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RE: Other

Visconti — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:20:13 GMT

Make a Cravat for Your Avatar

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other
Version: iClone 1.52
Date: 2007.02.20

Q: I'm trying to create a smoking jacket at the moment, and reading through the tutorials and videos I'm unsure whether I can add a cravat to the character. Would this mess up the head?

If you are considering to produce a cravat in Max or Maya and export for iClone, you can save your cravat as an accessory and link it to your character's neck. However, if you want to modify it in iClone, we suggest you can use "upper body" and try to modify your clothing by launch PS and other image editors.

The effect is relatively limited, of course. Try using one of the 3D Blocks (Cloth),and if you have to, set some of the opacity to invisible (Black) to shape it. Attach it to the neck and it shouldn't affect your character.

Save whatever you create as a prop. Then copy it to your accessory folder and attach it to the character there. A simple prop will not move with the character, but a prop used as an accessory will.

RE: Other

Visconti — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:59:03 GMT

TV Studio Wall Video Example

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.27

Q: Pushing the boundaries. Multilayer control for the TV Studio News Room in iClone.

Brief:
To make a final third 5 mins max. news + conclusion video for the intro to the new digital-comic for SiouxieSioux.com. Use simple "no frills" character manipulation and vocal processing. To layer and coordinate complimentary content by control of monitor-to-subject-cut example.
T

o find a workaround for Turbines' peculiar habit of misformatting layers not standard to primary "background" layer format. To create simplistic content with lots of intrigue for tutorial use as "snippets" later. (Novice ability creation / Advanced Editing.)

Here's the demo I spoke of yesterday. Its a day late but the layers seemed to misformat nd it took me a day to figure out what was wrong; the movie was formatted as 800x380, semi wide. But the layers ran off at 360x480 format and jumped from their desired x,y,'s.

Multi Monitor Overlays.
So, before it's polished, this is the Reallusion Newsroom with 6 of the monitors animating with previews.
I don't have much footage of Siouxie just yet so please suffer my iCloneTutorials logo animation in their space. There are 3 misalignment errors and a wierd closing audio volume increase which I'll find later.

METHOD:
1. The background wall for the main speaker is a flat image still.
This is stretched across the whole of the movie and the additional content layered on top of it.

2. The Video Screen behind the primary speaker is the first layer, first because I want the news reader to sit IN FRONT of it.

3. The new reader is a full Character only filmed with a turquoise plane behind him so that when he is layered on top of the Video and Wall "behind" him the turquoise plane CANNOT be seen C-key'd out. Once this has been rendered it is then called into Turbine (or whatever you splice and dice with!) and the turquoise Background is trans'd out (Chroma-Keying.)
He is then laid on top of the Wall Screen video which in turn is a layer above the wall with the video monitor holder embedded in it.

Layer 1 Wall.
Layer 2 Video reshape
Layer 3 Reader w. C-key'd BG.

The end result is a very pleasing News reader moving comfortably in front of a fully animated (audio driven if needs be, re: an interview with a remote reporter!) video screen.

Looks good, takes a while. It'll do the job.

In the opening intro of about 15 seconds about 6 screens (or 5, cant remember!) are animated with simple studio panarounds.

A good exercise. I like it! Hope it brings a smile.

It's the closing scene for a video intro I'm working on as an explanatory to my new (rather serious attempt at a) Digital-Comic sequel. It's supposed to set Siouxie up as a no nonsense, authority S1-0u X agent model 1E.
or... A bit of a bitch!

RE: Other

Visconti — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:56:05 GMT

Video Integration without 3ds Max

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.25

Q: Is there a way to insert video into the NEWS SET project http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/tutorials/ic_switchtv.asp without 3DS-MAX?

VIDEO METHOD 1.
I'm in the process of doing this in the only way I know how which is overlaying with a Chromakey technique and this will be viewable later today as the intro Video for the

Siouxie Sioux project.

Technique: (Easy)
The BG base is the news set as a blank.

The 1st layer is the video I need played over the wall screen resized and "perspectivised" and edited to appear accordingly on cue using Ulead's Video Studio.

Then a second layer is the character sitting at the desk BUT (in this case) a yellow plane is right behind him so that just he and the desk are apparent and the Yellow is my key colour. When removed it , obviously, displays the BG or base where the wall screen is.

Seamless, perfect.
Corel took over Ulead and their Video Studio is a very cost effective highly versatile Video editor and one of the exceptionally few systems I know of that handles extreme video formats like 2000x200 which is kinda handy because iClone does "extreme" as well.

STILLS METHOD 2. (Less impressive.)
A simple workaround, if you want the whole of the background to change and not just a section, is as follows if you're uncomfortable with the cutting room (Editing stage/Editing software).

Create 3 (as many as you wish) objects or planes (Walls from the Scenes > Props > Templates > 3D Blocks > Wall & Floor) and add your image (Modify > Generate 3D & Map Setting > Diffuse) to each object.

Resize and position the objects so that they completely cover the BG video screen.

Set one wall +10 closer than the others and offset it rotationally by about 5 degrees or so.

At the time you want to change the background stop the timeline and drop back the front wall and simultaneously bring another forwards offset rotationally 5 degrees or so in the opposite direction.

Do this as many times as you require.
Afterwards you'll need to go into the timeline editor and do the following.

Set it so that you can see each walls timeline.
Copy the first walls' 1st key frame and paste that first key of the first wall 20 frames or so before the changeover point where it starts to slide back wards to be replaced by the second wall as it starts its first transition to come forwards.
This squeezes the transitional phase down to 20 frames instead of the whole sequence. (Gasp!)

Take the 2nd key of the second wall and copy that, pasting it again 20 frames or so (your choice) before the third wall starts its transition forwards.
The third wall is rotationally opposite to the second, so mimicking the initial walls angle. (Double gasp!)

The effect is a fun transition slide over. If you don't want the transition simply paste each key 1 frame away from each transition phase causing an immediate jump forwards and backwards making an instantaneous transit.

RE: Other

Visconti — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:51:45 GMT

Stills & Digital Comic Scenes the Easy Way

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 2.0

Date: 2007.07.21

Q: An Easy Method for Making a Still for a Digital Comic Page. Save yourself some time. If you want a curios image with an actor who's "doing" something and don't want to go through the effort of using the motion editor or don't have the time... follow this.

Choose a motion file that has a lot of angles to it. The one I’ve chosen is DUNGEON QUEST / SWORDSWOMAN DORIS / GETTING HIT_01.

I put her in SAVANNA GREEN from World Wilderness pack II.

Throw down the ambient lighting and add 2 lights hard orange/orange-red. 2 because I want full light level on hard left lighting for body shape and 2 because when using a full colour only half the emission results. So we over inflate the light volume by using two, often slightly different hues.

Throw in some Mist, rain, hail, Fog, Heavy smoke levels, Water, Fire as big as poss, and a recolor Borealis. A large office block and we're done.

Start at frame 1 and MANUALLY pull the timeline along frame by frame watching how the particles evolve and how the scene comes to life and how the actress moves in this case Siouxie.

If you run backwards accidentally start again as al your particle maths dies.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_022.jpg[/img]

It starts looking like this.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_023.jpg[/img]

And begins to grow like this. As it grows the atmosphere changes into something beautiful

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_024.jpg[/img]

Here we can see a beautiful action in Siouxie as she actually deflects or takes a hit in the face but in this instance she's swinging her head back to survey her damage at angles which define her body very nicely with lots of "happening" essence.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_025.jpg[/img]

As we push the timeline along even further we see more mist and another posture...

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_026.jpg[/img]

Try it with some ambient lighting. By changing the lens perspective here from about 170m/m to 80m/m we decrease the distance between her and us and see less mist in the way allowing a harder contrast to her form. Keep the weather, just stay in control of it.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_027.jpg[/img]

Ditch the ambiance and go for controlling the hail and sleet particles and mist; push it backwards away from the camera. Keep the contrast. By adjusting the mist and rain away from the camera it allows a clear space between yourself/cam and the subject matter.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_028.jpg[/img]

OK, Run it through the motion one more time.
Change Siouxie's position.
Change camera angle. Get lower.
Change lighting to show off her belly and shapes.
Add masses of rain and smoke to simplify the Bground because
we're going to have a load of text and embellishments in there so unclutter it.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_029.jpg[/img]

Find the image from the frame you like or which you feel works...

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_030.jpg[/img]

And isolate, in my case, the character ( as I want her to overlay her own title graphics.
Retouch and enhance accordingly and feather the edges by 1 or 2 inside and out. )

And when you're happy dress the final image accordingly.

To me this is time saving, pretty dynamic as some of the motion files are superb.
Saves me HOURS editing in the M Editor.
Makes Quick easy comic creation
and allows multiple multiple frames from a simple ten second sequence in one easy storming step.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_031.jpg[/img]

And Here She Is in all her glory.

RE: Other

Visconti — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:28:35 GMT

Multiple Characters Walk in a Shot by Turns

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 1.52

Date: 2007.02.11

Q: I have 2 characters..1st character comes in frame 1..2nd char comes in frame 500. Do Both characters have distinct motions from the motion editor. Do I need to start my 2nd char at frame 500 from the motion editor because it doesn’t seem to work right just by exporting the 2nd motion to iClone

In the beginning, you need to decide if 2nd character will walk in the scene or suddenly appear. If you want 2nd character to walk in, you need to move the position of the character out of the scene first

Then, launch "Motion Editor", you can edit your motion which will start at frame 500,
and you have to set a pose during frame 0~499. If you don't set any key during 0~499, the character will keep the first pose of your next motion.

Then, export the motion to iClone.

In addition to what was already mentioned: Still motions are easier edited using the timeline inside iClone in the case of the waiting 2nd character.

In position one of the timeline...place character two (2) out of view; copy that camera position to frame 499. This will freeze him in place for the first 500 frames. Once the character is positioned where it won't interfere in those frames, then you should open the motion editor. Your 1st 500 frames of no activity will already be visible on the motion editor timeline...from frame 501 and on you can start adding the additional motions needed to complete the scene, and then export it to iClone as a single action or motion for that character.

Other

Visconti — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:26:15 GMT

Opacity & Motion Help

Category: iClone_Hints & Tips_Other

Version: iClone 1.52

Date: 2007.01.11

Q: FRAMERATE?
A screenshot of the EXPORT - Image Sequence screen of a 796 frame scene, set to 30 frames per second, and export all frames. Shown is the export progress that says "Rendering 2 of 398 images.." That's 1/2 of the 796 frames, and 15FPS no matter how you set the frame rate control.

The frame rate of iClone is 60. You can get your video with 30 FPS for sure.
We are really sorry to confuse you by that.

As to why we set the frame rate as 60.
a. To keep motion data from distortion.
b. To experience better quality when viewing your video in iClone.

So far we didn't get any request to export it as 60 FPS (generally, video out put is under 30 FPS), but for the inapprehensive issue, we will consider to expand the spec.

Q: HELP - RENDER OPACITY?
How can I correctly render the alpha channel of a series of HR/DV 32 bit TGA frames?

Open your diplay card setting and mark "application-controlled".
If you still cannot get useful alpha channel, please let us know.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_032.jpg[/img]

Yes. Anti-alias can also include a correct 8 bit alpha channel. This provides seamless smooth compositing, 32 bit output with full 8bit, 256 shades of translucency layer, including anti-aliased edges and most importantly...generated soft, diffuse, and other transparent shadow and material overlays.

No problem. (32 bit output with full 8bit, 256 shades of translucency layer)
So far iClone can't support transparent shades, and, if you want to export to a transparent object, be sure to remove the "glow" map. Take "glass crystal" (under "props" > "gloss") as example, you can see the object is grayscale and includes alpha channel.

[img]http://forum.reallusion.com/image/2007.08.28_033.jpg[/img]