Hello!
I am looking forward to Python in iClone, and I wanted to learn more about Python ahead of time.
I know some Robot C, and I know that it is a bit different from C, so I was hoping that someone here could point me in the direction of a Python tutorial or course that would have the most appropriate information and commands that iClone is likely to use.
Thank you!
Helene

Hi Ancient Wire
I am also am highly looking forward to Python in iClone.
I am a report/application developer in the company I work for and am used to many languages but currently I use jscript in intranet webpages for the reports and applications I develop. But Python is new to me. Never used it before until 6 months ago.
I am not suggesting you shouldn't find tutorials on it. Just saying what I have done so far and it might give you some help to pick a way for you to prepare for the release in iClone?

I have checked out quite a few tutorials and never found one then goes much further than teaching the basics of the language itself. For me all languages are similar enough that those were not really much help.
So I started programming with python in Blender because that helps me to work out how to use python to produce ideas I come up with for blender modelling (something I am into)
Whether that will help with how it gets implemented in iClone I can't say but it is helping me to resolve ideas using this language and surely there must be some similarity between how Blender and iClone utilise it? I am a person who prefers to learn by doing projects that fit my ideas.
When I discover something I can't figure out I google search for help on it. Blender has tons of tutorials showing how to use python to do things in Blender.
I think there are several other programs that give users development abilities using Python. I am sure, depending on how popular they are, there will be similar tutorials to Blenders?

Anyway, good luck learning it. Hopefully iClones Python will give its programmer users enough abilities to help improve its abilities that will also help non programmer users to do things more easily.
I especially hope it will help me to make the use of contents I develop easier to use.


i7-3770 3.4GHz CPU 16 GB Ram   
GeForce GTX1080 TI 11GB
Windows 10 Pro 64bit

There are some free tutorials here: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python
Otherwise you can google or look on the Google App store as there are a number of apps that can help you learn

Hope this helps,

PS - I do not really know how to code in Python yet & am keen to learn also, I just know PHP, JS, NodeJS, SQL, etc

I followed tutorial about Python on Blender.
The audio was poor, but understandable (just some background noise).
It was sufficient for me to create a Blender Python script of my own.  At least it gets a person introduced to the topic.


What I liked about learning Python in Blender is it can expose the Python commands for the actions you performed, so it is easy to generate examples of what you want do.

---

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

Like Dennis, I learned Python in Blender (with the added advantage of creating some useful Blender tools for myself).  Depending on your programming level (i.e. how comfortable you feel with other languages) you might not need much.  Python is so very similar to most other languages it's really just a matter of syntax (yes, they do indeed tax that unfortunately).

For me the hardest part was the UI (which is almost always the case with any language) and, unfortunately, probably the part that we can't learn much about until it's actually released for iClone (which will have it's own, I'm sure, although some things are likely to be similar in nature).

---

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

Thank you so much.  I will have a look at Python for Blender!

Out of curiosity, what are some things a programmer could do with python for IC? Would this allow programmers to write plugins that may fill a need for some users?


Virtual Media® / VTV® / The Virtual Entertainment Network...
http://VTVLive.com

We can only speculate, because we don't know what will be exposed to us via the API.  In Blender, where nearly everything is exposed (the entire interface is written in Python) you can do almost anything you could imagine -- manipulate materials, create animations, make hair, have autorigs, if you can think it, you can program it in Blender.

IIRC (and I may not) the exposure for iClone will be very limited to begin with.  I would be surprised if much more than just the basic positions of objects and some of their properties are available.  But that doesn't mean you couldn't write some interesting things.  I have in mind a traffic routine, where cars and other vehicles are moving around streets in accordance with some basic AI.  But even very simple things, like programming lights to blink on and off in unison (or not), or having some things happen as characters approach (like auto doors opening, or lights coming on) ought to be possible.

Think of it this way -- all programming in essence is just what you can do manually, but done with automation.  Are there things you find repetitious or just too much work to bother with?  That's a good candidate to program a routine to handle it for you.  The more clever routines will be things you might not even think of, but aren't likely to be things you couldn't do given enough time and/or patience.

---

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

Initially it is going to be limited.  Very limited.

IIRC, the first release will be pretty much limited to RTS "transform" functions - Translate (move), Rotate, and Scale.*

In Reallusion's WIP video, you can see a bunch of rectangles dancing around, almost like a circular piano.  I don't know if they can react to other events or anything.  For now, I think it's best to imagine it like a programmed "morph slider" so you can easily move a bunch of objects (easy after you do the programming, that is).  I am going to assume the RTS controls are limited to props for now, and you cannot control the joints on avatars, but that is purely an assumptionon my part, assuming it would be much more difficult to interface to an avatar without all sorts of conflicts over who/what is in control of the character's left arm at any given time.

Where it goes from there has not been revealed, but I think it's best to keep your expectations low for a long time.


*I don't remember who said it, but I'm pretty sure a Reallusion person indicated that was the case.  It is probably buried in the forum somewhere, though it could also have been mentioned in the Q&A portion of a Webinar.  And I see KT and I cross-posted.  Good morning, KT.

---

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

Hiya, Dennis!

Yeah, the limitations are one reason I'm not TOO excited about Python (although it's also one of many things I don't understand about RL -- if it's really going to be that limited, why the hold up?  It can't possibly take much time to only expose those controls, and it's also not going to be something they can really tout as a "feature".  I'd almost wish they wouldn't bother until we had some properties exposed, like lighting controls, where it could be REALLY useful).  Still I think I'll play around with my traffic control thingee for a while (I'm having so much fun programming in Python for Blender I don't think I'll even miss it in iClone).

---

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