Hello. I am thinking about investing in a mo-cap suit so I could create motions to sell on the content store. Would I have to purchase the motion live plugin-in in order to do this? Is there a way to just import the FBX file into Iclone after i create it without buying additional plugins?  

You can actually convert all your motions at once using 3DXchange if they are from the same source, so the bones are identical. BVH or FBX both work for this. See here:

Thank you!!! One  question though.  If its this easy, What is the point in getting the plugins like motion live and such?

I go into this at some length elsewhere but let me see if I can sum this up for you, Dorothy.

In either case you will need to use the Axis Neuron software (assuming that is the suit you are buying -- for other suits you still will need to run the software that runs them) in the background.  This "serves" the Motion Live plugin if you go that route.  Otherwise you just record the motions in the original software.  But using ML you can record your motions direct to iClone.

What is the advantage?  You can see exactly what you are doing as it is applied to an avatar (this is a greater advantage if your avatar is non-standard, like a giant or non-human), you can have your motions "mirrored" (as if you are looking into a mirror) and you can interact with scenery.  For selling motions some of all of this might be helpful, or not as the case may be.

I've done it both ways but if I were making motions for sale I don't think I'd bother at all with the ML or plugin package.  Save your money and if you start selling stuff you can always decide later if it will help to have those advantages noted above (but there are also disadvantages as well -- I find it a PITA to record long or multiple sessions, since you can only record during the length of an iClone project.  You also can't load up a heavy scene and/or avatars without the mocap slowing down).

I have two suits and have thought about creating dual motions for sale -- that would be something very hard for others to do (but I really don't need another job -- that's why I retired :>.

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Alienware Aurora R16, Win 11, i9-149000KF, 3.20GHz CPU, 64GB RAM, RTX 4090 (24GB), Samsung 870 Pro 8TB, Gen3 MVNe M-2 SSD, 4TBx2, 39" Alienware Widescreen Monitor
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

You would get the plugins for the convenience of capturing directly into iClone. It's faster if your on a production deadline, for instance. Motion live also lets you combine multiple suits, or different hardware together, for multi-person captures.

I think your usage scenario probably would not benefit from the plugin/profiles. But the curve editor might be useful for cleanup.

To see the result in realtime in your scene.

It is great to create and sell motions but 90% of the time iCloners need specific motions for their shots.
For instance, a doctor enter a patient room, go to the bed, get the medical file, read it for a while, then go sit down near the patient, take his arm, feel the heartbeat..
All while having a conversation with the patient and perhaps with some nurses around.

This kind of actions can't be "guessed" in advance by motions sellers, iCloners must either:
- build the all action from motions parts, which, in this kind of cases, is far from being easy
- or custom mocap the all action.

And for this last option, you have to reconstruct part of your set (a simplified set) in your mocap studio (here at least a bed so the mocap artist can sit down, a file attached to the bed, ..).
And for this to work you need to see the result in your scene, see if the position and height of the bed is right for instance, etc..

And then you can "shoot" your mocap takes while seing the result, in realtime, in your actual scene set and environment.

Then you can combine body mocap with facial expression mocap together in realtime at the same time (for dialogs and acting).

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guy rabiller | GOETZIWOOD STUDIOS
"N.O.E." (Nations Of Earth) Sci-Fi TV Show, Showrunner.

For Guy's scenerio to be correct you'd also have to sell the set and/or props.  Most of the time this isn't necessary or desirable.

As I said, not really needed for creating and selling motions.  But play around and see what works for you.

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Alienware Aurora R16, Win 11, i9-149000KF, 3.20GHz CPU, 64GB RAM, RTX 4090 (24GB), Samsung 870 Pro 8TB, Gen3 MVNe M-2 SSD, 4TBx2, 39" Alienware Widescreen Monitor
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

Thanks for the great info!!! Now I'm interested in the dual motions since u brought it up. LOL but getting two suits would be to spendy. Hmmmm.... i wonder if motion is selling pretty well. Ill have to think about  this. 

I'll tell you what -- I'll make a couple for you to sell (for nothing, they will be yours) and if you are successful you can decide if you want to try that or not (I really do want to try multiple character capture, but my wife broke her arm a couple of months ago and she just this week has been able to get her arms into a t-position for calibration).  You can then judge if:

1) Multiple character captures are really worth it (there will be sync issues I'm sure -- arms may interpenetrate and such) and
2) Whether people really want to buy them.

Give me a week or so after Christmas (we were actually going to try one as Santa and Mrs. Claus but we seem to be running out of time -- why does it take about two years to get to Thanksgiving and then two days to get to Christmas?)

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Alienware Aurora R16, Win 11, i9-149000KF, 3.20GHz CPU, 64GB RAM, RTX 4090 (24GB), Samsung 870 Pro 8TB, Gen3 MVNe M-2 SSD, 4TBx2, 39" Alienware Widescreen Monitor
Mike "ex-genius" Kelley

A few advice:
Locomotions:
If you want to sell locomotion motions, you better should think like a game developer and create sets of motions that are usable in realtime with a game character, with all the transitions and blendings.
First because you will probably sell more to the game market (including iCloners who are using iClone for games) than to the movie makers market.
Second it forces you to make usable banks of motions (ie, walking forward, then turning left, stop, all this with correct transitions, no slipping feet, etc..).
Avoid "over acted" motions. Funny walks are rarely usable.
Practicals:
Perhaps a good way to sell motions to movie makers iCloners is to get a Set, a Prop or a Vehicle from the marketplace or the store that sells well and create a bunch of motions related to it. For instance a coffee machine Prop, then create all the motions that is needed to make a coffee with that machine, to wash it, to serve the coffee, etc.. then sell that as a add-on pack for this Prop. A Kitchen set then create cooking motions, etc.. The more a "set" or a "prop" will be usable with the additional "motions packs" the more there are chances it will be used in a movie (for obvious reasons) and so your motions.

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guy rabiller | GOETZIWOOD STUDIOS
"N.O.E." (Nations Of Earth) Sci-Fi TV Show, Showrunner.