Assuming there is a way to export the FBX out of Blender properly into iClone (XChange?) I don't know why you couldn't set up the ragdoll physics there and use them in iClone (spoken from a position of divine ignorance in that I only use Blender as an import/export tool and know NOTHING about actually using it for motions and such).

I sometimes think we miss using external tools enough -- and, of course, with Python coming we may need to think more and more "outside the box that is 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

Fair point about external applications.

I was speaking mostly from a "humor" perspective because I found the video to be quite funny.  The previous one (v3) got over a million views.  No spectacular visual effects.  No complex storyline.  Just ragdolls being abused.  Strangely amusing.

I know people have requested a ragdoll capability in the past. so I figured I'd share the video.  It's not high on my list, but for falling down a stairway, or collapsing when a character gets shot, I can see it would be useful.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

It's "sharing time" again.

Here are a couple videos I watched (and enjoyed) recently that are relevant to iClone and animation...



VOICE ACTING:

Watching one short YouTube video does not replace hours of professional training, but this was very interesting.  In particular, the value of "standing" and "using your body" is very good to know.  (I usually stand when I do my final voice recordings.)  How many of us just sit passively at our desk and speak into a $2 microphone, and wonder why our characters seem dull and lifeless?


On that same theme, here is a video of numerous people doing their voice-overs.  Notice how much "acting" they do while recording the dialogue.


Also, notice you can't be shy or have any pride.  You need to be willing to totally embarrass and humiliate yourself while recording.  I struggle with that, even in the privacy of my own home, simply knowing people will be able to overhear me.  But the end result is definitely better the more you let loose and throw yourself into the role.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Thanks for sharing  the videos on "Voice Acting" I really enjoyed them!

sjonesdc

STILL LEARNING!!!

@justaviking
Yeah - thanks for the examples.

SeanMac

Sorry not to comment a little sooner but life has sort of beaten me up lately <g>.

I can well attest that voice actors do "act".  Perhaps the clearest piece of advice I can give in this regard is that it's okay to "overact".  I've directed a lot of various media, from stage, to film, to television, and there are a wide variety of styles even involved in all of those, but in general you play for the audience.  Someone might be watching you perform from the back row of a large theater and unless you really "sell it" they won't get much.  OTOH, if you play that same broadness for HD television, unless it's all about Three Stooges level material, it will look ridiculous.

Animation is mostly very broad, though.  If we are going with just the audio (no mocap) it will help to have as much expressiveness in the sound as possible.  And for mocap we have the ability to dial it down (through adjusting the expression and/or viseme track levels) but not really the ability to dial it back up.  So in nearly all cases I would recommend folks just "play to the balcony" (as we used to say).  It will look and feel extreme, but it will always be better for animation.  The voice track will "read" better and, if you're doing mocap, the expressions will look better.

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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 feel like this is a really boneheaded question, but I'll ask anyway...

I got an email about a sale on a "10 Ten motion bundle."
Some of these motions are quite old.
In fact, the sample video for the "Social Gatherings" starts with an iClone 4 logo.  Not 7.  Not 6.  Not even 5.  Way back in iC4.

So...  will these motions work on "all" characters?  Or only specific generations?



I'm interested in this because I have a tendency to do way too much manual animation (and I'm not going to spend big money on MoCap anytime soon.)  I thought maybe this would help me sort of force myself to work in a more productive fashion.  But I know there are differences between various generations of characters, especially when it comes to textures and stuff, so I don't want to spend money on this if it's not going to be usable on new characters that I'd make in CC3.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

Older motions will work, but need adjusting to accommodate changes in bone structure. It usually requires adjusting the shoulders, which you would do at the beginning of the clip.

It would be nice if there was sort of mapping to do the adjustment for you.

The hardest part is usually to get things right for folded arms.

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Thank, Job.

These are the sort of things I have always wished would "just work," like walking without the feet sliding.  But as long as making the adjustments is less work work than hand-animating the motions, I think I'll get the bundle.

Maybe some clever person will write a magical Python script to fix stuff like what you mentioned.

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iClone 7... Character Creator... Substance Designer/Painter... Blender... Audacity...
Desktop (homebuilt) - Windows 10, Ryzen 9 3900x CPU, GTX 1080 GPU (8GB), 32GB RAM, Asus X570 Pro motherboard, 2TB SSD, terabytes of disk space, dual  monitors.
Laptop - Windows 10, MSI GS63VR STEALTH-252, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 (6GB), 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD

@Dennis "........ These are the sort of things I have always wished would "just work," like walking without the feet sliding. ......... " Amen to that !

" ........ Maybe some clever person will write a magical Python script to fix stuff  ........ "
Yes - like:
> foot contacts ground plane
> Lock foot to ground plane AND DON'T LET GO! - lol 
> continue with walk and adjust 'whichever bones it takes' to retain 'foot to ground lock' UNTIL the next foot contacts ground plane.
> loop and repeat for this foot .....

(You can tell I'm not a programmer - lol)  

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Please be patient with me ..... I don't always 'get it' the first time 'round - not even the 2nd time!   - yikes! ... 

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