Exporting from AccuRig

I have already made a complete tutorial showing you how to use AccuRig 

I make sure I use the A-Pose and then export the character as an FBX

I make sure that the Target Application is Unreal and I use the Original option for the textures

Importing into Unreal

Download and install the Auto Setup for Unreal Engine 

I will be using the third person template in Unreal

Under the Edit menu, under Plugins, I activate Character Creator & iClone Auto Setup and restart the engine

Under the Characters folder, I create a new folder

I then create a folder for the character in this new folder

In a new folder, I import the character

I will leave everything at default except under the Skeletal Meshes options, under the Common Skeletal Meshes and Animations panel, I activate “Use TOAs Ref Pose” to avoid any anomalies with the skeleton

I also make sure to activate Import Morph Targets

NOTE: If you are using a version earlier than 5.5.3, you will find this option under the Advanced options

Set up an IK Rig

I make a new folder for rigs

In the Characters folder, I open the Mannequin_UE4 folder and then open the Rigs folder

I select the IK_UE4 and RTG_UE5 blueprints and copy them to my character rigs folder

I rename both blueprints [F2]

I open the IK blueprint and change the Preview Skeletal Mesh to the character I imported

If I click on Reset, I can make sure the character will be in the correct position

Once I save this, I now have an IK rig

Retargeting the skeleton

I open the Retargeting blueprint and change the IK Rig Asset to my character

I then save

In the Asset Browser, I can look for an animation and export it into a new folder

I can export as many animations as I wish into the Animations folder

I add a Noise texture and connect it to the Principled BSDF

I add a Color Ramp between the Noise Texture and the Principled BSDF

I select the black color stop and change the color to a dark green [#485E2C]

I then select the white color stop and change the white color to a light green [#D6FFB1]

I increase the Scale, Detail, and Distortion of the Noise Texture 

To give the material a glass-like look, I add a Glass BSDF node

I add a Mix Shader, to mix the Glass BSDF and the Principled BSDF

If I move the factor of the Mix Shader to the right, the glass shader has more affect

If I move the factor of the Mix Shader to the left, the principled BSDF shader has more affect

I can change the color of the Glass BSDF to the teal [#58B791]

I can also change the IOR – index of refraction – which defines how the rays pass through the object

I will use an IOR of 1.640 which is the IOR of Jade in the real world

I add a Bump node and connect it to the Normal of the Principled BSDF

I connect the Color Ramp to the Height of the Bump node and lower the strength

Set up

The Volume Scatter node allows light to be scattered as it passes through the volume

In Render Mode, I add a cube to my scene that is large enough to enclose the other objects

Material

I select the Cube and open the Shader Editor

I make a new material and delete the Principled BSDF Shader

I add a Volume Scatter node and connect it to the Volume of the Material Output

I can use the Density to control how thick the fog is within the Volume 

If I increase the Anistropy, I can change the falloff of the lights

Option #1

In Object Mode, I add a Path Curve

In Edit Mode, I scale and move the Curve into my final shape

Under the Object Data Properties tab, under the Geometry panel, I increase the Bevel Depth

I also lower the Resolution Preview

In Object Mode, I right-click and convert the Curve to a Mesh

I then right-click and Shade Smooth

Option #2

In Object Mode, I duplicate the first cable

In Edit Mode, I select the horizontal Edge Loops and duplicate them

I then separate them from the original cable

In Object Mode, I select the new Edge Loops

I right-click and convert the Mesh to a Curve

Under the Object Data Properties tab, under the Geometry panel, I increase the Bevel Depth

I also lower the Resolution Preview

I right-click and convert the Curve to a Mesh

I then right-click and Shade Smooth

Option #3

In the Preferences window, I make sure I have the Extra Curve Objects add-on activated

I duplicate the default Cube

I select both Cubes

I use SHIFT + A to go to Curves > Knots > Caternary

Under the Object Data Properties tab, under the Geometry panel, I increase the Bevel Depth

I also lower the Resolution Preview

I right-click and convert the Curve to a Mesh

I then right-click and Shade Smooth

Rotate

I open the material I want to rotate

I right-click and add a Custom Rotator node

I connect the Rotated Values to the UVs input of the textures

I then right-click and add a Texture Coordinate node

I connect this node to the UVs of the Custom Rotator

I hold down the 1-key and left-click to add a Vector node

I connect this node to the Rotation Angle

In the Details panel, I change the Value to 0.25 since I only want to rotate the textures 90-degrees

Scale

I can access the UV Editor under the Modeling Mode

I select Project UVs

I will use the Box for the Projection Type

If I had a flat plane for example, I would change this to Plane and if I had a cylindrical object, I would change this to Cylinder

Now all I need to do is change the dimensions

Once I have the dimensions looking correct, I can click on Accept

Just be aware, if you have only one UV, everything will change to these same transforms

If you want a tutorial on using UDIMs in Unreal Engine 5, let me know in the comments

Grid Texture

I begin with a 2x2 document in Affinity Photo – you can use whatever Photo editing software you have access to

In my case, I will use a 2000px x 2000px document just to help avoid blurriness

I drag out Guidelines to determine the four quadrants of the document

I make a new Layer

I make a 1000px x 1000px square and fill it with white

I duplicate this layer, move it to the right, and fill it with black

I duplicate both layers, rotate them 180-degrees and move them into place

I group the layers and make sure the Blending Mode is set to Normal

I export this as a PNG

This will be my texture

Texture for Blender

To use this grid texture in Blender, import the texture into the Shader Editor and connect it to the Base Color of the Principled Shader

Change the 2D projection to Box

I also add the Texture Coordinates and Mapping nodes and set the Texture Coordinate to Object

I rescale the Texture to 0.9

Texture for UE5

In Unreal Engine, I import the texture into Unreal Engine

I right-click and make a new material and open it up

I add a Texture Object node and open the texture in the Detail Panel

I then add a World Align Textures node which will help the texture properly wrap around the objects

I connect the Texture Object to the Texture Object input

I add a Constant by holding down my 1-key and left-clicking – this will tell Unreal what the size of the Texture should be

I change the Value to 100 in the Details Panel – this will align it to the grid in Unreal

I connect this node to the Texture Size of the World Aligned Texture

I add a World Position node and connect it to the World Position input

If I plug the XYZ Texture into the Base Color, I can now see my Texture

I hold down the M-key and left-click to add a Multiply node – this will help me to change the color later

I connect the XYZ Texture to the A input of the Multiply node

I add a Vector Parameter node and rename it to Color – this is what will allow me to change the color for Material Instances

I connect the Vector Parameter to the B input

I connect the Multiply node to the Base Color

To see the Texture, I change the Default Value of the Material in the Details Panel to a midtone gray

To control the Roughness, I hold down my 1-key and left-click

I connect this Constant node to the Roughness input

In order to have access to the Roughness in the Material Instance, I right-click and choose Convert to Parameter – naming it to Roughness

I save the Material

Back on the Level, I right-click on the Material and make a Material Instance which I drag onto the Cube

I open the Material Instance and activate the Roughness and Color Parameters

I can now change the Roughness – a value of 1 is completely rough and a value of zero is completely glossy

I can now change the Color which will add a tint to the white part of the Material

This is just a very basic grid, if you want a more in-depth tutorial, leave a comment below

Glass Material

I import my window 

I make sure to use DirectX because I will be taking this into Unreal

I bake the Maps

Under the Shader Settings, I use the PBR-Metal-Rough-With-Alpha Blending – this will allow me use the Opacity Channel

I quickly add a wood material I made in a previous tutorial to the frame

I select the glass and add a Fill Layer – naming it “Glass”

Under the Texture Settings, I make sure I have the Opacity Channel

If this is missing, it can be added manually using the Channels dropdown menu

For the Fill Layer, I turn off all the channels except Opacity, Roughness, and Color

I lower the Opacity to around 0.3

I change the Color to a dark gray

I lower the Roughness to around 0.015

If I go to the Render View, I can now see that my glass is see-through

I add another Fill Layer and name it “Scratches”

I turn off all the Texture Channels except Opacity, Roughness, and Color

I add a Black Mask with a Fill

For the Grayscale, I will add a Grunge Map – I use the Grunge Scratches Rough

I will increase the Tiling to around 3

I then change the other Parameters as I see fit [Balance 0.4, Contrast 0.3, Scratch Blur 0.2]

I change the Color for the Scratches to a darker gray

I duplicate the scratches layer and rename it to “Smudges”

I change the Grayscale Grunge Map to a Smudge – I will use the Grunge Dusty Powder Soft

I decrease the Tiling and adjust the other Parameters [Balance 0.45, Contrast 0.1]

I change the Color and add a bit of brown to indicate a dirty surface [#6A645F]

I increase the Roughness to around 0.7

I add a new Fill Layer and name it “Dust”

I turn off all the Texture Channels except Opacity, Roughness, and Color

I search for a Dust Smart Mask and drag it onto the Layer – I will use the Dust Dirty

I lower the Global Balance and the Ambient Occlusion [0.15, 0.8]

I change the Color to a slightly lighter version of the Smudges Layer [#86807B]

I increase the Roughness to around 0.8

Smart Material

I add a Folder and rename it

I move all the Layers into the Folder

I right-click on the Folder and create a Smart Material

Importing into UE5

I export my textures for the model from Substance Painter

I will use the Unreal Engine 4 (Packed) for the Output Template

In Unreal Engine, I import my 3D model and my textures

I rename my wood material

I open the wood Material and drag in my textures

I connect the Base Color Texture to the Base Color input

I connect the Normal Texture to the Normal input

I connect the Red Channel to the Ambient Occlusion input

I connect the Green Channel to the Roughness input

I connect the Blue Channel to the Metallic input

I save the Material

I rename the glass material

I open the glass Material and drag in my textures

I connect the Base Color Texture to the Base Color input

I connect the Normal Texture to the Normal input

I connect the Red Channel to the Ambient Occlusion input

I connect the Green Channel to the Roughness input

I connect the Blue Channel to the Metallic input

I select the Material node and change the Blend Mode to Translucent

I connect the Alpha of the Base Color Texture to the Opacity input

Under the Translucency Section, I change the Lighting Mode to Surface Translucency Volume – this will allow me to access the Normal, Roughness, and Metallic channels

Under the Refraction Section, I change the Refraction Method to Index of Refraction

I add a Scalar Parameter by holding down the S-key and left-clicking

I name it IOR (for Index of Refraction) and give it a Value of 1.52 (which is the IOR for window glass)

I add a Constant by holding down the 1-key and left-clicking

I give this a value of 1.52

I add a Lerp node and connect the Constant into the A input and the IOR into the B input (Linear Interpolate)

I add a Fresnel node and connect it to the Alpha input

I connect the Lerp to the Refraction input

I save the Material

Modeling

I add a cylinder and rotate it around the X-Axis by 90-degrees

In Edit Mode, I delete the bottom half of the vertices

I select the bottom vertices and extrude them down along the Z-Axis 

I select the vertices in the front and use SHIFT S to move the cursor to the selected vertices – this will help when I use the mirror modifier

In Object Mode, I select the object, right-click and under Set Origin menu, I choose Origin to 3D Cursor

I use CTRL A to apply all the transforms

To make the Mirror Modifier easier to control, I add an Empty

I select the arch and add a mirror modifier – using the Y-Axis and the Mirror Object is the Empty

I select the Empty and rotate it around the Z-Axis by 45-degrees

Back on the Mirror Modifier, I will use the Bisect option for the Y-Axis – this will cut the mesh across the mirror plane

I apply the Mirror Modifier

In Edit Mode, I delete the extraneous vertices

I also select the top-most vertex and use SHIFT S to move the 3D cursor to the selected vertex

In Object Mode, I right-click on the arch and under Set Origin menu, I choose Origin to 3D Cursor

I can hide the Empty and add another Mirror Modifier along the X- and Y-Axis

I also right-click on the arch and choose Shade Auto Smooth

I apply both Modifiers

UV & Materials

I split the Viewport and open the UV Editor and the Shader Editor

In Edit Mode, I select the Edges that connect each section and the front Edges for each individual section

I right-click and choose Mark Seams

I select the entire object and use the U-key to open the UV Mapping menu

Under the Unwrap submenu, I choose Conformal

I make a new UV Map and name it – I will use a 2K map size

I will be using a material I downloaded from Ambient CG 

I will also be using the Node Wrangler Add-on

In Material Mode, I make a new material

I select the Principled Shader and, using CTRL SHIFT T, I open the textures for the material I downloaded

I can fine tune the textures

For example, I can increase the Scale on the Mapping Node 

I can also lower the strength of the Normal and Displacement 

If I want to change the color, I can add a Color Ramp between the Albedo and the Principled Shader

I change the Interpolation to Constant and choose my color

Applying Decals

I make a folder for my decals and then import them

I will be using a decal I downloaded from Art Station (

I also have a decal that I made myself using a photo 

I start by making a material for the decal – renaming it 

I open the material and change the Material Domain to Deferred Decal – this holds the material that will be used as the decal

I also change the Blend Mode to Translucent – this will blend the full material

I drag in the PNG, right-click on it and choose Convert to Parameter – this will allow me to use a material instance to change the material later 

I connect the RGB pin to the Base Color and the Alpha to the Opacity

I apply and save it

In the level, I use the Add Menu and under Visual Effects, I choose Decal Actor

I drag-and-drop the material onto the Decal Material slot in the Details Panel

It is important to note that the decal must always be facing the proper axis so it won’t stretch

If I rotate it along the Y-Axis, it will no longer be stretching

I right-click on the material and choose Create Material Instance – this will allow me to change the decal quickly without making a new material 

I can open the Material Instance, activate the Image option and load in another decal

Using the ALT key, I can duplicate the decal and drag-and-drop the Material Instance onto the Decal Material slot in the Details Panel

Creating Decals

I’ll be using Affinity Photo but any photo editing software will work

I crop the image to just the part that I want to use

Using the Selection Brush Tool, I select the parts of the image I want to keep

Using ALT, I can remove some of the selection

Using CTRL, I can add to the selection

I use CTRL J to separate my selection and CTRL D to deselect everything

I then crop the image to size

I export the image as a PNG

AO Map

I will be using a tileable texture I made in a previous tutorial 

I duplicate the image and rename the layer to “AO”

I open the Adjustment panel (under the Window menu) and under the HSL panel, choose Desaturate

I lower the saturation to -100-percent and the luminosity to around 50-percent

I then open the Levels and choose the Default option

If I make the image brighter, the surface will appear well-lit

If I make the image darker, the surface will appear more in shadow

I will adjust the Gamma level to around 1.5 to slightly darken the image

I can now export this image as a PNG (JPG will also work)

Blender

In Blender, under the Shading Workspace, I import the Color map, Normal map,  Roughness map, and the AO map

I make sure to change the color space for all the maps (except the Color) to Non-Color

For the AO Map, I add a Mix Color node and connect the AO map to the B input and Color map to the A input

I change the Blending Mode to Multiply

I add a Shader to RGB node and Diffuse BSDF node to control the AO map

I connect the Shader to RGB node into a Color Ramp and connect the Color Ramp to the Factor of the Mix Color

I then switch the color stops and now I can use the Color Ramp to adjust the AO

Normal Map Tutorial: https://www.artstation.com/blogs/jsabbott/v33Wg/how-to-make-a-normal-map-in-affinity-photo

Height & Roughness Maps Tutorial: https://www.artstation.com/blogs/jsabbott/AgN6O/how-to-make-a-height-and-roughness-map-in-affinity-photo-tutorial