You can use Live Link to stream animation data directly from objects in Maya to a linked sequence in Unreal. This is useful if you want to animate in Maya and see how it affects an Unreal sequence in realtime. Using this method is the only way to retain animation curves between the two programs, but it is slower than streaming object data due to the need to update multiple frames on every edit.

Whether streaming object or animation data, you must begin by adding objects to Maya's Connection List:

1. Make sure Maya and Unreal are connected.

2. Load the object in both the current Maya scene and Unreal project (the object does not need to be loaded into the current level).
   
   To ensure compatibility, we recommend that you export the object from Maya to Unreal first.

3. In Maya, select the base node of the object to be linked. For characters, this is the root of their joint skeleton (not the controls).

4. Go to the Unreal Live Link window and click Add Selection. This adds the object to Maya's Connection List, and automatically assigns a type to it. You can change the type by manually clicking the Type drop-down. Do not add multiple objects with the same name to this list.

5. (Optional) Change the Object Name from the default to something more user-friendly.

Once you've done this, the next steps will depend on the type of object you are linking.

Streaming character animation data

To stream character animation data from Maya to an Unreal sequence, a slightly different process is required than simply linking the characters.

1. In Maya, open the Unreal Live Link window.

2. Next to the animated character, click the plug icon under Link. The Unreal Link Asset Selection window will appear.

3. In the top section (Link to skeleton), select the Unreal asset you want to link to.
   
   Make sure that the Unreal asset you are linking to is derived from the same Maya character to ensure compatibility.

4. In the bottom section (Save to anim sequence), select an animation sequence from the list of existing sequences involving that character. Alternatively, you can create a new animation sequence by entering it into the text-field underneath. New sequences must be prefixed with an Unreal project path starting after the Game (AKA: Content) folder.

5. Click Link. If you created a new sequence, it will be added to the Unreal project.

6. In Unreal, double-click the sequence in the Content Browser to view it in an Animation Editor window.

7. In the "Preview Scene Settings" tab:

   • Set Preview Controller to Maya Live Link Preview Controller (do not set it to Live Link Preview Controller, which is reserved for streaming object data)
   • Turn on *Enable Anim Sequence Editor Time Sync

Now if you scrub the Time Slider in Maya, or the playhead in Unreal, you will see both software remain in sync. You can also view real-time animation curve updates between Maya's Graph Editor and Unreal's Animation Sequence Curve Editor.

Streaming light, camera, or mesh animation data

To stream animation data from Maya to an Unreal sequence, a slightly different process is required than simply linking a light, camera, or mesh.

1. In Maya, open the Unreal Live Link window.

2. Next to the object, click the plug icon under Link. The Unreal Link Asset Selection window will appear.

3. In the top section (Link to actor), select the Unreal actor you want to link to. Alternatively, you can create a new actor class by typing a name into the textfield and clicking Create. For maximum flexibility, we recommend linking to a blueprint.

4. In the bottom section (Save to level sequence), select a level sequence. Alternatively, you can create a new level sequence by entering it into the text-field underneath. New sequences must be prefixed with an Unreal project path starting after the Game (AKA: Content) folder.

5. Click Link. If you created a new sequence, it will be added to the Unreal project.

6. In Unreal, double-click the sequence in the Content Browser to view it in the Sequencer.

Now if you scrub the Time Slider in Maya, or the playhead in Unreal, you will see both software remain in sync. You can also view real-time animation curve updates between Maya's Graph Editor and Unreal's Animation Sequence Curve Editor (Note that for transform data, you will see a key on every frame).

Pausing the stream

When streaming complex character animation data from Maya to Unreal, you may notice a slow down in performance due to the sheer amount of information being passed between the two software. If this happens, you can temporarily pause the link using the Pause button in the upper-right of the Unreal Live Link window. While the link is paused, Maya will only stop sending character animation data (light, camera, and mesh animation data, along with everything mentioned in the Streaming object data section will continue to be sent). You can then perform a bunch of edits, then unpause the link to send all those edits at once.