Motion Matching: Replacing State Machines for locomotion- Unreal 5.5

This post is a collection of notes and documentation from a workshop I attended, hosted by Epic Games and led by Luis Cataldi as part of their educator-focused training series. The session dove deep into Motion Matching, a cutting-edge technique that’s redefining how character locomotion is handled in Unreal Engine—especially now with the improvements in version 5.5.

As you all know, traditional animation workflows often rely on state machines, which can become incredibly complex and difficult to scale as more animations are added. Motion Matching flips that approach by relying on animation databases and real-time pose selection, resulting in smoother, more dynamic, and reactive character movement—without needing to manually wire up every transition.

This is a step-by-step guide how to set up this system! :)