View source for Character Art

== Summary ==
The character art pipeline is a multi-stage process used to create high-quality 3D character models for use in various media. UIW's Unified Pipeline is a version of this process adapted specifically for use at the University. The workflows below are designed to streamline the process and ensure consistency in quality across different projects.

== Unreal Engine 5 ==
Below is a flow chart of the character art pipeline from Maya to Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). It is expected for you to have the character assets made and are ready to integrate the assets into the engine. Character assets include the in-game geometry, textures, and rig. [[File:UIW3d CharacterArtPipeline Overview2.png|frameless|1036x1036px]]


[[File:UIW3d CharacterArtPipeline Overview6.png|frameless|1060x1060px]]

== Naming Conventions ==
To maintain organizational consistency and cohesion throughout the production a clearly defined naming convention is needed. As you develop your game the list of assets needed will continue to expand and a strong naming convention will allow for easier file location and prevent potential conflicts from arising. The naming conventions utilized are recommended and derived from Epic's documentation which you can find here: [https://docs.unrealengine.com/5.0/en-US/recommended-asset-naming-conventions-in-unreal-engine-projects/ Recommended Naming Conventions]
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Asset Types
!Prefix
|-
|Skeletal Mesh          
|SK_
|-
|Skeleton
|SKEL_
|-
|Material                     
|M_
|-
|Material Instance        
|MI_
|-
|Texture                                                          
|T_
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!Material Descriptors
!Suffix
|-
|Standard
|_S
|-
|Skin
|_SSS
|-
|Hair
|_H
|-
|Eyes                                                               
|_E
|}
{| class="wikitable"
!Texture Descriptors
!Suffix
|-
|Albedo
|_A
|-
|Metallic
|_M
|-
|Roughness
|_R
|-
|Occlusion
|_O
|-
|Normal                                                          
|_N
|-
|Emissive
|_E
|-
|Transparency
|_T
|-
|Subsurface Scattering
|_SSS
|}
 
Below is the naming convention for the character art pipeline as well as an example for how you will be naming your character assets. 
 AssetTypePrefix_AssetName_Descriptor_VariantNumber
<blockquote>
* <small>SK_CharName</small>

* <small>SKEL_CharName</small>
* <small>MI_S_CharName</small>
** <small>T_CharName_A</small>
** <small>T_CharName_MROE</small>
** <small>T_CharName_N</small>
* <small>MI_SSS_CharName</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Skin_A</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Skin_MRO</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Skin_N</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Skin_SSS</small>
* <small>MI_E_CharName</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Eyes_A</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Eyes_MRO</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Eyes_N</small>
** <small>T_CharName_Eyes_T</small>
</blockquote>