CLO Unreal Engine Workflow: 3D Garment Export and Validation
CLO Unreal Engine workflow compares skeletal and static-mesh handoffs, then guides FBX setup and import checks for garment transfer.
Quick answer: match the FBX handoff to the target engine and rig.
- For character animation in Unreal Engine, import the garment as a skeletal mesh and select an existing Skeleton only when the mesh shares it.
- For a CLO-to-Unreal LiveSync workflow, use a LiveSync version that matches your Unreal Engine and CLO versions; check CLO’s compatibility archive before setup.
- In CLO, set the avatar, object layout, welding, thickness, UVs, scale, texture paths, and animation range for the intended handoff, then inspect the imported asset in its engine.
The CLO Unreal Engine workflow starts with CLO’s FBX export, followed by Unreal’s own skeletal-mesh import and verification steps. CLO creates and simulates garments on avatars with fabric physics; use the receiving engine to set up the game-ready rig and any runtime cloth behavior.
Choose how the garment should move
| Garment need | Runtime path | Handoff requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Character animation in Unreal Engine | Skeletal mesh | Epic’s skeletal-mesh import guide directs you to select an existing Skeleton when the incoming mesh shares it. |
| CLO-to-Unreal integration and garment transfer | CLO LiveSync 2 | Use the LiveSync version compatible with your Unreal Engine and CLO versions; check CLO’s LiveSync 2 version archive for exact combinations. |
| Fixed garment asset in Unreal Engine | Static mesh | Epic’s FBX Static Mesh Pipeline imports an FBX through Add/Import > Import in the Content Browser. |
CLO is a 3D garment-development application for editing 2D patterns and simulating garments on avatars with fabric physics. That makes it useful for preparing and reviewing the garment before handoff; choose the game engine’s runtime path separately from CLO’s design-stage simulation. For a LiveSync handoff, CLO’s release notes describe LiveSync 2 as using USD and document newer Unreal Engine support; check the CLO LiveSync release notes and LiveSync 2 version archive for the current workflow and compatible version pairings.
Prepare the garment in CLO
Review the garment on the intended avatar, confirm its silhouette and visible layers, and identify which garment pieces belong in the exported asset.
Before opening export, collect the receiving project's requirements for object grouping, UV range, scene scale, and texture-file location.
Set the CLO FBX options for your asset
In CLO, choose File > Export > FBX; the Save File window appears, followed by the export settings after you choose a save path and file name, per CLO’s FBX Import/Export guide.
| CLO export option | What it controls | Practical choice |
|---|---|---|
| Select an Avatar | The selected avatar exports with its rigging data; CLO also lets you exclude it. | Include the avatar when its geometry and rig data belong in the handoff. |
| Single/Multiple | Exports selected objects as single or multiple objects. | Use the object layout required by the receiving project. |
| Unweld/Weld | Controls whether connected mesh vertices at pattern seamlines are combined into individual objects or a single point. | Match the receiving project's intended mesh structure. |
| Weld selected Patterns in Workspace | Welds selected patterns connected by sewing lines. | Use when that joined pattern layout is required by the receiving asset. |
| Thin/Thick | Sets whether CLO exports geometry for rendering thickness. | Choose the geometry needed by the receiving asset. |
| Unified UV Coordinates (PNG) | Fits garment-pattern texture information within UV coordinates from 0 to 1. | Enable it when the texture workflow uses that UV range. |
| Scale | Lets you enter a number or select a unit to adjust object scale. | Set the scale needed for the destination scene. |
| Relative Texture Image File Path | Saves the texture name without its image path; the texture loads automatically when the FBX and image are stored in the same folder. | Keep the FBX and referenced image together when using a relative path. |
| Animation | Saves the entire keyed range with Entire Region, or only the specified playback range with Play Region Only. | Choose the range needed by the downstream workflow. |
Two additional texture choices affect file delivery. Absolute Texture Image File Path saves the texture’s folder location, so the image must remain at that path. Embed Media (.zip) exports a zip with the texture files used; choose it when the handoff should carry those files with the FBX.
If a garment uses Internal Lines, Include Internal Shapes also exports information about them. Diffuse Color Combined on Texture saves a color applied to a texture as a combined color and texture, while Save Colorways exports the garment with colorways. Choose these options when the destination needs that internal-line information, combined color-and-texture output, or garment colorways.
CLO also provides Image Scale to set image scales and Fill Texture Seams to expand the texture range based on its border. Consider these controls when the receiving project has requirements for image scale or texture-edge coverage.
CLO to Unreal Engine workflow
Import the FBX into the project and set its skeletal-mesh options for the character rig. Epic’s Unreal Engine 5.8 skeletal-mesh import guide gives this sequence:
Epic’s guide distinguishes Import, which imports the selected FBX with the specified settings, from Import All, which applies those settings to all selected FBX files.
- In the Content Browser, click Import, locate and select the FBX, then click Open.
- Review the FBX Import Options dialog. If the garment shares an existing Skeleton, choose that asset from Skeleton. For a mesh that does not share an existing Skeleton, use the default import settings.
- Click Import to add the mesh to the project.
- Find the imported asset in the Content Browser and open it in Persona to inspect it.
Check the imported garment’s scale and orientation, inspect its materials and UV placement, and pose the character through representative movements.
For a static mesh with LODs, Epic’s FBX Static Mesh Pipeline supports importing LODs with the base mesh or importing them individually through Static Mesh Editor.
Add runtime cloth behavior after the base mesh and rig import correctly. For the MetaHuman/USD workflow, ensure Unreal Engine 5.6 or later is installed before proceeding. For a MetaHuman wardrobe asset, create a Cloth Asset by right-clicking the Working folder and choosing Physics > Cloth Asset, as described in CLO’s CLO to MetaHuman: USD Garment Integration Workflow. Follow that workflow for its stated MetaHuman/USD context; use your project’s matching cloth setup for other Unreal characters.
CLO to Unity: avatar rigging and current setup guidance
Unity’s 5.6 FBX Importer Rig options manual describes the Rig tab’s Avatar Definition options: Create from this model and Copy from other Avatar. These avatar-rigging settings remain valid today.
Choose Create from this model when the Avatar should be based on that model, or Copy from other Avatar to use an Avatar configuration set up on another model. This guidance is limited to avatar rigging. Unity’s rendering pipelines and material-processing workflows have changed since version 5.6, including the introduction of URP and HDRP. When setting up shaders, textures, and physics such as Cloth components for imported CLO garments, consult the Unity documentation for your current version and render pipeline rather than relying on the legacy manual.
Check the import when something looks wrong
Compare the imported asset with the intended CLO garment in a consistent view and test one issue at a time. Start with these checks:
| What you see | First check |
|---|---|
| Garment is too large or small | Compare its imported dimensions with the target character, then revisit CLO’s Scale setting. |
| Texture is missing | For a relative path, confirm the FBX and image are in the same folder; for an absolute path, confirm the image remains at its saved folder path. |
| Texture placement differs from the CLO view | Inspect the exported UVs and confirm the engine material uses the intended texture. |
| Seams or edges look different | Inspect the imported mesh at pattern seamlines and compare the result with the selected welding and thickness options. |
| Garment does not follow the character | Confirm the imported skeletal mesh shares the selected Skeleton, as specified in Epic’s Unreal Engine guide, and check whether CLO’s export included the avatar. |
Explore CLO for garment development, or CLO AI Chat for product guidance.
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