How to Create a Custom MetaHuman with the ArtHeroes Basemesh

September 4, 2026

Creating a custom MetaHuman doesn't have to mean starting from the standard MetaHuman templates.

In this tutorial, I’m going to walk you through the workflow I use to create a custom MetaHuman starting from the ArtHeroes basemesh, taking the character from ZBrush into Unreal Engine and then customizing it through MetaHuman Creator.

The goal is to give you a practical look at the workflow I use for my own digital human projects, including the body, face, hair, eyes, makeup, clothing, and custom accessories.

🎁 Download the FREE ArtHeroes MetaHuman Basemesh

DOWNLOAD THE FREE BASEMESH

You can download the basemesh for free and follow along with the tutorial.

Why use a custom basemesh?

MetaHuman Creator is incredibly powerful, but sometimes you want to start with a specific character design rather than modifying a completely standard base.

A custom basemesh gives you much more control over the starting proportions and overall shape of your character.

The ArtHeroes basemesh is designed to give artists a clean starting point for building their own custom MetaHumans.

From there, you can take the mesh into the MetaHuman pipeline and continue developing the character using MetaHuman Creator and Unreal Engine.

The Custom MetaHuman Workflow

The workflow starts outside of MetaHuman Creator.

I begin with the ArtHeroes basemesh in ZBrush, where I can work on the character's proportions and overall design before bringing it into Unreal Engine.

From there, the character is imported into Unreal Engine and prepared for MetaHuman Creator.

This allows me to combine the flexibility of traditional character creation with the powerful tools available in the MetaHuman ecosystem.

1. Installing MetaHuman Creator

The first step is making sure the required MetaHuman tools are installed and ready to use.

In the video, I go through the MetaHuman Creator installation and setup before creating the Unreal Engine project.

2. Creating the Unreal Engine Project

Once everything is installed, I create the Unreal Engine project that will be used for the character.

This is where the custom MetaHuman workflow starts coming together.

The important part is making sure the project is correctly configured before importing the custom basemesh.

3. Exporting the ArtHeroes Basemesh from ZBrush

With the character prepared, I export the ArtHeroes MetaHuman basemesh from ZBrush.

This is the starting point for the custom MetaHuman.

The idea is simple: instead of relying entirely on the default character proportions, we can bring our own custom geometry into the workflow.

4. Importing the Custom MetaHuman into Unreal Engine

The next step is bringing the custom character into Unreal Engine.

Once imported, we can continue the process inside the MetaHuman ecosystem and start working on the character's final appearance.

This is where the workflow becomes particularly interesting because we're combining a custom character design with MetaHuman's existing tools and systems.

5. Working in MetaHuman Creator

Once the custom MetaHuman is available, we can start refining the character.

This includes both the body and facial parameters.

Body Parameters

The body parameters allow you to adjust the overall proportions and shape of the character.

This is particularly useful when you want to push the character further away from the original basemesh while still maintaining the MetaHuman workflow.

Face Parameters

The face is where you can really start defining the personality of the character.

I go through the different facial parameters and show how I use them to refine the custom character.

The combination of the custom basemesh and MetaHuman's facial controls gives you a lot of flexibility when creating a unique digital human.

6. XGen Hair Workflow

Hair is one of the most important parts of creating a believable digital human.

In the tutorial, I also cover the XGen workflow, showing how I approach the character's hair as part of the overall MetaHuman process.

This is especially useful if you're working with custom grooming rather than relying exclusively on the default hair options.

7. Eyes and Makeup

After establishing the character's main features, I move on to the eyes and makeup.

Small details like these can have a huge impact on the final appearance of a digital human.

8. Adding Accessories

The workflow doesn't stop with the character itself.

I also show how I work with accessories, including adding sunglasses as a skeletal mesh and creating a MetaHuman Wardrobe Item.

This allows you to start building a complete character rather than just a head and body.

9. Custom Items in MetaHuman Creator

One of the more interesting parts of the workflow is importing custom items into MetaHuman Creator.

This opens up a lot of possibilities for creating characters that go beyond the standard MetaHuman assets.

You can start combining your own designs with the MetaHuman system to create much more customized characters.

10. Lighting Your MetaHuman

Finally, I go through the MetaHuman Creator light presets.

Good lighting is essential when evaluating your character because it can dramatically change how the skin, eyes, hair, and facial features look.

It's worth experimenting with different lighting setups rather than judging the character under a single lighting condition.

Final Result

The main idea behind this workflow is to combine the flexibility of a custom character pipeline with the power of MetaHuman.

Instead of being limited to the default MetaHuman starting point, you can begin with your own basemesh and develop the character around your specific design.

This workflow is particularly useful if you're working with: