Tutorial #1 - Introduction to iClone
When you first start up iClone, it can be a confusing place. What are all of these tools for? What is this stuff over here?
Well, if you’re new to iClone and not yet familiar with the UI, then this is the tutorial you’ll want to watch. Also, even if you’re an experienced iClone user, you just might still be able to learn a few tips to make your workflow more efficient by using hotkeys and utilizing features you probably never even knew existed!
Tutorial #2 - Turn a 2D Photo into a 3D iClone Character
In addition to the various character customization options you have with iClone, you also have the ability to create a brand new 3D head from your own personal 2D photos!
In this tutorial, you’ll learn about the important concept of facial fitting, and how you can use it to bring your own head photos to life in 3D. You’ll also learn a bit about customizing the texture and surface appearance of your new face, as well as making subtle changes to the facial features. All you need to start is a 2D photo of yourself or anyone else you want to make into a character.
Interesting program, I saw the video just over my post and have a question:
Is it possible, to export a created head / person to zbrush, e.g. by .obj-file already as a quad-mwsh with a senseful edgeflow (edgeflow around eyes, nose, ears) to work with this mesh then in zbrush?
mawag01
Hi Mawag01,
YES, this is definitely possible with iClone as you can import and export models and characters in and out of iClone via our 3DXchange5 software, which is iClone’s converter and exporter.
3DXchange supports OBJ and FBX formats for interoperability. So you need both iClone5 + 3DXchange5, to import and export to external 3D tools.
That import and export is possible, I saw in the video. But the video showed, that the head is made of trigons. And I want to know, if a head, formed by photos, can be exported with quads with an edgeflow, showed in the tool for moving parts of the face?
I mean the tool showed at the time 8.55 of the video. Here are only quads. But the UV-Map showed triangles at 8.15 min. ???
Hi Mawag01,
Ok. I understand now what you were asking. Unfortunately, at the moment we are not able to export anything with quads because everything that is imported into iClone turns into triangles. However there are tools that convert triangles to quads but I understand that they don’t do this very well. iClone6 is in development right now and this is definitely something we can mention to the developers here.
Another work-around would be to convert directly to Dynamesh in ZBrush, that way one would not have to worry about the topology at all when sculpting.
Tutorial # 3 - Customize your iClone Character
There are many different options for creating and customizing your characters in iClone5. This tutorial will teach you how to take any iClone character and completely change it into your own unique creation by using the powerful character modification tools. Learn how to change facial and body proportions and textures, create unique clothing and hairstyles, and much more. This tutorial is essential for learning about the various options you have for characters in iClone5.
Tutorial # 4 - Create Instant Facial Animations
One of the coolest features with iClone 5 is the ability to create realistic facial animation in literally minutes! This tutorial will give you the low-down on how to do this. That’s not it though… iClone 5 allows you to make much more detailed edits to your facial animation to create subtle nuances in expression and give you complete control over your characters facial movements.
Tutorial # 5 - Use Advanced Facial Animation tools in iClone
In this facial animation tutorial, you will learn all about the powerful features of the iClone’s facial puppet and others tools that can help you bring your character’s expression and speech to life. You’ll get a walkthrough of audio lip-syncing and how to refine it, as well as how to add emotions using various facial animation options.
Tutorial # 6 - Create quick Body Animations with iClone
iClone’s Body Puppeteering panel offers a unique and easy way to animate your characters with highly-customizable animations. You can preview your motions in real-time and make minor adjustments as the animation loops. The Body Puppet panel also gives you the ability to mask out body parts, and layer different animations for different parts of the body on top of each other. You can easily create, blend and mask animations to create truly unique motions in minutes.
Tutorial # 7 - Easily Modify Body motions in iClone
The Motion Modify option is a new feature with iClone 5.5 that allows you to modify postures and animated poses of your character after the motion clip has been recorded. This tutorial will teach you how to use this tool to make subtle and unique custom adjustments to motions from the motion library, and from motions created with iClone’s real-time body puppet tools.
Tutorial # 8 - Intro to Kinect Motion Capturing with iClone
iClone5 offers the most affordable and intuitive, motion capturing solution in the industry. Now you can simply use your body to control virtual actors, in real-time, with motion smoothing optimizations. Lightspeed your animations and create realistic-looking motions as now you can literally control actors with your body movements. All you need is iClone5 PRO, the Mocap plug-in and a Microsoft Kinect sensor camera. You can use the Kinect for Windows camera or the Xbox Kinect camera with the additional AC/<st1:stockticker>USB</st1:stockticker> adapter.
Tutorial # 9 - Kinect Motion Capture refinement with iClone (Human IK and Direct Puppet)
Turning your Kinect motion captures into refined motions is easy, thanks to the powerful animation tools within iClone. In this tutorial, you’ll learn the proper way to capture your motions and save them for further editing. From there, you’ll discover how simple it is to use the Direct Puppet tools in combination with some initial pose adjustments to make your motions truly exceptional in just a few minutes.
Tutorial # 10 - Tutorial # 10 - Intermediate Kinect Motion Refinement (Looping and Motion Layer Editing)
There are many more options for your to refine your raw motion capture data aside from using the Direct Puppet tool. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use a fundamental skill to add detail to your motion with Motion Layer Editing. This involves placing keyframes and using the Human IK tool within iClone to modify your motions. You’ll also learn how to prevent foot sliding, which is a common problem with raw Kinect mocap data. Finally, you’ll see how simple it is to create a good looking looping motion, which you can extend however long you’d like.
Tutorial # 11 - Advanced Motion Capture Refinement with iClone
By now, you’ve learned how to use the Direct Puppet, Motion Layer Editing tools, and breaking clips to allow for different body alignments throughout motions in order to prevent foot sliding. This tutorial will go through much of the same techniques, but in addition will demonstrate how to make edits to produce a great side-facing motion. The important techniques for how to remove wrist flips in your animation are also explained here. For slow motion emphasis on your motion, you’ll also learn how to use the Time Warp feature and how to Insert Frame. Finally, some Kinect mocap motions may result in your character ending up at a different place on the screen, which can cause trouble for looping motions. Here you’ll learn how to fix that with the Align to Root feature.
Tutorial # 12 - Consolidate all iClone Motion Data for Export.
iClone provides the ability for users to consolidate all of their motion data, including body, facial, spring, accessory, and constraint animations into a single MotionPlus file. In this tutorial, we’ll start out by assembling a monster character with both puppet and spring accessories, then go about using iClone’s various real-time facial and body animation tools to create a quick yet comprehensive animation. From there, it’s all about saving the iMotionPlus file from the timeline, and exporting it with your character to Maya, Unity 3D, or any other CG or game software you use.
iClone has a library of literally hundreds of motions that you can apply to your characters with a simple click. In addition to that, there are thousands more available in both the Content Store and Marketplace, as well as other external marketplaces around the web. The thing about motion clips is, with a little creativity, you can do all sorts of cool things to them to customize them and make them unique. In this tutorial, we’ll learn about a couple of simple motion clip editing techniques, and how they can really enhance the energy and uniqueness of your motions. By using these techniques together with some simple camera work, you can make your motions much more dynamic and attention-drawing.
iClone6 is due for release in December 2014 with enhanced visual quality, a flexible UI, and streamlined plug-in configuration in future updates.
This new iteration comes chalk-full with lots of new features that are a direct result of months of collaboration with awesome 3rd party developers like; Indigo RT for super rendering quality, soft cloth, wind behavior and multiple textures by Nvidia***8217;s PhysX , SpeedTree and Allegorithmic***8217;s Substance.
Enjoy this sneak peek video and check out the iClone6 website for more up to date information:
http://www.reallusion.com/<wbr>iclone/14-ic6_preorder/index.<wbr>html[FONT=microsoft jhenghei]
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IClone 6 looks interesting. But I have questions… Will upcoming IClone feature professional full export import ability? The 3Dexchange intermediary step seems weird (and no offense, dumbed down). Never come across pro level 3D app that has no internal export import and needs a totally separated program to do such basic things.
Another thing - can’t imagine typical modellers foregoing Zbrush’s far nicer preview lighting/shadow/material and high resolution modelling for IClone’s game res lighting/material just to animate with no real-time blendshape editing! What…just to play with physics? Or look Ma I have a rigged character?
Hmm I’d rather stay here and torture myself with Transpose Master…or have fun with MoveTopology chunks of hair… :lol:
No modellers can live without modelling tools at their fingertips. If there’s IClone-GoZ that packs up existing maps, plus real-time glass and water yeah I’ll totally consider it.
Hello Metafly,
And thank you for the questions. We are here to answer them.
iClone6 will continue to require its import-export tool 3DXchange5 but at the moment it will only be for import as the export function would still have to wait until the next iteration of 3DXchange. The difference between iClone and other industry standard applications is the wide spectrum of users that iClone encompasses. iClone is designed for Expert, Pro-level, intermediate, beginners and no-experience users in mind. Many of these novice users have no need for full import-export capabilities, but they do want to take advantage of iClone’s lighting speed animation capabilities. The same can be said for Expert users, who already have high-end software like ZBrush, that do a much better job at creating characters and models from scratch. iClone is not designed to model anything from scratch as there are existing tools that already do a wonderful job at that.
Naturally, this does not make iClone a competitor. Because it isn’t. iClone is a companion tool that allows Expert-level modelers to bring in their creations to animate on the fly. That is why iClone is slowly turning into an industry favorite Pre-viz tool that allows you to bring in your work from other applications, for quick and easy motion building.
Modelers indeed could never live without amazing tools like ZBrush, and thus iClone is not designed to replace that. But iClone is designed to take out some of the “torture”, as you say. Albeit in other areas like facial and full-body animation.
Thank you again!