Plugin/Handbook/src/getting-started/setup-virtual-hand-meshes/README.md

Setting Up the Virtual Hand Meshes

Setting up Virtual Hand Meshes involves two key steps:

1. Importing the virtual hand meshes into your project.
2. Configuring the virtual hand settings.

In this section we focus on the first part. For detailed information on step two, please visit the Virtual Hand configuration section.

Compatible Virtual Hand Meshes

The SenseGlove Unreal Engine Plugin is compatible with any virtual hand mesh that adheres to the Epic rig and bone structure. Additionally, the virtual hand meshes must be exported with specific settings to meet all requirements. If you're planning to model and rig your own virtual hand meshes, the Epic FBX Skeletal Mesh Pipeline is a useful starting point.

However, if you're looking to get up and running with the SenseGlove Unreal Engine Plugin quickly, the process is much simpler. Unreal Engine has included two sets of compatible virtual hand models with the Unreal Engine VR Template since version 5.1. This guide will walk you through how to export these virtual hand models from the VR Template and import them into your VR simulation.

Caution

While it is possible to migrate the virtual hand meshes directly from the Content Browser of the VR Template, this approach is not recommended. As part of the setup process, it is necessary to configure the SenseGlove Grab and Touch sockets. Although it's possible to set up these sockets manually, as demonstrated in one of our older tutorials, we no longer recommend doing so. Since version v2.1.0 of the SenseGlove Unreal Engine Plugin, we’ve included a tool that automates the socket setup with a single click, eliminating the need for the tedious manual process.

Unfortunately, the SenseGlove Sockets Editor tool does not support skeletal meshes that share their skeleton. This is the case with the hand models included in the VR Template. Because of this limitation, we will be reimporting the virtual hand meshes with separate skeletons to ensure full compatibility with the SenseGlove Sockets Editor.

Exporting the Virtual Hand Meshes from the VRTemplate

1. Start by creating a new Unreal Engine project using the VR Template. In the Unreal Project Browser, select GAMES > Virtual Reality.

2. Once the Unreal Editor opens with your new project, navigate to the Content Browser. Go to All > Content > Characters > MannequinsXR > Meshes. Here, you'll find two sets of virtual hand meshes: SDKM_MannyXR_left and SDKM_MannyXR_right (male hands), and SDKM_QuinnXR_left and SDKM_QuinnXR_right (female hands).

3. Choose the pair of hand meshes you want to export. Right-click on them, then select Asset Actions followed by Bulk Export... from the context menu.

4. In the file dialog that appears, choose a folder to save the exported hands, and click the Select Folder button to export the meshes in FBX format.

5. The Unreal Editor will then display the FBX Export Options dialog. Leave the default settings unchanged and click Export All to proceed.

Tip

If you're unsure whether the options are set to their defaults, you can click the Reset to Default button in the top-right corner of the dialog to restore the default settings.

6. After exporting, you can find the FBX files for both hands in the directory you selected: /path/you/chose/for/bulk/export/Game/Characters/MannequinsXR/Meshes/.

Importing the Virtual Hand Meshes into Your Own Project

1. Start by creating a new folder inside your project's Content Browser. Navigate to that folder, then press the Import button next to the + Add button at the top of the Content Browser.

2. In the Import dialog that appears, navigate to the folder containing the virtual hand meshes. Select both FBX files and click the Open button.

3. The Unreal Editor will display the FBX Import Options dialog. Leave the default settings unchanged and click Import All to proceed.

Tip

If you're unsure whether the options are set to their defaults, you can click the Reset to Default button in the top-right corner of the dialog to restore the default settings.

4. After the import process is done, a dialog will display the import logs. Any errors or warnings encountered during the import process will be shown here.

Note

The following warning can be safely ignored:

FBXImport: Warning: No smoothing group information was found in this FBX scene. Please make sure to enable the 'Export Smoothing Groups' option in the FBX Exporter plug-in before exporting the file. Even for tools that don't support smoothing groups, the FBX Exporter will generate appropriate smoothing data at export-time so that correct vertex normals can be inferred while importing.

5. The imported virtual hand meshes should now appear in the folder you selected in the Content Browser. Unreal Engine will create a Skeletal Mesh, a Skeleton, and a Physics Asset for each imported mesh, along with a default Material asset shared between both virtual hand meshes.

6. You can choose to keep or modify the default material. However, since the SenseGlove Unreal Engine Plugin provides a default material, we choose to delete the default material created by Unreal Engine during the import process. We'll assign the SenseGlove default material to the imported virtual hand meshes in the next steps. Right-click on the default material and select Delete.

7. In the Delete Assets dialog, click Force Delete to confirm the deletion of the default material.

8. Open the Skeletal Mesh asset for the left hand and assign the M_SenseGlove_VirtualHand material from the Asset Details panel.

9. Repeat the process for the Skeletal Mesh asset of the right hand, and assign the M_SenseGlove_VirtualHand material in the Asset Details panel.

10. Return to the Content Browser by closing all asset windows and click the Save All button to save all imported virtual hand mesh assets to disk.

11. In the Save Content dialog, choose Save Selected to confirm the saving all action.

Setting up the SenseGlove Grab and Touch Sockets