Recording Directional and Point Lights Animations

The light animations created in iClone can be sent to Unreal to control the light. Furthermore, these animations can be recorded in Unreal for further usage. The steps in this page are suitable for directional and point lights. With Unreal v 4.21, the lights' animations are kept by means of the Sequence Recorder.

Mapping Lights in iClone and Unreal

  1. Prepare directional or point lights in Unreal and iClone by one of the 3 methods below:

  2. Connect iClone and Unreal with Live Link plug-ins.
  3. Playback to view the light animations in Unreal authoring mode.
  4. Go to the start frame in iClone.

Recording Light Animation in Unreal

  1. In Unreal, select the controlled light.
  2. Open the Sequence Recorder panel, click the Add button to add the light into the list.
  3. Press the Record button to start recording.

    The Unreal viewport will start to countdown.
  4. Play back the project in iClone to animate the light after the countdown ends.
  5. Click the StopAll button in Unreal after the iClone project finishes.
  6. By default, the recorded file is saved in Content > Cinematics > Sequences > RecordedSequence folder.
  7. Double click on the sequence and you can see all the light's animation-related data in the Sequencer panel.

Examining Recorded Light Animation

  1. Hide the original light and select the light in the take (marked with a lightning bolt).
  2. In the Live Link section on the Detail panel, delete the Subject Name.

    Keep in mind that this step ensures the light's animation come from the recorded take instead of the light in iClone.
    Alternatively, you can remove the source from the Live Link panel instead of deleting the Subject Name of the light.
  3. Click the play button to check out the recorded light animation on the viewport.
  4. The light animation should be identical to the one triggered by iClone light.