Maya — Process
Role in the pipeline: Maya is the finishing and interchange tool around MetaHuman: sculpt and mesh cleanup before Mesh to MetaHuman, props and set pieces, skin weights, mocap cleanup, and USD/FBX hand-off to Unreal. It is not the character's home; Unreal is.
Version (Sept 2026): Maya 2027 (released March 2026). MetaHuman for Maya tools support Maya 2026 as of MetaHuman 5.8; confirm 2027 support before upgrading. Subscription $255/month or $2,010/year; Maya Indie $330/year for creators earning under $100k.
Inputs → outputs
| In | Out |
|---|---|
| Portrait and photo references, photogrammetry scans, HABS drawings | Clean head/body meshes for Mesh to MetaHuman |
| Mocap takes (FBX) | Cleaned, retimed animation on the MetaHuman skeleton |
| Period object references | Props with UVs, LODs and collision (spectacles, telescope, ledger, casks) |
| MetaHuman DNA (via MetaHuman for Maya) | Custom facial deformation edits, corrective shapes |
Steps
- Likeness mesh. Sculpt (ZBrush or Maya) from the reference stack in Specification — Full-Body Historical Virtual Human §3 Stage 2. Keep neutral expression, eyes open, mouth closed.
- Prepare for Mesh to MetaHuman. Clean scale (cm), orientation, no non-manifold geometry; export head and body (MetaHuman 5.8 accepts arbitrary topology for both).
- Props and set pieces. Model to real dimensions; two LODs (kiosk, headset/phone); export FBX or USD (USD for Maya 0.35 in Maya 2027 adds a Component Creator and Variant Manager).
- Skinning. For props with joints (e.g. a telescope stand) or custom garments, use Maya 2027's layer-based skinning (integrated ngSkinTools).
- Mocap cleanup. Import solved body takes, fix foot contacts, hand poses and hip drift with HumanIK and animation layers; export back to Unreal.
- Hand-off. Name assets per repo convention; commit; the character artist validates in UE.
Watch-outs
- Do not rebuild the MetaHuman facial rig in Maya; edit through MetaHuman DNA tools only.
- Keep Maya and MetaHuman-for-Maya versions matched to the season's engine lock.
- Maya's generative MotionMaker and Autodesk Assistant are for staff productivity, not for historical performance.
See also: MetaHuman for Maya — Considerations · ZBrush — Sculpting for MetaHuman
Owners: character artist, technical animator. Tutorials: Maya — Tutorials (local tutorials for DNA, Expression Editor, skinning, Pose Editor correctives, HumanIK mocap cleanup, hand poses, USD, FBX presets and Python export)