Reallusion Forum / iClone / Hints and Tips

Using FlexBase props to add bitmap images fairly easy

HGFortune — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:08:18 GMT

While thinking about some neat way to add bitmap images to a project I found the FlexBase Props quite useful and even faster to include images than elsewise. Sometimes you simply dont want to have just a fixed 2D background but something which can be moved around / along or so and FlexBase props provide just this too. In order to have it as simple rectanguler bitmap image simply set all FlexBase properties to 0, sometimes adding a little motion to the image might be fine too.

As example have a look at this clip:

Beyond-Part1b-Intro
Hochgeladen von HGF-Animation

From 1:00 to 1:20 you'll see a space image being passed by a spaceship which is then even turning and flying deeper into space (can't be done with 2D backgrounds),
and from 3:40 to 4:15 you'll see what tension can be achieved by passing through the bitmap image.

As for the space image I had to add a gradient to black on one side to smoothen the transition to the black space background.

character interaction

perriced — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:13:00 GMT

Hi, Dave, a newbie, here....what an amazing product this is!!!! but..just when I thought I was making progress, I decided to think about two characters and realized just how much of a newbie I am.

So...any thoughts on "walking hand in hand"? [I'm getting pretty close by linking bone root but am I missing something else? like for the swinging of the arms in unison, or does that have to be done painstakingly with motion editor?] How about thoughts on "embracing"? [I know there's an "embrace" motion file, but, of course, the two characters meld into each other. I tried using "collision" with a shape inside one character. Am I on the right track? Or, like with the above, should I just do the whole thing with motion editor?]

Also, am I right in understanding that although complete personas can be moved amongst avatars, I CANNOT move individual performances that are parts of personas, such as "waves hello" [unless I buy something from "coolclones" that might allow me to do this]?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

thanks, Dave

How to make a turnaround?

freshnews — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:09:51 GMT

This matter ought to be of interest to many people because it is a basic foundation for animation.

A turnaround is a view of a character from several camera angles, traditionally about four or five drawings, but with 3D modeling, of course, one can generate 360 degrees because the computer is doing the hard work.

You can, and probably will want to, make turnarounds of the head separately from the entire character view.

I just started on a head turnaround, by using an 180* z rotation on my character with the camera fixed on a closeup of the head.

The problem is that the head also moves in space during the turn, so that perspective comes into play, and the size changes as a result.

I assume that this is part or perhaps mostly due to the fact that the head is not positioned directly over the z axis.

It's complicated, and my little brain doesn't always understand things quickly.

Is there any way to generate a head turn using a fixed camera in which the head is not moving in space and all frames show the titled head at the same size?

Where is the Zero Transform Key

freshnews — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:15:44 GMT

Looks like I need to learn how to use this.

But first, I need to find it.

Where is it???

Facial Emotion

hiroller55 — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:45:48 GMT

While I was importing wav files to my two characters which each character had around 4 different ones each, I notice that when one characters was talking the other stood there like a dummy no facial expressions and I could not launch crazy talk because their were no wav file on the time line for that one character both characters cannot talk at the same time, Hmm I said so I launch crazy talk out side of Icone 3 by it self and erase all in the time line and then recorded not a sound for about 6 secs then added it to the time line now I'm in business I cranked up puppeteering and then recorded some blinking then click on custom and added it as a blinking script. then I went back to iclone 3 and when I played the timeline when one character would start to talk I click on the other and in the face I added my blinking scripted now why one character talkes the other is blinking off and on. of course you will have to adjust the blinking script to fit the space aloud in the time line between wav files. also to now that you have the blinking script in place you can now launch crazy talk inside of Iclone and add emotions to your character. Just a thought.

washbucket

Any Other iClone 3 Basic Tutorials?

RealtoReel — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:53:30 GMT

Earlier, a few forum members correctly defined the iClone 3 Getting Started Tutorials more
as demonstrations, given they're too fast-paced to be considered useful as tutorials.

Are there any iClone 3 basic tutorials around for the rank beginner that are not so fast-paced
as the Getting Started Tutorials?

Timeline Training

stuhaselden — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 03:18:04 GMT

Hi. Im having trouble using the timeline. Nothing seems to appear in the time line for me to edit. Is there a good trainng vido or something specifically on the timeline? Cheers. Stu. New Zealand

HD transcoding and large file sizes

aknzrdude — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:55:20 GMT

i have a 4 minute video rendered uncompressed in 720p - result is a whopping 15GB! media player crashes when it tries to open it, same with Turbine flash encoder - those of you that have done hd - any work arounds aside from exporting it from premier in a compressed format? I typically like to render uncompressed and keep the original - and transcode for various hosting sites (youtube, vimeo etc..)

can i use props made in blender in iclone 3

chris.carlyon — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:49:10 GMT

i want to make a ring and a sword. i was going to use blender. if i do will i be able to use the ring/sword in iclone 3?

iClone3 Training Resources

Visconti — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:49:02 GMT

Dear all

Remember to check out the iClone3 Training Resource Home for
1. 7 available video tutorials
2. Online Help
3. Reference Card

http://www.reallusion.com/iclone/ic_training.asp

how to get soundfx onto iclone3,like thunder sounds etc

melv18 — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:32:46 GMT

hi there,i cant find my way around how to get soundfx onto iclone,like sounds of rain and thunder ive got iclone3pro just wondering if ya can help me out

dose anyone know where to get free soundfx from?

melv18 — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:58:19 GMT

is there another good program to get soundfx from.i was using soundsnap which i found was great,but now they make you pay for soundfxs.can anyone help...

I have used some tips in my blog

johnny4mt — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:56:48 GMT

I have used some tips in my blog .:P http://www.wretch.cc/blog/dansunboy

Johnnie

i need tips on how to use timeline properely

melv18 — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:49:16 GMT

i need help on my timeline....i am not sure on how to use the timeline,i need to add "blood"particles at a certain time in my progect but everytime i add the particle it comes in at the start of the project.....can anyone give me some tips please...

how to use "spring"?

melv18 — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:52:56 GMT

Dose anyone know how to make a tail move around on a charcter.or hair moving in the wind

Terrain Editors

jpiazzo — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:15:56 GMT

Here are a few terrain editors / creators I have been messing with. These can be useful ubtil Iclone gets some basic terrain edit tools.You'll need 3d exchange alsoEarthSculptor - http://www.earthsculptor.com/ Simple with object export,,,T.ED http://www.d-grafix.com/?page=ted Oh that interface hurts - but powerful.3DWorldStudio http://www.leadwerks.com/3dworldstudio.htm I really like this software but I have not found a good export path to Iclone, as it seems to only export to game engine formats.Please let me know if you use others.

how to get army clothes in icolne3pro

melv18 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:30:46 GMT

hi there im just wondering? i am doing this army scene where i need army clothes can anyone give me some tips on how to do it?

I want to have clowns in my movie, and I buy the circus things but it will not work

jenny — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:00:49 GMT

I already buy the next things; Circus

iCloneCloth Base Model : Essential Human Vol.1 - Shoes
CloneCloth Base Model : Jack - Clone Bodysuit
CloneCloth Base Model : Jack - Clone Sporty
CloneCloth Base Model : Jane - Clone Casual
CloneCloth Base Model : Jane - Clone Dress
CloneCloth Base Model : Jane - Clone Gown

how do i get better camera angels

melv18 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:22:42 GMT

can anyone give me some tips on how to use the cameras and how to set your own camera up.everytime i go to direct-mode and record when i switch back to editers mode the seen i just recorded is only on the one camera.im a little stuck?any info is good info cheers

Shadows

stuckon3d — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:58:37 GMT

Hello Forum, I was reading a few posts about shadow problems and maybe I can clarify a few things for you guys regarding shadows in 2.5 VS 3.0, and please [b]"Reallusion correct me if I'm wrong"[/b] because I'm not 100% sure since I have not read your internal coding for shadows. :P This is just a guestimate from someone that is familiar with 3d. ok? As mentioned in previous posts, in IC 2.5 you have a shadow to start with, not only that, IC 2.5 had 3 types of shadows that you could play with. Drop shadows, wall shadows, and self-cast shadows. (BTW IC 3.1 has drop shadows and wall shadows back! :) )1) The [b]Drop shadow[/b] which is there by default in 2.5, was a cheated shadow on an invisible ground plane. It was fast because it did not had to calculate on which object the light had to cast the shadow to, it was always the fake invisible ground plane, the down side was that you could not cast shadows on walls or other objects.2) The [b]wall shadow[/b] was like a 2d silhouette offset. again fast but it only looked good on walls but it looked fake on the ground.3) And last but not least was the [b]Self cast shadows[/b], These shadows were very render intensive because it has to calculate not only the shadows for all the objects but also where it is going to cast the shadows to and deform them according to the shape of that object so that it looks correct. (however this type of shadow was only available for Nvidia card)In [b]IC3[/b] you only have one type of shadows ([b]self-cast shadows[/b] , however reallusion made it compatible with both ATI and Nvidia cards, which is a good thing :) ) The downside to this is that these type of shadows are very gpu and cpu intensive. [b]Update: IC 3.1 has all three types of shadows again! :) .[/b] [b][u]TIPS:[/u][/b] So what you are probable wondering is [b]what can we do to make the workflow a little faster[/b] and less taxing on the hardware when it comes to shadows. Well... here are a few suggestions:1) [b]Set your desktop resolution lower if you have an old video card or machine[/b]. Just like a video game where you have to lower the screen resolution to get better frames per second, Iclone defaults to whatever desktop resolution you have at the moment. So if you have your desktop at 1920 x 1200 or more if you have dual monitors you might want to reduce the resolution of your monitor until you are happy with the frames per second you get inside iclone. Also you might want to turn swtich off your second monitor. All of these things will give you a huge performance increase. 2) [b]Do not turn shadows on until after you finish your animation needs.[/b] Also remember that IC3 now allows you to turn objects to different types of shading as well as allowing you to turn objects on and off. Turning heavy objects into wireframe or off if you do not need to see them while you animate your character will increase your realtime playback.3) [b]Use spotlights to cast shadows only in the areas that are needed[/b] and use directional light and point lights as fill/ambient lights. Use the cone angle to control the area in which you want shadows to be casted. By doing this you can use smaller shadow map resolutions.4) [b]Turn off the cast shadows capabilities from all the objects that do not need to cast shadows[/b]. Sometimes you just want objects to receive shadows, not cast them. This will decrease the usage of gpu/cpu usage since the lights will have less objects to calculate shadows for. 5) [b]Blocky shadows can be prevented if you follow the above advice[/b]. This happens when you are trying to cramm too many objects shadows in one shadow map/light. See this thread for more details. [url=http://forum.reallusion.com/Topic8742-82-1.aspx]http://forum.reallusion.com/Topic8742-82-1.aspx[/url]6) [b]Having the check mark for shadows next to the light on the scene manager is not enough[/b], you have to scroll down on the edit light menu on screen right, and turn selfcast shadow on under shadow type.7) [b]In order to see a shadow on the ground you have to have a ground[/b]. In Ic 2.5 the drop shadow you have by default is being casted on a fake invisible ground. On IC3 you have to have an actual piece of geometry on the ground in order to see the shadows.8) [b]Shadow blur: A little goes along way in.[/b] When you turn shadow blur on it starts with 10 intensity, which is too high and it gives this ghosted trail effect, try 1 intensity and go from there. Blur also have different effects at different resolutions, blur 1 on 1k resolution looks very different from blur 1 from a 4k map. Why? because blur needs to work harder at lower resolutions in order to clean up the Aliasing/jaggies, so you need a higher intensity.9) [b]Bias: use it to fill/fix the shadow gap where two objects meet[/b]. This is a great little tool for fixing gaps that are created where two objects touch, sometime you have to go up a few numbers and sometime you need to go down. Do increments of 1 at a time and see the result, it does not take much to fix them. :)As soon as I get a little more free time at home, I will post some visual examples and some more tips on lighting.I Hope this helped someone out there :)Stuckon3dPS: I know I have a few typos in here but hey this is not a grammar class anyway. :PAlso, keep coming back to this thread if you see my name next to it, It means I added a new tip for ya :)

Cameras

brianfcleary — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:55:57 GMT

Hello all,Was just wondering how to work the cameras in iclone3 standard edition. when im editing i move the camera around manually while the scene is playing, but then when i go back to the start it just stays at where i currently have the camera.Is there anyway to record the camera movements i make, even when i do to director mode it always just comes back to the original camera setting.I just want to have different views i.e. wideview and close ups.Also when i try to add facial expressions i.e. happy/sad etc i get a message saying "the facial camera needs to be stopped before using expressions or crazy talk", what does that mean and how to i fix it?Thanks in advance.

how do i put soundfx on top of soundfx in iclone3 pro?

melv18 — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:17:03 GMT

just wondering how to put soundfx on top of each other? i have a war seen where i have war soundfx in background and i want to add the sounds of rain as well does anyone one know how to do it?.everytime i put war sounds and then add rain it over takes the war sounds?

IS VIDEO MAPPING AN IMPORTANT FEATURE?

Mike Aparicio — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:37:58 GMT

Video maps allow to use natural video resources to create backdrops, animated textures, real people inside animations, difficult textures to be done via particles, pulsing light beams, flows, montages, etc.Also this feature would restore the possibility of doing "rotoscoping" with Iclone Motion edit Layer.Video surface mapping is a MUST!Mike

IClone Tutorials

kankh — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:20:28 GMT

The IClone 3 video tutorials really serve no purpose other than showcasing the program on a marketing level with noting indepth to learn about the heart of program, itself. Animation!!! The process of learing to animate with IClone by providing clear cut examples of how to put an animation together from A to Z using the tools they market so highlly in the program. Notice I didn't say teach how to animate, just provide a good solid workflow using Iclone 3 and all its goodies with sample animations. Not everyone has 3D experience, let alone animations skills to booth, but are eager to learn. Lets face it, that why we all bought the program in the first place. To get the ball rolling on our ideas. So a simple workflow of how to use these tools real world, be it animations, storyboards or whatever ect.. isn't too much to ask. But when you have to watch Videos tutorials that gloss over the interface of a program, and nothing more, or showing off someone's talent who probably works for the company and should know everything about the program, well that doesn't benefit a newbie much. A prime example of this is in the Camera training video, whereby he takes you throught the brief camera tour, most of which you could have figure out by messing around the program on your own or reading the manual. In other words the bleeding obvious is extensively covered in depth in these videos. But near the end he shows a short video that involves camera switching...and thats it. No explanation on how to do this, just the words "Its called Camera Switching," at the end of the video. Well if your a newbie to the program that means nothing. Therefore, why bring it up in the training video if you dont have enough time or interest to expound on it it? That's information we can use. Oh, and if you go to, I believe page 185, in the manual don't expect to see much of an explanation there. It's just as vague as the video. I've come to the conclusion that the best formula for getting to the heart of this program is (manual + video + forum) = figure it out! My little suggestion for RL is if your going to add more neat things to IClone 3.1, how about providing better, detailed, resources on learning how to incorporate these new upgrades into a real world animation workflow for those of us who are just getting started, have real jobs, and not a lot of time to hang out in the forum, hoping to get a response. Would be nice:D

iprop animation

eliza.skywalker — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:03:35 GMT

Can I add an animation to the robotwoman (i. e. make her walking around)?I am using the trial version maybe it is not possible with this?

Fitting photos of clothes to G2 Clone cloth

alex — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:07:17 GMT

I use Adobe Photoshop as my image editor which is, as we all know, very flexible.When I load the diffuse layer of the cloth for my particular shirt or shorts, the dimensions are obviously very different to those in my front and back photos taken by me.For now, I am skewing, distorting, moving and smudging to get things (like pockets and buttons) right but that seems to be an interim solution and takes plenty of time and effort.Has anyone cracked the secret of distorting the diffuse to fit your photo - adjusting the bleed and getting it back to the same size again?I have this fantasy of point and click like we have on the face fitting but I guess that's a long way off...Gonna have to think of a signature

Cone of Light Tip, iProject and Props

warlord — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:28:18 GMT

There are many ways to create light effects. For those that don't have access to a cone primitive we are providing one with an iProject file and a lamp post prop to show how to make the cone of light that streams from a lamp or lamp post.

Get the tip and download here.

Align Actor Motion - back to origin - why

jpiazzo — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:57:04 GMT

Ok I understand what the Align Actor Motion button does - it cancels the snap back to origin of the actor on the timeline.What I can't figure out is why there is a snap back to origin to begin with...under what circumstances would you want your actor to just snap back to the start every time you add a motion.Can anybody think of a reason why snap back is the default and align motion is an option. I would think it should be the other way around, if this option had a reason to exist at all.

Creating black characters

alex — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:57:01 GMT

Hi everybody,I want to create a few short educational videos to engage young Africans students but with the characters available it looks like a missionary lecture.I have the G2 naturals, so I have kids, teens and adults, but it would be great to turn them African! I've even found people to do the voices for me (Woo Hoo!)Any hints?

Question About Cameras

brentbowers — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:00:10 GMT

First off thank you, thank you, thank you Reallusion for the massively improved camera system in iC3. Though a combination of linking and key framing I now can make the camera do what I want it to, so Yeeaaay!I have a question about camera playback. Am I limited to rendering each angle separately or is there a way to have the cameras switch automatically within the timeline to make a single video file which uses the choice angles at the choice times?Regards,Brent

Motion Editor Functionality Questions

brentbowers — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:16:57 GMT

Creative Clone***Group: MembersPosts: 47Joined: 17-January 08Member No.: 3,199 When I used the rotate tool in Motion Editor, is there functionality to make it rotate in different direction? It seems kind of random when you grab a body part as to which axis the red circle will appear and rotate on. In other words how would you for instance twist the orientation of the upper arm if the red circle rotator action is only for up and down?Regards,Brent

Problem with model loading

gluraki — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:56:10 GMT

Hi there!Iam new in the iClone scene and got a little problem yesterday.If I want to load a Model - the model will look very strangelike this[img]http://s4.tinypic.com/24zghzl.jpg[/img]ThanksGreetings!

How do I create a custom iProp

BigBoss40 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 10:38:21 GMT

OK I am a newbie Standards Edition user and I have been through the entire set of tutorials and documentation. I have a missing link here and I would appreciate ant help to guide me in the right dirrection...So my basic question is: Can a Standard User build animated iProps? I already figured out the trick with hiding existing iProps under custom made objects but I would like to make a real animated iProp from scratch with my own custom motions and perform commands..Do I absolutely need to Upgrade to the PRO version or can it be done with the Standard Editon and iCLode 3DXchange ?Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.P.S. I am familliar with XMl and stuff but I am looking for the big picture here.Thanks!

Auto Driver Doesn't Appear to Work for Me

brentbowers — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:31:48 GMT

I have watched the production tutorial that illustrates how to use the auto driver jeep prop. When I go through the same steps and select Driver Get In, it makes my actor walk around in cirlces. Can anyone guess what I'm doing wrong here?Regards,Brent Bowers

How Do I Add Additiona Characters to The Stage in IClone 3?

lord_greybro — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:05:24 GMT

Ok,so in iclone 2.5 to add a new character you press control F7 to get the add character dialogue box to pop up. apparently this has changed in version 3. Can anyone clue me into the method of adding additional characters in the new version?

need help with the guitar package

richardgaspa — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 23:18:06 GMT

I just purchased the guitar package and can not get the avatar to hold the guitar. I did not find any red me help files that explained how to do this when I downloaded the file. Dose anyone know what to do? Is there any help files out there?

How to make a G3 proportioned CloneCloth character?

Visconti — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:15:03 GMT

Check it out!
http://www.reallusion.com/ContentStore/iClone/pack/CloneCloth_Neckband/G3_help.aspx

The G3 head contains jaw bone which can results in better mouth movement than G2.

AVI Input

richardgaspa — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:26:18 GMT

I am trying to use an AVI movie under the TV Layer that came with Iclone3. The only trouble is I dont know how to do it. I see the did it in the Interactive Home Project, I cant find any thing about it in the manual - Can anyone help me? I am pulling my hair out. I don it in CrazyTalk5 but cant seem to find a tutorial in Iclone3 about it. Can any one help me?

Light through a hole

greg — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:53:47 GMT

I am attempting to use iClone3 pro version for storyboard purposes. I have this shot I want to do, where I have a charcater in barrel or box and is stabbed through the box and in turn creating a hole in the box. I want a bright light to shine through the hole. Can anyone recommend a good way of attacking this? I guess I need to know how to create the hole in a iClone cube shape, then I would need to know how to get light just to shine through that one little area. Any sugesstions would be appreciated. Thanks

disabling idle animations on G3 characters

chris_w12884 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:35:44 GMT

how do I do it?? thanks :D edit: nevermind I got it.