A-Pose vs T-Pose in Unreal Engine | MoCap Online

“A” POSE OR “T” POSE CONVERSION - UNREAL ENGINE RETARGET MANAGER - MoCap Online

Mar 16, 2026 by Crispin Broadhurst

"A" POSE OR "T" POSE – THE UNREAL ENGINE RETARGET MANAGER

Some of our older current packs come with a default original Epic "T" pose for the humanoid "Retarget Manager". This is different from the newer "A" pose from Epic. Since when they were created many users asked if we could provide a "T" that they were already using, we obliged. Now new users are only aware of and want the "A" so we are switching back again.

Note: While this tutorial was originally written for UE4, the core concepts of A-Pose vs T-Pose and the retargeting process remain applicable in UE5. The Retarget Manager workflow in UE5 has evolved with IK Retargeter, but understanding these pose fundamentals is still essential.

T pose to A pose conversion is one of the most common steps when importing third-party mocap data into Unreal Engine.

A small history lesson FWIW (Stay awake class):

The "correct" pose is a matter of opinion, since when Epic switched (thank goodness) to the much improved new SK_Mannequin for 4.8 it changed from a default "T" Pose to an "A" pose. This is a function of the skinning bind pose of the mesh, seemingly not a conscious design decision to retire the "T".
The new character is actually by default in the "T" Pose with all bones at zero rotation, BUT it was skinned with arms rotated and twisted down to match the newly modeled mesh. Unreal Engine always imports skeletal meshes in the bind pose regardless of zero or actual bone rotations in the file.
Your preference and use of "A" or "T" is up to you.

CHANGING BETWEEN "A" OR "T"

The current default pose can be changed/overwritten by reimporting/merging our provided "SK_Mannequin.fbx" files using specific settings. You can also manually eyeball rotate all those bones in the Unreal Engine Editor Retarget Manager and update the Reference Pose, but that can be tedious and a serious drag.

Download the A Pose and T Pose FBX here:

Download Retargeting Guide

NOTE: Depending on the Unreal Engine version, the process is a little different.

UE4 ENGINE 4.17 - 4.xx

BACK UP YOUR CURRENT UE4 PROJECT. That always goes without saying.
Open the downloaded "SKMannequin_A_Pose" or "SKMannequin_T_Pose" folder on your HDD. This contains "SK_Mannequin.fbx"
Open your Project with all the MocapOnline animations you want to convert to A or T.
Make sure your Editor Preferences are set to "Show Import Dialog at Reimport", or the process will fail. (See image)
In the Editor, go to the folder containing the "SK_Mannequin" Skeletal Mesh included with our animations. (this is the skeleton our animations are referencing)
Drag and drop the "SK_Mannequin.fbx" into the folder in the Editor. Make sure the "FBX Import Options" are set as shown in the picture for Reimport Skeletal Mesh. (See image) Be sure to choose the "UE4_Mannequin_Skeleton" included with our animations if there is more than one with that name.
Click "Import".
This will update the Skeletal Mesh and Skeleton with the new reference A or T pose. Save them both with the changes. All referenced animations will inherit the new Pose.

UE4 ENGINE 4.10 - 4.16

UE4 4.16 and earlier is the same basic process, but with different menus.

Open the UE4 pack/project containing the SK_Mannequin that you want to convert from "A" to "T" or vice versa.
In the editor, go to the folder containing the "SK_Mannequin" skeletal mesh.
Right-click in the folder and click "Import Asset". Choose the desired "SK_Mannequin.fbx" in the designated "A" or "T" folder.
When asked to overwrite the existing asset, click yes.
Use the settings as shown:

Check "Skeletal mesh", "Import Mesh", choose the "UE4_Mannequin_Skeleton"
Check "Update Skeleton Reference", "Use T0As Ref Pose"
Un-Check "Import Materials", "Import Textures"

Click "Import".
***NOTE: If you are updating an SK_Mannequin that did not already contain "wep" bones, you will get a dialog stating that they were missing and are now being added. This is normal. Adding the "wep" bones will not affect any current or future animations in your project. They are auxiliary and simply ignored and idle when not in use.

The SK_Mannequin will be updated in-place with the new default pose and any associated animations will stay connected. Be sure to Save the new and changed assets.

***This is an undoable action! So unless you are comfortable with and sure of the process you should practice with a test project. The most important parameter (they're all important) is selecting the current "UE4_Mannequin_Skeleton", which keeps it in place and connected to all animations and work currently in the project. When done correctly nothing in the project will change other than the updated retarget pose and an added pose animation.

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Any other questions or comments, please contact us at: MoCap@MotusDigital.com

Understanding A-Pose vs T-Pose in Modern Game Engines

The choice between A-Pose and T-Pose affects every downstream animation in your project. Most professional motion capture studios, including MoCap Online, capture in A-Pose (arms at roughly 45 degrees) because it produces better shoulder deformation and more natural arm rotation ranges. The T-Pose (arms straight out at 90 degrees) was historically the standard but creates problematic shoulder mesh deformations when arms lower to natural positions.

Modern game engines handle both poses through their retargeting systems. Unreal Engine 5 IK Retargeter works with any reference pose and can map between A-Pose and T-Pose skeletons automatically. Unity Humanoid Avatar system similarly normalizes different reference poses during the retargeting process. The key is setting your reference pose correctly in the retarget configuration before applying any animations.

Retargeting Best Practices

When retargeting MoCap Online animations to your custom character, always verify the reference pose matches your character skeleton configuration. Common retargeting issues — twisted wrists, flipped knees, shoulder pops — are almost always caused by reference pose mismatches. If your character uses T-Pose but the source animations are in A-Pose, configure the retarget mapping to account for the 45-degree shoulder rotation difference. For step-by-step retargeting instructions, see our getting started guide and format-specific tutorials for Unreal, Unity, and Blender.

UE5 IK Retargeter vs Legacy Retarget Manager: When to Use Each

Unreal Engine 5 introduced the IK Retargeter as the preferred tool for skeleton remapping, but many production pipelines still rely on the legacy Retarget Manager, particularly when working with UE4-origin assets or older character rigs that predate the IK Rig system. Understanding when each tool applies prevents hours of troubleshooting on failed retargets. The IK Retargeter is the right choice when both source and target characters have IK Rigs defined — it produces cleaner foot and hand placement, handles proportion differences more gracefully, and preserves root motion behavior across skeleton size mismatches. If you are working with a MetaHuman target or any Epic-provided UE5 character, the IK Retargeter path is always correct.

The legacy Retarget Manager remains the faster option for straightforward skeleton-to-skeleton transfers where both rigs share the same hierarchy structure and joint naming conventions. When importing MoCap Online FBX animations onto a character that already uses the standard UE4 Skeleton, the Retarget Manager handles the A-to-T-pose offset automatically once the reference pose is correctly configured. The critical step most developers miss is setting the retarget base pose on the source skeleton before assigning any bone mappings — skipping this causes the infamous shoulder elevation issue where arms animate at a raised rest position rather than at the correct neutral angle.

For complex projects that mix animations from multiple sources onto a single character, establish a retarget chain rather than doing direct point-to-point transfers. Route all third-party animations through an intermediate skeleton that matches the joint orientation conventions of your primary rig. MoCap Online animations are delivered pre-solved to the standard UE4/UE5 Skeleton hierarchy, which makes them a reliable intermediate standard — retarget from the provided skeleton to your custom rig once, and all animation sets work without per-clip adjustment. This single-pass approach cuts retarget maintenance time as your animation library grows, and it eliminates the pose drift that accumulates when retarget parameters are adjusted clip-by-clip rather than at the skeleton level.

UE5 IK Retargeter vs Legacy Retarget Manager: When to Use Each

Quick Reference: T-Pose vs A-Pose by Engine and Character Origin

For UE4 and UE5 projects using the standard UE4/UE5 Mannequin skeleton: T-pose is the standard reference. All MoCap Online packs use T-pose as the capture reference, and the Retarget Manager or IK Retargeter setup should use T-pose on both source and target. For UE5 projects using a custom character rigged in Maya or Blender with an A-pose bind: configure the IK Retargeter source to T-pose (matching the animation data) and the target retarget base pose to your character's A-pose. The IK Retargeter handles the offset between them automatically.

For Unity projects using the Humanoid rig: Unity's Avatar system normalizes all animations through its internal T-pose mapping regardless of the source animation's reference pose. This is why Unity Humanoid retargeting is more forgiving than UE's direct skeleton mapping — the Avatar enforces T-pose as the common reference automatically. The practical takeaway: if you are working in UE5 with a custom A-pose character, set the retarget base pose explicitly. If you are working in Unity with the Humanoid rig, the Avatar handles the pose normalization for you. See the full A-pose vs T-pose retargeting guide for step-by-step setup instructions.

A-Pose vs T-Pose Conversion: Unreal Engine Retarget Manager Guide