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AnimSnap Documentation

AnimSnap Documentation / AnimSnap Quick Start

AnimSnap Quick Start

Install

  1. Add AnimSnap to your Fab library using the same Epic Games account as the Epic Games Launcher. Complete the purchase if required.
  2. Close Unreal Engine.
  3. In the Epic Games Launcher, open Unreal Engine > Library and find AnimSnap in Fab Library.
  4. Click Install to Engine, select the Unreal Engine version your project uses, then click Install. Wait for installation to finish.

If AnimSnap is missing, refresh Fab Library and check that you are signed into the account used to acquire it.

Manual installation (alternative)

  1. Close Unreal Engine.
  2. Extract your package and copy the AnimSnap folder into your project’s Plugins folder. The plugin file should be at YourProject/Plugins/AnimSnap/AnimSnap.uplugin.

Enable AnimSnap after either method

  1. Open your project and find AnimSnap in Edit > Plugins. Enable it if required.
  2. Restart Unreal Engine if prompted.
  3. Open Tools > AnimSnap or click the AnimSnap toolbar button.

Choose one installation method and keep only one copy of AnimSnap. Use the version that matches your project’s Unreal Engine version: 5.6, 5.7 or 5.8.

Create your first pose

AnimSnap opens with an example head, facial rig and expression animation already selected.

  1. Play or scrub the timeline to choose an expression.
  2. Set an Output Folder and Pose Name.
  3. Click SNAP POSE.
  4. Open the saved asset from the Content Browser and apply it with the Control Rig Pose Library.

The example animation includes Neutral, Smile, Frown, Surprise, Blink, Pucker, Jaw Open and Left Wink. Turn and Nod examples appear later in the timeline; enable Include Head Movement to capture them.

AnimSnap never overwrites an existing asset. If the name is already in use, it creates a free name automatically.

Captured pose thumbnails

SNAP POSE saves the expression at the playhead. Use Show Last Saved Asset in Content Browser to find it.

The pose thumbnail uses the captured result. Frame the face in the preview before saving.

  1. Connect the source in Unreal’s Live Link panel.
  2. In AnimSnap, choose Live Link Subject and select the subject.
  3. Leave Live Link Mode set to Pose.
  4. Choose a compatible face mesh and facial rig, then click SNAP POSE.

Use Find Facial Rig to load the mesh’s Default Animating Rig. If none is available, AnimSnap uses its bundled rig.

Some Live Link providers hold their last frame when streaming pauses. Confirm availability and stream activity in Unreal’s Live Link panel.

Record a performance

  1. Choose Live Link Subject and set Live Link Mode to Record.
  2. Set the recording folder, name and frame rate.
  3. Click RECORD and perform the animation.
  4. Click STOP to save the Animation Sequence.

Recordings contain facial curves and, when enabled, supported head curves. They do not include audio or body motion. Playback requires a compatible face mesh and facial/head post-process setup.

A higher recording frame rate cannot restore detail that was not supplied by Live Link or evaluated by the editor.

If saving fails

AnimSnap keeps the take in memory. Use Retry Save or Save As after correcting the destination. A pending take must be saved or discarded before another recording can start.

Closing the AnimSnap window keeps the pending take in the current editor session under /Game/AnimSnap/RecoveredTakes. Save it before exiting Unreal. This is not crash recovery.

Compatibility

AnimSnap requires MetaHuman-compatible facial curves and a Control Rig with Backwards Solve. A bone-only facial animation or arbitrary skeletal mesh is not sufficient. The bundled head and rig provide a working reference.

Saved poses are ControlRigPoseAsset objects. Runtime captures are temporary in-memory poses; creating packages and recording animation assets are editor-only operations.

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