Maya cleanup · Control Rig] V --> Mo V --> M Mo --> E[6 · Events
Sequencer monologues · program clock
Chautauqua beats] M --> E E --> P[7 · Package in Unreal 5.8
one repo · per-platform LODs] P --> K[Kiosk
local RTX PC or Pixel Streaming 2] P --> Q[Quest 3/3S · Vive Focus Vision · Galaxy XR
OpenXR · Optimized MetaHuman] P --> A[Apple Vision Pro
UE full immersion, or Unity/RealityKit] P --> Ph[Phones
iPhone ARKit/RealityKit · Android ARCore
baked USDZ/glTF + audio] K & Q & A & Ph --> T[8 · Evaluation
blind historian · class · accessibility · red team] T --> O[9 · Operate
question logs · corpus versions · device fleet] O -.corrections.-> R
Stage by stage
| # | Stage | Main tools (2026) | Hardware | Output | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Gate and rights | Scoring sheet; rights map per figure | — | Go/no-go memo | Producer + historian + counsel |
| 1 | Research spine | Zotero or similar; plain-text corpora in Git; OCR/transcription | Scanner access at partner archives | Corpora A/B/C, D notes, 400–800 question bank | Historian + corpus editor |
| 2 | Likeness and body | ZBrush/Maya sculpt → Mesh to MetaHuman (5.8: head and body, any topology) → MetaHuman Creator; groom tools; Marvelous Designer → MetaHuman Outfits | RTX workstation; photogrammetry kit optional | Hero MetaHuman + wardrobe + props, two assemblies (Cine, Optimized) | Character artist, groom artist, costume artist |
| 3 | Voice | Studio recording; dialect coach; TTS voice design/clone of the actor under contract (e.g. ElevenLabs class) | Vocal booth or rented studio | 30–60 min voice bible; locked synthetic voice | Voice director + actor |
| 4 | Motion | MetaHuman Animator (face from iPhone, stereo HMC, webcam; body from single camera in 5.8); inertial or optical suit for hero monologues; Maya for cleanup; UE Control Rig | iPhone with TrueDepth; HMC optional; mocap suit or studio day | Monologue performances, gesture library, idles | Technical animator + mocap tech + actor |
| 5 | Mind | Retrieval over versioned corpora; policy/refusal layer; hosted LLM with on-prem fallback; ASR; real-time audio-to-face (MetaHuman audio-driven or NVIDIA Audio2Face, open source since 2025) | Cloud GPU or local RTX for inference | Conversation service with citations logged | AI engineer + conversation designer |
| 6 | Events | UE Sequencer; state machine for the program clock (monologue → Q&A → out of character) | — | Authored programs per venue | Conversation designer + UE engineer |
| 7 | Package | Unreal Engine 5.8 (final UE5 release, June 2026); OpenXR; Pixel Streaming 2; per-platform cooks | Windows build PC; Apple silicon Mac for iOS/visionOS | Kiosk build, Quest/Vive/Android XR builds, Vision Pro build, phone AR assets | UE engineer + XR engineer + mobile AR engineer |
| 8 | Evaluate | Test scripts; red-team sheet; accessibility checklist | All target devices | Sign-off | QA + second historian |
| 9 | Operate | Log dashboard; corpus version on credits; device management (ArborXR/ManageXR for Quest after Meta's business SKUs ended in 2026) | Spare devices; kiosk remote access | Monthly log review, corrections | Log editor + venue ops |
Branches by surface
| Surface | Engine path | Character assembly | Mind | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiosk | UE 5.8 packaged Windows build, or Pixel Streaming 2 | MetaHuman Cine, strand hair | Full live Q&A | Premiere surface. Offline fallback = authored monologues. Holographic cabinets (e.g. Proto Luma) are an option. |
| Quest 3 / 3S | UE 5.8 + OpenXR / Meta XR plugin | MetaHuman Optimized, hair cards | Live Q&A on venue Wi-Fi only | Consumer units + third-party MDM; seated, teleport. |
| Vive Focus Vision | UE 5.8 + OpenXR (standalone or PC-VR via DisplayPort) | Optimized standalone; Cine when PC-tethered | Same as Quest | Enterprise alternative with business warranty. |
| Android XR (Galaxy XR) | UE (Android XR plugin, 5.6.1 developer preview) or Unity 6.x | Optimized | Same as Quest | Watch item, not season one. |
| Apple Vision Pro | UE full-immersion (visionOS support since 5.4) or Unity 6 + PolySpatial / native RealityKit for mixed reality | Optimized / USD | Live Q&A | Niche market in 2026; demo and donor surface, not volume. |
| iPhone | Native RealityKit + ARKit, or Unity AR Foundation; zero-install USDZ via Quick Look | Baked, low-poly USDZ + audio | None on the street; deep-link to kiosk | "Postcard" tier. |
| Android phone | ARCore (native or Unity AR Foundation); Scene Viewer glTF for zero-install | Baked glTF + audio | None on the street | Test on mid-range devices in sunlight. |
| WebAR | Hosted WebAR platform (8th Wall's hosted platform closed Feb 2026) | glTF | None | Only if app-free access matters more than quality. |
Engine decision
Unreal Engine 5.8 is the master engine. MetaHuman rigs, grooms, skin shaders and MetaHuman Animator all live there, and Epic's 2025 license change allows MetaHumans to be used in other engines, but moving them to Unity still breaks skin shading and hair. Unity 6 is a secondary tool only where it wins outright: Vision Pro mixed-reality (PolySpatial), fast AR Foundation phone apps, and Android XR if Unreal support lags.
UE 5.8 is the last UE5 release before UE6. Lock each season on one engine version and do not upgrade mid-production.
Per-folder process notes
Maya — Process · MetaHuman — Process · Unreal — Process · Unity — Process · AI Mind — Process · Voice — Process · Mocap — Process · Kiosk — Process · Quest — Process · Apple Vision Pro — Process · Vive — Process · Android XR — Process · iPhone AR — Process · Android Phone AR — Process · WebAR — Process
Sources: Sources — 2026-09-19 (index: Citations — Production Pipeline)