DCC Plugins

Plugins

DCC Plugins

UFM connects to your DCC over a local bridge so you can stream a live performance or send a recorded take straight onto your rig. The plugin shows connection state and the loaded or live take, the same way the USL bridge does.

Supported DCCs

DCCMinimum version
Maya2022+
Houdini19.0+
Blender3.0+

Installing the plugins

From the app, open DCC ▸ Install Plugins…. UFM scans for installed DCCs and lists each one with a version dropdown. Pick a version and click Install (or Reinstall); Uninstall removes it again. If a DCC isn’t listed, click Scan for DCCs.

Installation is zero-script — it also adds a shelf button (Maya/Houdini) or N-panel (Blender) so you never have to run code by hand to open the plugin. Already-installed plugins are refreshed automatically when you update the app.

This mirrors USL’s plugin installer, so if you’ve set up USL’s bridge plugins the flow will feel familiar.

Driving your rig

  1. Open the plugin panel in your DCC (shelf button / N-panel).
  2. Connect to the app.
  3. Pick the blendshape node (Maya blendShape, Houdini blendshape node, or a Blender mesh with shape keys).
  4. The plugin auto-maps the 52 ARKit channels onto your rig’s blendshape names — exact, then alias, then fuzzy match — and shows the result so you can review or override it.
  5. Toggle Live to stream the performance in real time, or send a take from the app to bake it to keyframes.

Head rotation drives your rig’s neck/head joints with a natural split between the two. If your rig’s joints are oriented differently from world space, use the head-rotation axis remap (Nod / Turn / Tilt → X / Y / Z, each flippable) to line them up.

Live vs. baked

  • Live — the plugin polls the app at a high rate and applies the latest pose, so you can perform and watch your rig move. If the DCC falls behind, only the most recent pose is applied (no backlog).
  • Bake — sending a recorded take writes the performance to keyframes on the mapped controls, ready to edit like any other animation.

Next Steps