Building Virtual Avatars for Streaming in Unreal Engine

Turn your iPhone into a motion-capture studio and Unreal Engine into a virtual stage. In this intensive, one-day workshop you’ll import a 3D character, connect real-time facial/body capture from your phone via Live Link, drop the avatar into a scene, and output a live or recorded feed for YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and more. By sunset you’ll have a ready-to-stream VTuber setup—and the confidence to keep iterating.

For more workshops like this, visit Tandon at The Yard's 2025 Summer Workshops page.

Who Is This For

• Streamers, VTubers, and content creators seeking high-quality real-time avatars
• Indie game devs & filmmakers prototyping character-based virtual-production workflows
• 3D artists & animators curious about live facial/body capture in UE
• Basic Unreal navigation is helpful; no prior mocap experience required.

Materials

• Laptop/desktop capable of running Unreal Engine 5.x
• iPhone (Face ID device; iOS 15+) with Live Link Face or similar app
• Wi-Fi access for Live Link streaming or ethernet connector for iPhone
• Headphones & mic for quiet monitoring and voice capture (optional)
• (Stream software: OBS) pre-installed for final test
  

Workshop Schedule (10 AM – 5 PM)

10:00 – 10:15

Welcome & Introductions
Overview of goals; looking ahead at cool examples of virtual streams

10:15 – 11:15

Avatar Pipeline 101
Live Link usage; ARKit blend-shapes; character asset requirements

11:15 – 12:15

Project & Mocap Setup
Create a UE project; import a character,

12:15 – 12:30

Morning Break

12:30 – 1:30

Refining Animation
Connect iPhone Live Link feed, Facial expression tuning,

1:30 – 2:15

Lunch Break

2:15 – 3:15

Scene & Virtual Camera
Choose environment, cameras, lighting & post-process;

3:15 – 3:30

Afternoon Break

3:30 – 4:30

Streaming & Recording
Route video via OBS; set up game capture, audio sync; platform settings for Twitch/YouTube/TikTok

4:30 – 5:00

Showcase & Closing
Participants go live or record 30-sec demo; Q&A, advanced resources, social-share tips

Outcomes

Participants will:

1. Configure Unreal Engine and iPhone Live Link for real-time mocap.
2. Import a 3D avatar with facial data
3. Manipulate and customize a simple but polished virtual set and camera layout.
4. Stream or record high-quality avatar footage via OBS or equivalent.
5. Leave with a project file and repeatable workflow for future streams, and leave with next steps for future projects
   
   

Presenter

WoodyDevs (@woodydevs) — Creative technologist recreating life in Unreal Engine. From VTuber streams to full virtual worlds and games, Woody builds anything imaginable in 3D space and shares the process with an ever-growing online community. Woody also runs Infinistache: a real-time animation and game studio that partners with brands trying to build exciting live experiences.