MetaHuman DNA add-on for Blender gets new RBF Editor
Poly Hammer has released Character DNA 0.6.2, the latest version of its tool for editing Unreal Engine MetaHuman characters inside Blender.
The release is a change of name for the add-on, formerly known as ‘Meta-Human DNA add-on’, and adds a new RBF editor, for viewing and editing RBF poses in MetaHuman character rigs.
Edit Unreal Engine MetaHumans inside Blender
Released last year, and still officially in beta, Poly Hammer’s add-on enables users to import MetaHuman .dna files into Blender, and edit characters’ rigs.
When it was released, you had to use the edited characters in Unreal Engine itself, but licensing changes mean that you can now use MetaHumans in any software, including Blender.
In the original release, it was also only possible to edit a MetaHuman character’s facial rig, but subsequent updates have added initial support for editing body rigs as well.
New in version 0.6.2: dedicated RBF Editor and automatic Backup Manager
To that, the latest update adds a RBF Editor, for editing RBF poses on the MetaHuman body rig.
MetaHuman body rigs use RBF (Radial Basis Function) solvers to enable the rotation of one joint to drive the position, rotation or scale of another joint.
A key use is to drive corrective bones to prevent artifacts like loss of volume at elbows and shoulders as a limb flexes or rotates.
Character DNA’s RBF editor makes it possible to visualize the RBF poses in a MetaHuman rig, and to edit the corrective bones to modify its behavior when animated.
The update also introduces a Backup Manager that automatically backs up DNA files whenever a user makes changes, making it possible to experiment, then roll back to a previous state.
Price and system requirements
Poly Hammer’s Character DNA add-on is available in beta. The 0.6.2 release is compatible with MetaHuman DNA files created in Unreal Engine 5.6 and 5.7, and Blender 4.5 and 5.0.
Due to the terms of the Unreal Engine EULA, you have to compile the add-on yourself, although Poly Hammer provides an automated build tool.
An individual perpetual license costs $79; team licenses start at $259.
Read more about the Character DNA add-on for Blender in the online documentation
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