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ZenDyn Documentation

ZenDyn Documentation / Upgrading from ZenDyn 1 to ZenDyn 2

Upgrading from ZenDyn 1 to ZenDyn 2

ZenDyn 2 is a major rebuild. Existing ZenDyn 1 components, World Actors, presets, Blueprint references, and Sequencer property tracks are not converted automatically. Treat the upgrade as a clean installation followed by a short manual recreation of each character setup.

Before You Upgrade

  1. Create a backup or source-control branch for the project.
  2. Keep a copy of the ZenDyn 1 plugin package so the project can be restored if necessary.
  3. Bake any finished ZenDyn 1 performances that must remain unchanged.
  4. Record the settings used by each character. Screenshots of the component, World Actor, Dynamics, and regional controls are useful.
  5. Note any Blueprint logic or Sequencer tracks that directly reference ZenDyn 1 properties.
  6. Close Unreal Editor before replacing the plugin.

Install ZenDyn 2 Cleanly

  1. Remove the ZenDyn 1 component and any ZenDyn World Actor from affected character Blueprints and levels.
  2. Close Unreal Editor.
  3. Remove the old ZenDyn plugin directory from the project. Do not merge ZenDyn 2 files into the old directory.
  4. Install ZenDyn 2 as a clean plugin.
  5. Regenerate project files if the project contains C++ code.
  6. Open the project and allow Unreal Engine to compile or load the new plugin.

Keep the project backup until every character, Blueprint, Level Sequence, and packaged build has been validated.

Rebuild Each Character

  1. Select the MetaHuman actor and use the ZenDyn toolbar button, or add the native ZenDyn Actor Component manually.
  2. Confirm that Face Mesh Name resolves to the intended MetaHuman face mesh. The default is Face.
  3. Enable ZenDyn Enabled, Face Enable, and the required Dynamics regions.
  4. Recreate the regional Control, Dynamics, and Magic values from the recorded ZenDyn 1 settings.
  5. Assign an authored Control Rig Pose directly to Emotion Pose when an emotion is required.
  6. Save the completed setup as a new ZenDyn 2 Preset.

Do not reuse ZenDyn 1 preset assets. Create new ZenDyn 2 presets from the current component so every setting uses the correct type, range, and category.

Translate ZenDyn 1 Settings

Regional Control

ZenDyn 1 regional values commonly used a 0-3 scale. ZenDyn 2 presents regional Weight as 0-200%:

ZenDyn 2 regional Smoothing uses 0-100%. Begin at a low value and increase only where the incoming performance needs softening.

Dynamics And Magic

ZenDyn 1 could select Global or Group-based dynamics. ZenDyn 2 provides independent Dynamics and Magic settings for Brows, Nose, Cheeks, Mouth, Jaw, and Eyes.

Rebuild each active region separately. Start with low Strength values, then tune Damping and Stiffness while playing the actual performance. Magic remains disabled by default and should be enabled only for deliberate creative motion.

Emotion

ZenDyn 2 selects a MetaHuman Control Rig Pose asset directly through Emotion Pose. The ZenDyn 1 emotion enum and Emotion Preset Manager workflow are no longer used.

Choose the closest bundled pose or assign a custom Control Rig Pose. Use Emotion Blend, regional emotion weights, and Emotion Blend Time to preserve dialogue and avoid abrupt changes.

Eyes And Blinking

Use Eye Mode: Input Pose when the incoming animation, Live Link, or another system already supplies the primary eye direction. Random adds a generated gaze instead. Recreate old blink and micro-saccadic settings using the current Blinking and Eyes categories.

Percentages

Many ZenDyn 2 controls are user-facing percentages. A former normalized value of 1.0 normally corresponds to 100%, while 0.5 corresponds to 50%. Always confirm the range shown in the Details panel before translating a value.

Rebuild Blueprint And Sequencer References

Blueprint nodes and Sequencer tracks that reference ZenDyn 1 properties may be disconnected or invalid after the upgrade.

  1. Compile every affected character Blueprint.
  2. Replace stale ZenDyn component references with the new native component.
  3. Recreate property access using the current names and types.
  4. Remove invalid ZenDyn 1 tracks from Level Sequences.
  5. Add the current ZenDyn component properties and recreate the required keys.
  6. Test transitions, dialogue, eye animation, and Dynamics while the sequence is playing.

When both plugins are installed, attach ZenBlink and ZenDyn to the same actor. Integration is automatic: ZenBlink manages shared facial animation while ZenDyn provides regional Control, Dynamics, and Magic.

Validate the combined setup after upgrading either plugin. Remove any custom ZenDyn 1 integration before using the current workflow.

Validate The Migration

Check each migrated character in the editor and in a packaged development build:

Although direct baking to a stock MetaHuman Control Rig may be technically possible, it is experimental and unsupported. Bake ZenDyn to an animation sequence first, then bake that sequence to Epic’s Control Rig if required.

If a critical result cannot be recreated, restore the backed-up project and ZenDyn 1 plugin, bake the required animation, and repeat the migration in a separate branch.

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