Intro: A New Era of CC-to-Unreal Integration
With the release of Character Creator 5 (CC5), we’re entering a new chapter in cross-platform animation. The CC ecosystem—spanning CC5, iClone 8.6, and even CC4—now offers improved integration with Unreal Engine, especially for those working with MetaHumans.
Thanks to shared skeleton structures, bind pose presets, and a new HD facial profile, CC characters can now:
- Be exported with UE4, UE5 skeleton, and bind pose options for UE4, UE5 Manuquinn/Metahuman, and UEFN
- Receive and edit MetaHuman facial animation
- Use CC Control Rig for face/body animation directly in Sequencer
- Swapping MetaHuman with CC Characters in Sequencer
But while CC5 enables full interoperability, not all previous versions support the full MetaHuman workflow. Read on for tool-specific capabilities and use cases.
| Feature | CC5 HD Character | CC4 | iClone 8.6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export with UE5 skeleton + bind pose |  |
|
– |
| Supports MetaHuman Animator facial data | |
 |
(requires CC5) |
| Compatible with UE Control Rig (facial) | |
|
(requires CC5) |
| Use in “Swap MetaHuman in Sequencer” workflow | |
 (body only) |
(requires CC5) |
| HD facial expression editing | |
|
(requires CC5) |
| Real-time motion streaming to UE | |
(body only) |
|
Summary:
To use MetaHuman facial animation workflows, CC5 HD characters are required. CC4 users can still build game-ready characters, but facial rig compatibility is exclusive to CC5.
Reallusion Tools Supporting This Update
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Unreal AutoSetup | Automatically assign digital human shaders, skeleton mapping, and bind pose presets | Learn More |
| CC5 UE Control Rig | Control Rig for animation refinement in Sequencer | Learn More |
| iClone Live Link | Real-time streaming of CC characters and animation to UE | Learn More |
CC & MetaHuman Workflows — Choose Based on Your Goal
1. Importing CC Characters into Unreal
Export CC5 or CC4 characters with UE5 skeleton and bind pose presets, then import with Auto Setup for full shader + rig compatibility.
Forum Threads:
UE Workflow 1 – Export from CC5 for Unreal
UE Workflow 2 – Properly Import into UE5 Using Auto Setup
Video Tutorial:
Getting Started | CC & UE Exchange Workflow
2. Reusing MetaHuman Animations on CC Characters
Use CC5 characters with shared skeleton/rig structure to reuse MetaHuman or FAB motions without traditional retargeting.
Forum Thread:
UE Workflow 3 – Retarget Motions Between CC and Unreal Characters
Video Tutorial:
Motions Retargeting | CC & UE Exchange Workflow
3. Swapping MetaHuman with CC Characters in Sequencer
Replace or animate alongside MetaHumans using:
- Replace by Part (keep Control Rig, swap mesh)
- Copy Animation Tracks (mirror motion side-by-side)
Forum Thread:
UE Workflow 4 – Swap MetaHuman and CC Character in Sequencer
Video Tutorial:
SWAP MetaHuman with CC Character in Sequencer
4. Facial Mocap with MetaHuman Compatibility
Use MetaHuman Animator, iPhone, or AccuFACE to capture high-fidelity facial performance and apply directly to CC5 HD characters.
Video Tutorial:
Facial Capture for CC Character in Unreal Engine
Bonus for iClone Users
- iClone 8.6 supports HD Face Profile editing, non-linear facial animation, and Live Link streaming
- Supports MetaHuman facial data import for editing
- Seamlessly bridge facial capture from UE to iClone and back
