While the core engine of the CTA3 is a nice piece of programming - references / help / examples / how-to is very much lacking and in some instances outdated and/or providing misinformation. For example for CTA3 GUI select help - look for references to FLASH / SWF / export and the "manual" claims it is an available option / feature. In reality, it is not an option. SEE LINK BELOW** . There are other statements and open-ended comments/instructions leading a user in one direction, but again, the solutions are either inaccurate or do not apply to CTA3. Very frustrating. Aspects of the manual, in particular, are out-of-date, incomplete or simply not applicable. NOTE: Many parts of the online help / reference material seems to be directed toward previous version(s) of CTA rather than CTA3.
**Reallusion link referenced in HELP:
http://www.reallusion.com/event/11-crazytalk_flash_animation/application.asp#NOW OR
http://manual.reallusion.com/CrazyTalk_Animator_3/ENU/Pipeline/#Resources/CTA3/11_Export/Exporting_SWF_for_Web.htm?Highlight=background OR HERE - This REFERENCED LINK (below) IS NO LONGER VALID OR WORKING... vvv
- Google Swiffy: All CrazyTalk Animator character motions are kept on the browser; lip-synced animations are ready as well. You may convert SWF files by visiting this page:http://swiffy.googlelabs.com/ <<< LINK IS BROKEN!! This reference is in the CTA3 manual.
The development side of CTA3 is promising but like the manual, missing pieces. Statements like "will be available in an upcoming patch" are vague at best. There is also conflicting information regarding comparing PRO vs PIPELINE with references to features not available NOW - but will be somewhere down the road without a specific timeline or realistic availability date - Examples / teasers are lacking. Unless you have used the previous versions rather extensively, it boils down to trial and error, along with frustration and wasted time. G1 vs G2 vs G3, etc. C'mon... And on top of that what was available in CTA1 vs CTA2 vs CTA3 is equally confusing and poorly documented. (Sorry). There should be better avenues for importing / exporting / saving bones / animation / character features. The Comparison Chart needs a legend - 'V' 'X' 'O' and 'blank' have different meanings, depending on what section you are looking at. It is very confusing.
The premise is absolutely outstanding. At some level, the software does perform as advertised - the issue for me as an end-user is the lack of instruction to get from point A to B to C. As mentioned, there are some carrots dangled in front of our noses and I did purchase the CTA3 pipeline version, but as of this post - written reference material, along with some straightforward examples is really lacking. This is not a case of sour grapes, just some constructive criticism. I support the product and I commend the developers on their efforts. A $200+ investment price-point by the developers may not seem unreasonable or out of line, but to the individuals (not commercial houses) it is a substantial amount of money. I'm not suggesting the asking price isn't worthy, I AM suggesting the overall product introduction and function should have been further down the pipeline, prior to its release. Understandably, with the holidays fast approaching, I get the marketing strategy involved - but it doesn't justify putting the burden on the end-user to have to "figure it out", rather than having a clear and concise solution path.
One last point - I support and fully get the 'after market' development of content and such - however with that said - I personally feel, for example, the PIPELINE edition should have been 'stocked' with more selectable options regarding animation and scripts. Not trying to seem greedy, but there seems to be more emphasis on BUNDLE upgrades rather than including some of these additional features in the base product, resulting in a feeling of being a bit put off by that strategy.