Would I be correct in saying that the 'AVI' output is 'fixed' to a default setting?
There doesn't appear to be any drop down menu to select an AVI codec .... 
Or does 'AVI' mean 'uncompressed'?

EDIT: Looks like it must be 'uncompressed' (the 'Quality' slider goes 'gray' when choosing AVI)
So we're talking 8.3GB per minute for 1080p at 24 fps (8 bit)....
another 'source' says 5.7GB /minute..... oh well - 'a lot' anyway :ermm:

.... so 'Export' as uncompressed, then I'd use the 'proxy' generated by Vegas Movie Studio to edit with .... OK! - Let's try that !
(I'll be back!)

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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! ... 

● MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram ● iClone-7.93 ● 3DXChange Pipeline 7.81 ● CC-3 Pipeline 3.44 ● Live Face ● HeadShot ● Brekel Pro-Body ● Popcorn FX ● iRAY ● Kinect V2 ● DaVinci Resolve17 ● Mixcraft 8.1

Avi is another good choice, and it allows alpha and has the same quality as png

Great tips ... thanks all .... just 'recappjng' since last post:
@Dennis:
● use "reference audio' track in iClone, then replace that with the 'Master Audio' in your NLE.
● export as PNG sequence or WMV file■■. (Interesting, - more on this below■■) ... thnx :)

@animagic:
● It's possible to render 'audio only' as .WAV format straight out of iClone 6 or later (it's an option available under 'Video').
● Can try using separate Vegas 'projects' for each scene. Reference these and 'combine' them in a 'Master' project for final render... thnx :)

@raxel67:
● For master audio use wav, aiff, or FLAC (to retain quality).  Using mp3 is OK for iClone's 'reference' audio.
● To achieve a better audio mix - don't necessarily just 'add' gain to weaker tracks, - you can 'reduce' gain on stronger tracks... thnx :)

@mark:
● iClone's WAV output is a good idea but if you need a 'Visual reference'  then render out both 'audio & video' together... thnx :)


■■ Rendering as 'other than' a PNG sequence. If I'm reading you correctly on this Dennis - you would possibly export as WMV?
It looks like 'Vegas Movie Studio 15' can only create 'proxy' files from *video formats* - not from *Image Sequences*. :( I don't know whether there's a work around for this - but if not, I may be forced to export from iClone in something 'other than' a PNG sequence OR, alternatively, change the PNG into some 'intermediate codec' first. - But I'd have to retain the 'alpha' channel whatever I do :w00t:


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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! ... 

● MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram ● iClone-7.93 ● 3DXChange Pipeline 7.81 ● CC-3 Pipeline 3.44 ● Live Face ● HeadShot ● Brekel Pro-Body ● Popcorn FX ● iRAY ● Kinect V2 ● DaVinci Resolve17 ● Mixcraft 8.1

Thanks Job, forgot about that...but sometimes nice to have a visual reference if needed  ;)



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Just to add something to this discussion, the advice given by kt about not compressing until the end is very true for audio, when editing you should use wav or aiff ( the uncompressed avi for audio) or flac which is lossless and half the size of a wav or aiff, for audio that will only be used as a reference you can use mp3 with any quality since they will never be used for final output. And a very very usefull tip for audio mixing: If you are struggling with audio levels, instead of raising the volume for lets say dialogue, try reducing the volume of other tracks instead, this, as stupid as it sounds is one of the top ten audio mistakes everyone does ( even pro engineers)

Since version 6, iClone can render audio only (.WAV option under Video), so that's what I would use as external reference. Other than that, I concur with the use of image sequences.

I use Vegas Pro, and in the past I have had problems with images sequences in large projects, but currently that works fine. What I'm currently doing as sort of an experiment is to have a separate Vegas project for each self-contained scene. These projects can be referenced in a master Vegas project and the combined scenes can be rendered out from there. You could see if that helps with any problems with a large number of image sequences.

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That's what I've done on my last few projects.  I add whatever audio seems necessary to my iClone project, but then replace it all in my NLE.

In-project audio includes voice-over for viseme generation, some music for timing purposes, and maybe a bit more music to set the mood and "major" sound effects to make it more enjoyable while animating.  For all non-character audio, I attach the audio to appropriately named dummy props to make it easy to find.  But in the end, whether I export to a sequence of PNG or (gasp!) a WMV file, I still replace ALL the audio in my NLE.

To me, the best thing about doing the audio in my NLE is I can vary the volume over time, rather than have each track be a fixed volume for the entire scene.  There are numerous other benefits (easier to work with, etc.), but the variable volume is the major benefit to me.

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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

Gerry .... yes I admit I'd naively hoped to get almost everything under one hood.
But aside from the programs I use for creating music, I see:
● iClone - as a 'studio set' environment and for animating actors
● Fusion9 - as an 'authentic' DOF creator as well as for creating other FX
● Vegas Movie Studio - as a layers compositor, perhaps a Grader, additional FX compositing, adding transitions, and rendering out.

This isn't "commercial" stuff - but I think (hope) I can achieve good results all the same .... thanks Gerry :)


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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! ... 

● MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram ● iClone-7.93 ● 3DXChange Pipeline 7.81 ● CC-3 Pipeline 3.44 ● Live Face ● HeadShot ● Brekel Pro-Body ● Popcorn FX ● iRAY ● Kinect V2 ● DaVinci Resolve17 ● Mixcraft 8.1

Steve,
Don't get confused with all of this, you can never have enough tools for your work. :cool:

I use Avid Media Composer, and still consider it to be the best out there. But this isn't about best or whatever, it's about what gets the job done that I have in front of me and for that reason I also have the free Resolve installed and use it mainly for the Colour Correction abilities - which are about the best in the field. I also use the paid Fusion version simply because it interacts directly with Media Composer through Fusion Connect. On top of that I have a bunch of stuff from New Blue and Boris that work inside MC quite nicely and a great motion stabiliser from ProDad.

There is no way that anyone can be proficient in using all of the above, but at least I can get a lot of work done with out having to go outside. A friend of mine uses Pro Tools, among other items, for audio work and does a lot of mixes for me - there is no way that I am even going to think of learning a full fledged DAW. Same thing goes for Colour Correction, I can do some stuff myself but the final grade is done by a guy who lives in a dark grey hole and uses a DaVinci control panel. :smooooth: 


The main thing is that there are many ways to be unkind to a cat, and we just have to take advantage of those available - and free is almost always a great way to get the skin off. :P


Gerry

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System: Win 10 Pro (21H2), Asus X99-E WS, CPU i7-5930K -3,5 GHz, 32 GB DDR4 2666-16 RAM, NVidia GTX 1080 Ti GPU - 11 GB VRAM(Driver Studio-536.99), Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB SSD, 6 TB HD storage.

Thanks Gerry. Yes, well I'm Gob-smacked! I've never been involved with beta testing and the like. Don't know what to make of all this.
24 hours ago I'd decided to take the 'layered' approach rather than have to learn Fusion. I'm comfortable with the NLE way.
So I saw a 'Special' for MAGIX Vegas Movie Studio Suite - dropped to $120 AUD. I decided to download the 'trial'.
Then I got another email offering an "upgrade" (I hadn't even 'bought' it yet), and it was for $79.99 USD PLUS they were throwing in 'proDAD ReSpeedr 1.0' for free.... WOW I thought! ... So I bought it !!!
Now I'm not so sure I did the right thing ....

@Gerry .... thanks for the link .... 

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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! ... 

● MSI GT72VR Laptop, i7 7700HQ 4-Core 3.8 GHz 16GB RAM; Nvidia 1070, 8GB Vram ● iClone-7.93 ● 3DXChange Pipeline 7.81 ● CC-3 Pipeline 3.44 ● Live Face ● HeadShot ● Brekel Pro-Body ● Popcorn FX ● iRAY ● Kinect V2 ● DaVinci Resolve17 ● Mixcraft 8.1