In Episode 3 of our Motion Matching tutorial series, we take the dataset created in Motion Factory and bring it fully into Unreal Engine. Using Motorica’s Quick Import Plugin, we go from exported animation data to a playable, motion-matched character in just a few clicks.

If you want to see how this fits into your own pipeline, you can request a demo or explore Motorica’s tools here.

This episode focuses on the step where many pipelines slow down: importing, retargeting, and setting up Pose Search databases. You’ll see how Motorica’s Unreal Engine integration automates these tasks so your animations are game-ready with minimal manual setup.

What you’ll learn in this episode

How to import a Motion Factory dataset into Unreal Engine using the Quick Import Plugin
How retargeting works and how to retarget animations to your target skeleton
How Pose Search databases and normalization sets are created automatically
How to choose between simple and advanced Pose Search schemas
How tags are added for gameplay queries and motion matching transitions
How to go from a T-posing character to a fully motion-matched character in game

We also cover optional post-processing steps like foot locking and orientation warping, showing how these techniques can improve motion quality and stability during gameplay.

By the end of this episode, you’ll see a character walking, running, strafing, sprinting, and transitioning smoothly inside Unreal Engine. From dataset generation to a working gameplay character, the entire process takes roughly 30 minutes, including animation generation time.

Subscribe to follow the series and catch the final episode, where we’ll cover runtime retargeting, final setup notes, and how to access the dataset used throughout this tutorial so you can try it yourself.

Watch the full series

Episode 1: Faster Animation Workflows with Motorica

https://youtu.be/zcLzfxWQ78w

Episode 2: Setup and Dataset Generation in Unreal Engine

https://youtu.be/h7insApv3H4
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Tools and Tech Covered

Motorica Motion Factory
Motorica Quick Import Plugin
Unreal Engine Motion Matching
Pose Search
Animation Retargeting
Foot Locking
Orientation Warping

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Motion Matching Made Simple | Episode 3: Importing Data into Unreal Engine