DryreL Software Unreal Engine 5 plugin
PortraitZ
Give life to your 2D characters.
Import a layered Photoshop file, let PortraitZ build the rig, and watch your artwork blink, breathe, talk and sway, right inside Unreal Engine 5.
Not released yet — in development
- 1Draw call
Per character, however many layers it has - 0.1 msPer character
Measured evaluation time on desktop - 3Graphics APIs
DirectX 11, DirectX 12 and Vulkan, tested
Import
From PSD to character, in minutes
Keep painting in Photoshop. PortraitZ reads your file as it is and packs it for the engine, so there is no manual atlas work between your art and your game.
- Direct PSD import with full layer, group and blend mode support
- Layer masks and effects, 8-bit and 16-bit colour
- Automatic multi-atlas packing, sized for your GPU
- Layers sorted by size and type for you
Auto-Rig
A rig that builds itself
Auto-Rig sets up meshes, bones and weights for you, including a humanoid skeleton. You refine what you like; everything stays editable.
- Pick the characterOpen your imported asset in the PortraitZ editor.
- Run Auto-RigMesh, bones and weights are generated in one go.
- Fine-tuneAdjust in the hierarchy, viewport and inspector panels.
Animation
Alive without writing code
Drivers add life on their own, parameters give you full control, and everything is available from Blueprint, so designers can play too.
- DriversBlink, breathing, sway, look-at, lip sync with visemes and Live Link input
- PhysicsHair, cloth and jiggle that react to movement
- Clips & effectsAnimation clips with a timeline, 2D effects and masks
Blueprint & C++
- Set parameter
- Play clip
- Look at target
- Lip sync
- UMG widget
- Live Link
Put a character in your HUD, dialogue or visual novel with a UMG widget, and drive it with a few nodes.
Performance
Built to be cheap to run
PortraitZ is designed runtime-first: characters are baked into compact data and evaluated in a single pass, so a full cast fits in your frame budget.
- One draw call for each character
- About 0.1 ms to evaluate a character, measured on desktop
- Identical output on DirectX 11, DirectX 12 and Vulkan
- Stress-tested with 100 characters on screen
Requirements
- EngineUnreal Engine 5.8 or newer
- SystemWindows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
- Memory8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
- GraphicsDirectX 11 / 12 compatible
Features
Everything a character needs
- Lip syncViseme-based mouth shapes, driven by audio or by Live Link input.
- Look-atEyes, head and body follow a target you choose, with limits you set.
- Blink & breathingNatural idle life from the first frame, tuned with a few sliders.
- Sway & physicsHair, cloth and jiggle react to movement and settle on their own.
- Animation clipsRecord poses and expressions on a timeline, then play them from Blueprint.
- Effects & masks2D effects and masks to shape how layers show and blend.
- Blend modesPhotoshop blend modes and layer masks carry over from your PSD.
- Full editorHierarchy, viewport and inspector panels, built into the Unreal editor.
- UMG widgetDrop a living character into dialogue, HUDs and visual novels.
- Blueprint & C++Every parameter and clip is available from nodes or code.
- Live LinkDrive a character in real time from an external tracker or tool.
- Fast runtimeOne draw call and about 0.1 ms per character on desktop.
On the roadmap
What is coming next
PortraitZ is still growing. These are the features we are working towards.
- Enhanced animation timeline
- Morph parameters
- Custom shader support
- Mask feature
- Mobile optimisation
- VR / AR characters
- Vertex mapping
Not released yet
Be there at launch
PortraitZ is in development and cannot be bought yet. Watch the teaser, join our Discord for updates, or tell us what you would use it for.