Jason shows how to use USD to import animated meshes into the Unreal Engine. Part of a 10-lesson workshop for aspiring technical artists. Expand this description for download links and more.

00:00 – Intro
00:07 – Animated USD and game engines
01:20 – Building the flag
01:30 – How loop_cache works
05:30 – Some ideas on tool creation for tech artists
08:50 – New Zealand represent!
09:15 – Vertex colors
11:25 – Rebuilding the animated export
11:40 – Define USD mesh
12:00 – Unique names
12:20 – Add to stage (visualise)
12:50 – Viewing switch (USD/BF)
14:40 – Setup USD hierarchy
16:10 – Material binding
17:30 – Setting up the materials switch
18:35 – Vertex color
19:20 – Hacking a default node for array input
23:30 – Hacking it again for correct workflow
25:10 – Texture/vertex color switch
26:45 – Checking it in Unreal
27:40 – Writing animated objects through USD
29:10 – Adding the port feedback system and logic
31:30 – set_stage_time_code
32:00 – Tidy up
36:00 – Use frame
37:10 – Set fps (set stage metadata)
38:20 – Check the USD file
42:00 – Recap
43:00 – Tool setup notes

Download the scenes, compounds, slides, lesson plans and other files to follow along or adapt for your own curriculum: https://areadownloads.autodesk.com/wdm/maya/bifrost_bootcamp_lesson_9_files.zip