Notes on Using UN New Motion Magic in Under 5 Minutes

Overview of Motion Matching

• Motion matching is designed to replace traditional state machines.
• It selects the best animation frame from a large animation pool using trajectory prediction.
• Applicable for various actions like vaulting and others.

Setting Up the Project

1. Open a New Project
   • Add two plugins: Motion Trajectory and Post Search.
2. Import Animations
   • Use existing animations (3,500 animations coming soon) or create your own using linked tutorial.
   • Create a new project for control space characters (heroes, manquen animations, locomotion).
   • Filter for animation sequences, select all, right-click, and migrate to project content browser.

Organizing Animations

• Create a new folder called "Motion Matching" in the character folder.
• Right-click and create animations for Motion Matching and Pose Search Schema:
  • Select the skeleton to be used.
  • Name it (e.g., PSS mq).
  • Configure settings to determine animation selection.

Setting Up the Motion Matching Database

1. Add Pose Search Database
   • Name it (e.g., PSD mq) and open it.
   • This database allows the engine to select the best animation frame at each frame in the game.
2. Animation Requirements
   • Ensure animations have motion root enabled and force root lock enabled.
3. Add Sample Animations
   • Add basic movements: jog forward, backward, right, left, and idle.

Connecting to Character

1. Create Animation Blueprint
   • Go to the skeleton and create an animation blueprint.
2. Modify Character Blueprint
   • Change it to use the new skeleton and animation blueprint.
   • Note: Adjust the visuals if needed (e.g., character color).
3. Add Character Trajectory Component
   • Go back to the animation blueprint to the event graph:
     • Get pawn owner, cast to the blueprint character.
     • Get movement component and character trajectory, promote to variables.
     • Connect motion matching to the trajectory and output pose.

Testing the Setup

• Go to the map and hit play.
• Note: Fix any issues (e.g., small lag between idle and movement) by adding start animations to the database.

Final Adjustments

1. Adjust Trajectory Display
   • Type "Character Trajectory" and set to 1 to see the line. Set to 0 to turn it off.
2. Test with Orientation Movement Disabled
   • Create a toggle during gameplay to test functionality.

Future Tutorials

• Upcoming advanced tutorials on jumping, vaulting, etc.
• Mention of other features included in the 5.4 update.
• Links to additional resources on post-processing and other functionalities.