Bringing digital garments into Unreal Engine has never been easy, as users would need to go through tedious process of file export from CLO/Marvelous Designer, additional work in different 3D software depending on their exact workflow, then import the finished file into Unreal Engine. However, garment specific data is not fully maintained when converting it to other 3D formats, and users may have to go back to the starting point, CLO/Marvelous Designer, to mend their work after bringing the results to Unreal Engine. Such workflow is tedious and destructive.

To cope with the aforementioned issues, LiveSync is introduced, which establishes a direct communication link with Unreal Engine. The main strength of LiveSync lies within the following workflow:

Making simulated garments in CLO/Marvelous Designer, recording animation then bringing the results to Unreal Engine with a button click, then performing final image rendering or video production.

Features:

• Update: Supports real-time updates of CLO/MD garments and avatars within Unreal Engine via the LiveSync mode.

• No Manual Export/Import: Eliminates the need for manual Export/Import processes for supported assets (garments, avatars, animations, etc.).

• Data Transfer Support: Supports the transfer of data for garments, avatars, materials, and animations.

• Unified UV: Offers integrated management for complex materials.(e.g., representing wrinkles or using multiple Trims)

• GC Material Combiner: Provides a material management feature across multiple Geometry Cache assets using the 'GC Material Combiner' tool.

• MetaHuman Workflow Support: Import a MetaHuman into CLO/MD for fitting, then transfer the resulting fitted garment back to Unreal Engine.

Required Engine Plugins:

• ChaosClothAssetEditor: This plugin is used for the real-time garment update (LiveSync mode) feature. When updating garments via LiveSync, they are imported as Static Meshes by default. However, if the user chooses an option to directly import garments as ChaosClothAssets to apply dynamic cloth simulation within Unreal Engine, the ChaosClothAssetEditor plugin is required. This plugin supports the import and creation of ChaosClothAssets, as well as the processing of related data, to enable the realistic movement of garments.

• SkeletalMerging: This plugin is required for the MetaHuman Workflow Support feature. MetaHumans are typically composed of multiple individual skeletal meshes. To bring these MetaHumans into CLO/MD for work, it's necessary to merge (consolidate) them into a single skeletal mesh first. The SkeletalMerging plugin is used for this process of converting multiple skeletal meshes into a single skeletal mesh that is suitable for use in CLO/MD.

• USDImporter & USDCore: Fundamental for handling Universal Scene Description (USD) data, which is a core component for transferring complex assets (garments, avatars) and animations between CLO/MD and Unreal Engine.

• HairStrands: Utilized for the proper import, rendering, and simulation of hair and fur details associated with avatars or garments transferred through the LiveSync process.

• EditorScriptingUtilities: Leveraged for editor-time scripting and automation, enhancing the workflow, user interface elements, and integration of CLOLiveSync within the Unreal Editor.

• ChaosCloth & ChaosClothAsset: These plugins provide the underlying system for cloth simulation and asset management within Unreal Engine, which are integral to the representation and dynamic behavior of garments synced from CLO/MD.

• Dataflow: Used for managing complex data dependencies and procedural asset modifications, which can be relevant for advanced material setups or garment adjustments within the engine.

• GeometryCache: Supports the import and playback of vertex-animated sequences, which is crucial for handling certain types of garment animations or dynamic effects transferred from CLO/MD.

• ProceduralMeshComponent: Employed for dynamically generating or modifying mesh data at runtime or in the editor, which can be part of the garment or avatar update and customization process.

For more information, please visit LiveSync manual page on CLO-SET CONNECT which contains how to set up and use the plugin.