Create two modular, game-ready characters from scratch for Unreal Engine 5 MMO

About the project

I am looking for an experienced 3D character artist and technical animator to create two original, game-ready human characters from scratch for an Unreal Engine 5 multiplayer MMO. The attached images are visual references for the intended style, proportions, clothing system and equipment. They are concept references rather than finished production models. The project requires: One male base character. One female base character. Both characters must be created from scratch. Neutral base bodies suitable for interchangeable clothing. A modular clothing and equipment system. A shared UE5-compatible skeleton. Complete rigging, skinning, LODs and locomotion animations. Character design The male and female characters should be realistic, practical science-fiction expedition personnel, matching the overall visual direction in the attached reference images. The base characters must work without permanent clothing being merged into the body. Please create separate modular components such as: Base body Head Hair Torso clothing Jackets or coats Arms or sleeves Gloves Trousers Boots Belts and pouches Backpack Helmet Shoulder equipment Optional role-specific accessories Clothing and equipment must be swappable at runtime in Unreal Engine. The modular pieces must align correctly without visible gaps. Hidden body geometry should be removable or maskable to prevent clipping under clothing. Role variants The system should support different visual roles based on the same male and female foundations: Scientist Technician Explorer Security The initial delivery does not necessarily require every complete role outfit. However, the underlying modular system must be designed so these variants can be added later without rebuilding the characters. Please specify exactly which clothing and equipment modules are included in your bid. Technical requirements Designed for Unreal Engine 5. Suitable for a multiplayer MMO. Both characters must use exactly the same skeleton hierarchy and bone names. Preferably compatible with the UE5 Manny/Quinn skeleton and animations. Correct Unreal scale and orientation. Clean topology suitable for deformation and animation. Approximately 50,000–100,000 triangles for the complete LOD0 character, unless another budget is agreed upon. Efficient material-slot count. PBR workflow. Clean UV layouts. Correct skin weights and natural deformation. Twist bones and IK bones where appropriate. Separate modular Skeletal Mesh parts must work with Unreal’s Leader Pose or Copy Pose workflow. Physics Asset compatibility. LOD0, LOD1, LOD2 and LOD3 for the body and major equipment. No permanent mesh intersections or serious clothing clipping. Models must work correctly from both close third-person and normal gameplay camera distances. Textures and materials Please provide complete PBR textures: Base Color Normal Roughness Metallic where required Ambient Occlusion Masks where useful for material customization The clothing system should support color variation through material parameters where practical. Please state the planned texture resolutions and number of material slots. Required in-place animations The initial animation set must include: Idle Walk forward Walk backward Strafe left Strafe right Run forward Run backward Run/strafe left Run/strafe right Jump start Falling loop Landing Turn left in place Turn right in place Locomotion animations must be delivered in place. Root-motion versions may be included additionally but must not replace the in-place versions. The animations must work on both characters using the shared skeleton and a shared Unreal Animation Blueprint. Unreal Engine delivery The preferred final delivery is a working Unreal Engine 5 test project containing: Male modular character Female modular character Shared skeleton Physics Assets All modular clothing and equipment Materials and textures Animation sequences Blend Spaces Animation Blueprint A demonstration map Working runtime switching of clothing/equipment pieces Third-person movement demonstration Also provide: FBX files Editable source files, preferably Blender .blend High-resolution source meshes if used Substance Painter files or equivalent texture source files Clear import and setup documentation Quality checks before approval Before final approval, I require a video recorded inside Unreal Engine 5 showing: Male and female characters using the same skeleton and Animation Blueprint Idle, walking, running, strafing, jumping, falling and landing Front, side and rear views Shoulder, elbow, hand, hip and knee deformation Clothing deformation during movement Runtime switching of modular clothing or equipment LOD transitions Character statistics, including triangle counts, material slots and texture resolutions Rights and originality The delivered work must be original or use properly licensed components disclosed in advance. I require full commercial rights to use, modify and distribute the delivered characters, rigs, animations, clothing, equipment and textures as part of the game. No copyrighted third-party characters, unlicensed marketplace assets or AI-generated production meshes may be included without written disclosure and licensing approval. When applying, please include: Relevant examples of realistic UE5 character work Examples of modular character systems Examples of rigging and animation work Software and workflow you plan to use Exact deliverables included in your price Fixed-price quote Estimated delivery time Proposed milestones Number of revision rounds included

Skills required