I am trying to export an animated prop.

I have skinned it using a 3dMax Biped rigg.

the exporter keeps crashing,

the mesh exports OK on its own but Max crashes when I load the biped.

Try using bones in your mesh this works fine when you export the prop I can assure you!!

Click on the link below to visit my marketplace
http://city.reallusion.com/store/popeye

Is there anyway to convert bip to bones in 3dsmax?

David-Josué
http://www.iclone-fr.blogspot.com/http://www.iclonetemplate.com

If you export your biped to FBX , reset and import the FBX model your biped will be converted to bones.

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

OK! I have already try this possibility but the bones version of the bip is not perfect, the animation is very poor...

http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=509864

What about iclone studio Pro FBX exporter ? What happens to this promising tool?

I do not think that the animation with bones may only allow CDD to generate great content such as Horses and tacks ?

It is hard (even for an advanced 3dsmax user) to generate only with the Vns exporter plugin live props.
Would there not other things that developers should know, the tutorials are poor on this kind of issue. It is high time that Reallusion reveals its secrets so that the CDD creation in content store is no longer limited to simple textures or lifeless props !

I really hope that the next version of the Vns exporter plugin will allow the export of Character Studio


David-Josué
http://www.iclone-fr.blogspot.com/http://www.iclonetemplate.com

Hi David,

Some very interesting points you make. Thanks for sharing them with us.

You are right that the conversion from Biped to Bones is not perfect but with a simple bone layout it is quicker to adjust the converted bones than to start from scratch. It could be better but it is a reasonable workaround for now at least I find.

The posibility of releasing a iClone Studio Pro with FBX was discussed but in the end it was decided against releasing it at this time. I don't know of any changes to this at present sadly.

Now when you say that Reallusion should not hold back on its secrets I have to say I really don't think there are many secrets being held back. The main reason that there are not that more developers out there creating completely new animated characters is simply because at present 3DS Max is required to do so.

As I'm sure you know Max is a very expensive program which puts it out of reach of most of the iClone userbase we have. If more people had the tools there would be more activity in that side of development for sure.

The second obstacle is the knowledge factor. 3DS MAX is a complex program that requires quite a high level of experience to fully understand how to model and rig a character with the RL bone system. The tools are there. The plugin, the Max templates which contains the RL bones. Everything you need is there to get started but it is a steep learning curve for many.

What in particular would you like to see that would help you increase your creativity? Reallusion is always willing to hear the views of its developers so anything you can add would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

Pete

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

I remain convinced that iClone FBX Plugin is the ideal alternative to interoperability between iClone and Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Maya®, and many other 3D software...
Many 3D application supports this format, iClone why not?

You are right when you say that all the tools ( The plugin, the Max templates which contains the RL bones ) are there and ready to use for modelling and rigging a character , but if Autodesk® 3ds Max® is a complex program and very expensive...Why not integrate with iClone a 3D character design function like N-SIDED QUIDAM



With Quidam, you can compose your character with the many anatomical parts and props available. Add the props you like or import your own objects directly to place them on the skeleton.

It would be really interesting if iClone could offer such tools, users can save time in generating their character...

David-Josué
http://www.iclone-fr.blogspot.com/http://www.iclonetemplate.com

Hi David,

Thanks for the further feedback. Really the only reason 3DS Max was the original developer tool is because this was the software used in the creation of iClone. So in an effort to make tools available to outside developers the plugin and templates were made available. It would be great to see plugins for other programs and this is under constant review.

As iClone has progressed so has the need for an easier (and cheaper) way for users to create their own content and so 3DXchange was born. This has solved the custom props, accessories and 3D scenes problem but characters remain a sticking point.

Without 3DS Max (or Maya) it is still very difficult to create 100% original shaped characters, animals etc and so this is an area that is certainly due improvement.

When iClone 3.0 is released we will see big advances in the character creation area within iClone itself and although few details are available on any new development tools I think we can expect to see character creation made easier and customizable for all real soon.

Thanks again for the fantastic feedback. :cool:

Pete

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com

Hi
I`m new here, but a max user.
To turn bip to bones, just select all bip rig and go to tools/snapshot.You loose the animation but you conserve the hierarchy intact.After this delete the bipede.Now the bipede looks like a character studio bipede but is just a set of bones.You wiil see that the motion rollout is diferent .Hope this help you.

I want buy iclone ,I spend the last days looking for information I think its a very intersting tool to my kind of production ( www.marcoalemar.com ) and my major interst is the pipeline to max, because I pretend develop new characters intercambiables.To offer to Realilusion and to use in my productions.

I´d like to know from max users:
1 -Is the plugins work well to export custom characters?( I read the pdfs ).Issues with G1?and G2?Can I change the anatomy and the exporter do the job?( not changing the geometry! ).Can I use new geometry respecting the number of vertex in connects areas?

2 - I didn´t find any information about custom faces.Where is the info? How is the setup to use Crazy talk scripts inside iClone whitout using the G1 or G2 face? Clusters to control? Bones? Or can I just use the same geometry to sculpt other shapes, and Crazy talk tecnology do the job after this with labial sinc? Or I simple can´t sculpt other head to use?Can I use new geometry respecting the number of vertex in connects areas? Set up controls in Crazytalk is like a kind of spline controls? Is just simple like draw the mouth, eyes ,etc , shapes and the program setup the vertices wheights?( if yes this is wonderful !!!)

to iClone stuff:
1 - I send a lot of emails to iClone stuff and didn´t received any answers...I´m asking about if I buy iClone now I´ll have a discount to buy IClone 3 at July?

Please I´d like some clarifications... I read all tutor in developer page and download the trial.Looks a good app.But I need to know more , and the max users should know...

My apologises for my english.Is not my native language but I hope you understand.
regards
Alemar


ALEMAR GAMES MARKETPLACE STORE

Hi Alemar,

Thanks for your post and questions about developing new characters for iClone. I'll try and answer based on my personal experience of using Max with iClone.

1.. The latest plugins work very well. As long as you use the right plugin for your version of Max then you should have few problems as far as exporting goes. If you base your work using the male or female templates you will have a good head start on the process and as long as you maintain the correct connection points (waist, neck, ankles etc) you can create any body shape you like.

As long as you keep an eye on the poly count you can create freely. Because iClone is a real time film maker you have to keep the count reasonable to maintain fluidity. For example G1 figures are around 15,000 polys, G2 20,000 and G2 + CloneCloth at 35,000 polys. Going higher may cause problems on slower systems so this is something to keep a check on.

2.. Custom faces are handled by iClone and not 3DS Max so it is only the body that you export from Max. You can make a non-standard figure with its own head but the parts are not interchangeable with other characters this way.

Crazytalk creates scripts that contain speech and facial animation that can be opened in iClone and immediately applied to any iClone character. You can't open iClone heads in Crazytalk or vice versa. It is just the scripts that are interchangeable not the geometry.

(Note: iClone 2.5 is only compatible with Crazytalk 4.6. iClone 3.0 will be compatible with Crazytalk 5)

3.. I don't know who you mean by iClone stuff? Sorry if I misunderstand you there.

I can say that you will be offered an upgrade discount to iClone 3.0 if you purchase iClone 2.5 now. What the discount will be I can't say at the moment as plans are still ongoing for iClone 3.0 but Reallusion have always offered very good discounts to its customers when upgrading so I expect it to be the same this time.

I hope this answers your questions. Get back to me if you need to know more. :)

Pete

                                                                

Peter
Forum Administrator

www.reallusion.com