With Unreal Engine 5.6, the MetaHuman Creator is now fully integrated into the engine itself, eliminating the need for the previous web-based environment. This means you can now create characters directly within UE5.6 without relying on the cloud or online tools.
This is the first article in a beginner-friendly multi-part series exploring how to use the new MetaHuman tools—from basic functions to advanced character design techniques.
In this first part, we’ll guide you through the installation process for MetaHuman Creator in UE5.6, and show how to design a semi-realistic stylized character, which are more versatile and easier to use than fully photorealistic ones.
What is a Semi-Realistic Character?
A semi-realistic (or semi-real) character is a design style that lies between hyper-realism and stylized cartoon. These characters maintain a realistic impression while allowing for intentional exaggeration of features to boost character appeal or expression.
This style is widely seen in titles like Square Enix’s Final Fantasy series or the protagonist of the film Alita: Battle Angel, where characters are rendered with high-fidelity materials but retain stylized proportions or facial traits. It balances realism with fantasy, making them ideal for both cinematic and interactive experiences.
Installation and Startup
In order to use the new MetaHuman Creator, you will need Unreal Engine 5.6. Please install it in advance.
Enabling MetaHuman Core Data and Plugins
To use the new version of MetaHuman Creator, you’ll first need to install or update to Unreal Engine 5.6.
Make sure to include “MetaHuman Creator Core Data” during installation—this package contains essential presets, grooms, and character base assets.
Enabling the MetaHuman Plugin
After launching UE5.6, enable the plugin.
- Go to Edit > Plugins
Search for “MetaHuman Creator”
Enable it (note: a beta version warning may appear)
→ Restart the editor when prompted
Creating a Working Folder
After restarting UE5.6, create a new project folder for your MetaHuman work and navigate into it.
Creating a MetaHuman Character Asset
- In the Content Browser, right-click on an empty area
- Choose: MetaHuman > MetaHuman Character
A new MetaHuman asset will be created—rename it (e.g., MHC_Test)
Double-click to open it in the MetaHuman Creator Editor
The MetaHuman Character screen will open.
Using Presets and Blend Mode
- Select Presets
→ Basic features such as face and hairstyle will be automatically applied.
If there is a preset model that is close to the character you have in mind, we recommend that you first apply it and make fine adjustments.
Blending with Presets
You can select your three favorite figures from the presets and blend them part by part.
① Select the Head icon.
② Select Blend.
③ There are three slots. In the lower section ▼ All Assets , the characters we checked in the presets earlier are listed.
Select your three favorite characters from the presets by dragging and dropping them. You can set them in three slots.
After setting the three presets, click and drag the round handle of a facial feature (in this case, the forehead).
Each part can be blended to closely resemble the shape of the three models.
Transform: Rough shape change
First, make rough adjustments to each part.
Select Head > Transform .
Icons related to handles will be displayed.
You can change the shape of each part by clicking and dragging the ◎ icons scattered on the face object in the center of the screen.
From the left
: Screen Space: Movement from the screen position
Translate: Movement using the arrow handle
Rotate: Rotation
Uniform Scale: Scaling
Tips for changing to a deformed face
To deform a photorealistic face, try enlarging features toward the top of the head and shrinking them near the chin.
Make the chin smaller and sharper.
Reduce the nose and mouth features using Uniform Scale.
Use the Translate tool to lower the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Enlarge the eye features using Uniform Scale.
Sclupt: Fine adjustment of shapes
Change the button on the top right from Transform to Sculpt.
The number of handles increases, allowing for even more precise shape changes.
We will continue to make further fine adjustments.
Adding face texture
Add a texture image to the face.
DownLoad Texture Source Click to select the texture size. Here, we selected “Download 2K Resolution Textures”.
to prioritize smooth operation .
On the View tab, change Topology to Skin .
The downloaded texture is displayed.
Change skin color
Since the character this time is intended to be Asian, we will increase the skin color slightly.
①Select Material
②Select Skin
③ Click Skin > Skin Tone and select a color.
Skin texture change
Facial textures are variable and can be changed.
Changing the Face Texture Index number will change the texture.
There are 153 textures available, allowing for bold changes such as adding wrinkles and freckles .
Adding hair
Hair & Clothing
Set the hair and clothing.
You can add hair and clothes by clicking the Hair & Clothing button.
Since there are not yet many presets for clothes, we will skip that this time and only explain hair.
This panel allows you to change the hairstyle and outfit of your MetaHuman character.
Hair Slots :
- Hair: Set the hairstyle of the preset model on a part-by-part basis.
- Eyebrows: Set the eyebrows of the preset model part by part.
- Eyelashes
- Mustache
- Beard
- Peach fuzz
A ✓ icon on the left indicates that the download is complete.
The clothing icon on the right indicates whether it is visible or hidden. Double-click it again to hide it.
Graphics card performance warning
The error “ Video memory has been exhausted ” is a common error in Unreal Engine (UE5) and MetaHuman Creator that appears when
the GPU’s VRAM (video memory) usage has reached its limit . MetaHuman in particular uses a large amount of GPU resources for hair and costumes, so it is more likely to occur when heavy processing is concentrated.
Higher display resolutions put more strain on the GPU.
Solution 1:
Reduce the display quality
Click the “Rendering Quality” icon in the upper right corner of the MetaHuman Creator screen.
Epic Click
Select High or Medium from the drop-down menu
The display resolution will be reduced, reducing the load on the GPU.
Solution 2.
Use Hair Cards
MetaHuman hairstyles use **Groom (high-precision hair bundle system)** by default.
You can make it lighter by changing it to **Hair Cards (flat poly)**.
In the “LEVEL OF DETAIL” tab in MetaHuman Creator, select “Always Use Hair Cards”
from the LOD dropdown at the top of the MetaHuman editor (display hair as planar polygons)
→ Card-type hair will be applied instead of Groom.
Hair color adjustment
This time, we are assuming an Asian face, so we will make the hair color darker.
Hair ＆Clothing ＞ Details
Grooms
Medium Natural Eyebrows（Eyebrows）
Medium Slight Curl（Eyelashes）
Long Straight Bangs (Hair)
Increase the Melanin value for each to 0.77.
Makeup
Eye Adjustment
Due to the specifications of MetaHuman, when you make your eyes larger a shadow will fall around the eyes, so you need to brighten them with concealer.
Materials ＞ Make Up ▼Foundation
Apply Foundation☑
Concealer 0.06
In addition, Makeup/Lipstick material adjustment : You can add color to the appearance.
Please try it out with your own hands.
Body changes
Modify the body shape. MetaHuman Creator’s body customization system is versatile and intuitive. Each parameter influences each other and automatically adjusts to maintain a humanoid body shape.
Body ＞ Model ＞ Parametric
Operate the Body > Model > Parametric slider bar. I can’t explain everything here, but the trick to maintaining a semi-realistic body structure is,
- The shoulders are narrow
- The body is short
- Neck, arms and legs are long and slender
- The waist is large
By keeping the above in mind, you can create a body shape that is naturally deformed.
Please take your time and enjoy creating your ideal body shape.
Rigging
Adding a Rig
Once the sculpt is more or less complete, we add a rig to the character and check how it behaves when moving.
The rig will be automatically generated by clicking the CreateFullRig button. It will take some time, so please wait a while.
After a while, a term slider will appear at the bottom of the viewer.
You can play the confirmation animation by pressing the ▸ Play button at the bottom right.
Remove Rig
If you want to change the shape again, Remove the rig.
Click “Remove Rig” to delete the rig.
We repeatedly modify the shape and add rigs to check, until we get closer to the ideal shape.
Creating BluePrint Class
Assemble the created MetaHuman Character into a BluePrint Class that can be used on Unreal Engine.
Select Assembly Selection
> Assembly UE Cine (Complete).
Targets
> Root Directory:
Specify the output folder.
> Name:
Set the name of the BluePrint to be output. Press the
Assemblebutton.
Assemble will start. Please wait a while.
Once done, go to the specified folder and
you will see that the BluePrint has been created.
Drag and drop the created BluePrint into the viewport to view it.
summary
This time, we introduced how to create semi-realistic deformed characters using MetaHuman Creator in Unreal Engine 5.6
. MetaHuman is a function that allows you to create high-density photorealistic characters, but because it has many functions, it can be difficult to use, and many people hesitate to use it. We hope that this page will increase your interest in MetaHuman Creator and help you in your creative life.