After testing multiple imports, skeleton setups, conform settings, and Blender exports, I found that a big part of the “visible seam” or “separation” between the head and body are actually caused by normal and tangent mismatches rather than geometry alone.
This guide focuses exclusively on the FBX Import Settings inside the inZOI ModKit and modifications of the imported/created files and the Body_Onemesh_Modkit.
JUMP TOWARDS THE END IF YOU ARE CREATING THE HEAD INSIDE METAHUMAN INSTEAD OF IMPORTING ONE
Exporting Settings [From Blender]
Inside Blender and before exporting make sure you are only selecting:
-
Modified Head [the head you want to upload]
-
Armature
When you click “Export” you should see many option at the right of the pop-up window, we will tweak these:
Smoothing:
Normals Only
This is important.
It tells Unreal/ModKit to use the custom normals you’ve transferred.
Disable:
Add Leaf Bones
Enable:
Only Deform Bones
(if available)
Disable everything.
You are exporting a mesh, not animations.
Uncheck:
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Key All Bones
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NLA Strips
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All Actions
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Force Start/End Keying
Now export your FBX.
Importing into the modkit
When importing your modified head do it through the import button in the content browser:
This will prompt a pop-up window with many options we will check and slightly “modify”.
Never create a new skeleton: If the import creates a new skeleton asset, cancel and re-import.
Skeletal Meshes Tab
Force All Mesh As Type: Skeletal Mesh
Now scroll until you find the “Skeleton” socket under the “Common Skeletal Meshes and Animations” section. Always select:
Face_Archetype_Skeleton
Make sure “Use T0 As Ref Pose” is OFF
Use T0 As Ref Pose = Disabled
For face presets, this can introduce additional pose differences and is generally unnecessary. So… just in case type thing.
Build Section Settings
Expand: Build
These settings have the biggest impact on neck and shoulder seams.
Recompute Normals: Recommended: OFF
Recompute Normals = Disabled
Why?’ If you already exported a mesh with correct normals from Blender, enabling this forces the ModKit to rebuild them, which can create visible lighting differences between the body and head.
While I was testing around, this often made seams more noticeable.
Recompute Tangents: Recommended: OFF
Recompute Tangents = Disabled
Tangents affect how lighting interacts with the normal map. If the body uses one tangent basis and the imported head is rebuilt differently, a visible seam can appear even when the geometry is perfectly aligned.
Now I am a ue5 newbie myself so I can’t really explain it well.
“Use MikkTSpace” Recommended: ON
Use MikkTSpace = Enabled
Disabling it can create unexpected shading differences around the neck seam. If leaving them enabled in both your head and body makes you head still VISIBLY separated, disable it in both head and body by double clicking the meshes and searching for the option
“Compute Weighted Normals”: Recommended: ON
Compute Weighted Normals = Enabled
This generally produces smoother shading transitions and was not found to create additional seam problems during testing. We will do this with our Body_Onemesh_Modkit too, searching for “Normals/Tangents” after double clicking the mesh, then saving.
“Use Full Precision UVs”: Recommended: ON
Use Full Precision UVs = Enabled
Apparently, it helps avoid UV precision issues and is generally recommended for MetaHuman assets.
Skeletal Mesh Settings:
Expand “Skeletal Meshes”
Import Content Type:
Geometry and Skin Weights
Import Morph Targets also “ON”, the rest tick it off, particularly:
- Update Skeleton Reference Pose: OFF
- Create Physics Assets: OFF
Now, you can finally click “IMPORT”
MetaHuman Conform Settings once your Mesh is Created or Imported
As indicated by the tutorial we will click in “Conform” both for our head and the body.
Conform → From Template
Once you save your head, and copy it to your project as indicated by the official modkit tutorials on the official Youtube Channel:
On the “Search” bar write “Normals”
Save and now search for “Tangents”:
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Recompute Tangents: OFF
-
Use MikkTSpace Tangent Space: ON [if after all this the gap is still very big, disable this both in the body and head]
- Use High Precission Tangent Basis: OFF
- Threshold Tangent and Normal: Reduce it to “0.001”
Save and “Ok” the pop-up window, then click once on your head and press Ctrl+S to save again.
You can find them by clicking “All” in the content browser and searching “Onemesh”
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Recompute Normals: OFF
-
Compute Weighted Normals: OFF (both)
-
Threshold Tangent and normal: change it down to “0.001” in both slots
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Normal Import Method: Import Normals
Save and now search for “Tangents”:
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Recompute Tangents: OFF
-
Use MikkTSpace Tangent Space: ON
-
Treshold Tangent and Normal: Change it down to “0.001” in both slots.
On the part you go into create and Conform your MetaHuman head, check these when “Comforming from template”:
“Alignment” [I have tested them all]
Rotation Translation
Avoid:
Scaling Translation
Scaling Rotation Translation
Adapt Neck
OFF
In testing, Adapt Neck frequently pulled the body mesh / distorted shoulders and even increased the visible seam or separation.
And ecco, save all and follow the last steps of the official tutorial. Once you export your mod and test it in game you should see a big difference
