Real-Time Physics Necklaces for MetaHumans

Dressing MetaHumans with Dynamic Real-Time Jewelry

Adding realistic accessories to high-fidelity characters requires more than just high-quality static meshes; the accessories must react accurately to the character's movement. Real-Time Physics Necklaces for MetaHumans addresses this specific workflow challenge by providing ready-to-use assets that feature real-time physics simulation. Instead of remaining rigid during a performance, these accessories move and settle naturally against the character's geometry as they walk, turn, or gesture.

The collection provides three fully rigged variants to suit different character designs: a string of pearls, a standard chain, and a necklace featuring a pendant. Each of these modern, realistic assets operates on its own dedicated physics rig, allowing the distinct physical properties of a heavy pendant or a flexible pearl string to be represented accurately within the engine. Because the assets are customizable, artists can adapt them to fit a variety of character styles and wardrobe choices.

Driving Simulation via Control Rig Physics

At the core of the dynamic movement is a setup built entirely with Control Rig Physics. Rather than relying solely on legacy physics assets, the necklaces utilize specialized rigs to drive the real-time simulation directly inside Unreal Engine. This ensures that the dynamic behavior of the pearls, chain, or pendant remains stable and responsive to the MetaHuman's underlying skeletal animation.

For workflows that demand precise directorial control, the real-time simulation does not have to remain dynamic indefinitely. The physics calculations can be baked down directly to keyframes. This capability is essential for animators who need to lock in a specific physical response—such as how a pendant swings when a character turns their head—ensuring that the exact same motion plays back perfectly during final rendering without any real-time physics variations or clipping artifacts.

Version-Specific Plugin Configuration in Unreal Engine

Implementing the necklaces requires a brief but strict initial setup phase concerning engine plugins. The assets are fully compatible with both Unreal Engine 5.6 and Unreal Engine 5.7, but the prerequisite plugin configurations differ between the two versions due to structural changes in the engine. It is a critical instruction to enable all required plugins before attempting to open the Control Rig assets, as failing to do so will prevent the rigs from compiling or functioning correctly.

For users working in Unreal Engine 5.6, the process is straightforward: only the Physics Control plugin needs to be enabled. However, in Unreal Engine 5.7, Epic Games split the physics control functionality into multiple modules. Consequently, users operating in version 5.7 must enable both the Physics Control plugin and the Control Rig Physics plugin. After activating these specific plugins, a complete restart of the Unreal Engine editor is required to finalize the configuration.

Assembling the MetaHuman Blueprint Hierarchy

Once the engine environment is properly configured, the physical integration into the MetaHuman character takes place within the character's blueprint. The assets are designed to be ready-to-use with MetaHumans, streamlining the attachment process. Developers must open their specific MetaHuman blueprint and add a new body component specifically named "Necklace."

To ensure the jewelry inherits the world transforms and base movements of the character, this new Necklace component must be made a direct child of the MetaHuman's main body component. Inside this newly created component hierarchy, users then assign their chosen skeletal mesh asset—whether the pearls, chain, or pendant—along with its corresponding animation blueprint. This specific structural setup ensures that the Control Rig and animation blueprint can correctly interpret the character's position and velocity to drive the physics simulation accurately.

Refining Collisions for a Precision Fit

A common issue with character accessories is clipping through the base mesh during complex animations. To prevent the necklaces from passing through the character's geometry, the package includes a dedicated body collision physics asset specifically tailored for MetaHuman proportions. This provides a strong baseline for physical interactions between the jewelry and the character's chest and neck.

Because MetaHumans come in various body types and may wear different layers of clothing, the setup remains highly adaptable. Users are instructed to edit the collision capsules directly within the blueprint to achieve a better fit. By manually scaling and positioning these collision capsules, developers can ensure that the chain or pearls rest perfectly on the collarbone, regardless of the underlying character shape or apparel thickness.

Previewing Animations on the Map

After the blueprint is assembled and the collisions are adjusted, artists can evaluate the physics performance directly in the viewport environment. By selecting the necklace skeletal mesh on the map and checking the "Update Animation in Editor" box, the real-time simulation becomes active without needing to enter Play-In-Editor (PIE) mode. This allows for immediate visual feedback, making it easier to tweak animations and collision volumes on the fly before committing to a final render.

Combining fully rigged skeletal meshes, dedicated animation blueprints, and highly controllable physics systems, these assets are tailored for high-end rendering pipelines. The ability to simulate realistic accessory movement in real-time, combined with the option to bake those results to keyframes, makes the collection perfect for cinematic projects, trailers, and demanding real-time animation workflows where character fidelity is paramount.

Explore Similar Assets

• Runtime MetaHuman Lip Sync (AI for NPCs) (+ CC4, Genesis, ARKit, and more)
• Runtime Speech Recognizer (Real-Time, Offline, AI)
• Dynamic Clocks
• Data Array Visualizers
• MetaWardrobe - Metahuman