Dang.  you got me.

ooh so now we are going racial - keep talking

True, I did forget all of the dancing videos, though I believe that seems to be more directed towards the asian market.

yep take it from a guy who says iclone is only good for wizards and faeries despite all the facts facing him

Kelly,

Fortunately, I didn't link any "complaint threads" only those that show known issues with the program, "wishful features" which highlight some great ideas by current users, and a thread where a common practice is highlighted - where experienced forum members refer new users to buy more content instead of just showing them how to accomplish a simple task, like smiling.  It's hard to temper the facts.

If the law is on your side, you argue the law.  If facts are on your side, you argue facts. When nothing is on your side, you just keep arguing.  You'll find a lot of forum users who just want to argue with me when issues or opposing views are brought up, regardless of the obvious facts staring them in the face. 

One thing you can be sure of, I'll never charge you for an answer to a question.  I'll tell you how it is and then show you a work around... for free.

Kelly - test01 provided good advice regarding checking out the threads where iClone issues are highlighted but i would temper that by saying as in any product, people come to support forums for help so you would expect many more "help me" type posts than "i did it" type posts

go to any software support site and if you just look at the complaints, you would think the product is failure - people who use the software successfully do not always post

Regarding content, one option that iClone provides is BackStage which allows you to try out single items from a content pack within the program. If you like it you can just buy that item instead of the complete pack. I also would encourage you to look into using online resources such as Google 3D Warehouse for props, furniture, and other things to dress your set. It does require an external program, 3DXchange. I would probably wait for version 4, which has additional features.

If you have additional questions along the way, by all means ask. There are many helpful and knowledgeable forum members willing to give advice. 

    

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Thank you so much for your additional feedback and warnings.

I'm very fortunate that my company is aware that the costs to produce a product will increase as I learn the product more and begin to 'purchase' additional content.  So, I'm lucky there.

They have also agreed to purchase additional training for me as I request to assist with my learning curve.

I promise to post an example of my first project once I've purchased what I need and can figure out what I'm doing. 

I'll check back with this post in the next few months.  Thanks again.

Kelly,

I would advise you that even the pro version has a limited number of default animations and characters that you may not be aware of. Included clothing and hairstyles are also very limited without further purchases. 

Many people find this upsetting that the unstated expectation is to purchase much more additional content in the content store.  Animating characters outside of the default movements can be very frustating and time-consuming.  Often times, when users ask for assistance here, they are referred to purchasing additional content.  They will even try to sell you a smile, as opposed to just showing you...  https://forum.reallusion.com/FindPost44067.aspx

I also recommend you review the issues thread to understand the buggy-ness of the program, which could cause delays in your production; especially, when you could be facing tight deadlines for producing results.

https://forum.reallusion.com/FindPost27563.aspx

You should also browse the Wishful Features thread to understand what isn't included in the software that causes some frustrations and requires work-arounds:

https://forum.reallusion.com/Forum87-1.aspx

I think the programs are a fun set of tools for hobbyist and I would highly recommend it for such a purpose, but I would warn you of the hidden costs; especially, if you are not a 3d artists and you are placing your neck and professional reputation out on the line for this.  There is a reason you cannot find examples of corporate training on the web using iclone...

If you are able to share with us examples of what you produce, I would be very interested to see how the software is used in a training environment.

Best wishes, and good luck.

I currently use Sony Vegas Movie Studio Pro for editing so I'm going to stay with that unless I encounter problems with editing videos produced with iCLONE.  Thanks again.