My partner would like to create heads in iClone Character Creator, and then import them into CrazyTalk 8 for animation. I have scoured the documentation, and can only find information about exporting heads from CrazyTalk 8 to iClone Character Creator. 

On this page, http://www.reallusion.com/crazytalk/3d-face-pipeline.html, it shows a two-way arrow between CrazyTalk 8 and Iclone 6, labeled (Head, Morph, Skin, Script): 



Should that be a one-way arrow, or do I just not understand how to do this?

Thanks for your help!

The arrows are correct, but CC is not included in those images.

The "head creator" is currently part of CT8, and it goes "both ways" because it's part of CT8.  Your friend doesn't want to use that -- he wants to use CC which doesn't have any arrows there (if it were in the picture it would have a one way arrow going from Head Creator/CT into it -- and then a two way arrow to iClone).

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Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

And, actually, it's even more complicated than that, since the maps *could* be brought into CT8 from CC (or iClone).  

So I guess the real question is: what does your friend have in mind when he says he wants to create the heads in CC?  He can definitely create maps which can be used in CT8, but any morphs would be lost (because the CT8 morphs are generated by the Head Creator part of it).

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Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

Download the demo and see what you can do. The file suffixes are different, but that doesn't mean it won't work. 

Try exporting a CC head , then change its suffix to the CT8 flavor, and then put it into the proper CT8 directory.

Wow, you got that to work?

Then RL needs to start thinking about fixing that in, um, perhaps CC (1.4?).  Adding a "Export to CT8" option or some such.  It's a bit of a PITA to always be editing the suffixes (and Mac folks have a real issue with these sorts of things -- I know, no CC or iClone for them, but they will have CT8 and maybe someday...?)

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Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

I don't know if it works or not. I moved iClone hair to CC that way.

Yeah, that's a little different (because the props are, well, props.  I don't think the heads are heads :>.  I'm not even so sure how you'd even start trying to save a head separately (you can't select it separately, like you can with a prop or hair item, and so the only options you have are to export as an avatar, which doesn't work to bring into CT, or to bring it in directly into iClone).

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Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

So now I'm thinking about what the advantage would be to using CT8 vs iClone set up with a face-camera?

You get the auto-animation in CT8.
CT8 should be available for Macintosh at some point. Pretty sure I read that recently.
Cheaper if it's what you have already.

Hmmm, it's an interesting thought experiment.

Obviously the biggest advantage iClone has is that it's an actual 3D program.  So you could, for example, move the camera around to show the profile or even back of the head (or crane it either at the start or finish at the top).  Show more of the body, use all of the things (like 3D props) that can't be used in CT8, adjust lighting in ways you can't even come close to in CT, etc. etc.

But I think the biggest advantage iClone has, even for just "facial" animation, is the ability to have more than one character on screen at the same time.  Let's face it, most "dialog" is just that, a conversation between two or more people.  This was possible in earlier versions but AFAIK is now removed and thus impossible.  That's a huge limitation for all but monologue type animation.

I know the "plan" for RL is to have CT be the go-to program for all facial animation, but I just don't see it (although adding facial mocap would be the biggest selling point for iClone users to have CT in their arsenal, assuming 3D heads aren't enough).

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Alienware Aurora R12, Win 10, i9-119000KF, 3.5GHz CPU, 128GB RAM, RTX 3090 (24GB), Samsung 960 Pro 4TB M-2 SSD, TB+ Disk space
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

Does CT8 use the same morph targets? I would assume it does, as they are transferable to CC. The CC head-morph targets have names like "Female_D.ccAvatarPreset". Maybe it just needs to be "ctAvatarHead", or something. Just guessing!